March 13, 09 (Importance of Writing about Qualitative Research; Creswell, 07- Ch. 7)

In Chapter 7, Creswell, strongly address the IMPORTANCE of WRITING ABOUT QUALITATIVE RESEARCH.

Here are some tips it would be useful for my research from Creswell.

Good Questions about Qualitative writing:

Also, there is increased concern about the impact of the writing on the participants.  

-       How will they see the write up?

-       Will they be marginalized because of it?

-       Will they be offended?

-       Will they hide their true feelings and perspect1ves?

-       Have the participants reviewed the material, and interpreted, challenged, and dissented from the interpretation \Weis & fine, 2000)?- p. 179

Also, the writing has an impact on the reader, who also makes an interpretation of the account and may form an entirely different interpretation than the author or the participants. – p. 179

Language may ‘kill” whatever it touches, and qualitative researchers understand that it is impossible to truly “say” something (va Manen, 2006). – Must be careful to remember!!!

 

MUST REMEMBER ALL QUALITATIVE RESEARCHERS ABOUT THEIR WRITINGS:

Should I write about what people say or recognize that sometimes they cannot remember or choose not to remember?

-       What are my political reflexivities that need to come into my report?

-       Has my writing connected the voices and stories of individuals back to the set of historic, structural, and economic relations in which they are situated?

-       How far should I go in theorizing the words of participants?

-       Have I considered how my words could be used for progressive, conservative and repressive social policies?

-       Have I backed into the passive voice and decoupled my responsibility from my interpretation?

-       To what extent has my analysis (and writing) offered an alternative to common sense or the dominant discourse?

Phenomenological Structure

Those who write about phenomenology (e.g., Moustakas, 1994) provide more extensive attention to overall writing structures than to embedded ones.

 

매우중요: The highly structured approach to analysis by Moustakas (1994) presents a detailed form for composing a phenomenological study.

The analysis steps-

-       Identifying significant statements,

-       Creating meaning units,

-       Clustering themes,

-       Advancing textural and structural descriptions,

-       Making a composite description of textural

-       Structural descriptions into an exhaustive description of the essential invariant structure (or essence) of the experience-provide a clearly articulated procedure for organizing a report (Moustakas, 1994).

 

In my experience, individuals are quite surprised to find lightly structured approaches to phenomenological studies on sensitive topics (e.g., “bein51eft out,” “insomnia,” “being criminally victimized,” “life’s leaning,” “voluntarily changing one’s career during midlife,” “longing,” leaning,” “voluntarily changing one’s career during midlife,” “longing,” “adults being abused as children”; Moustakas, 1994, p. 153).

 

Moustakes (1994) recommends “Structure” in phenomenological research:

-       Chapter 1: Introduction and statement of topic and outline. Topics include an autobiographical statement about experiences of the author leading to the topic, incidents that lead to a puzzlement or curiosity about the topic, the social implications and relevance of the topic, new knowledge and contribution to the profession to emerge from studying the topic, knowledge to be gained by the researcher, the research question, and the terms of the study.

 

-       Chapter 2: Review of the relevant literature. Topics include a review of databases searched, an introduction to the literature, a procedure for selecting studies, the conduct of these studies and themes that emerged in them, a summary of core findings and statements as to how the present research differs from prior research (in question, model, methodology, and data collected).

 

 

-       Chapter 3: Conceptual framework of the model. Topics include the theory to be used as well as the concepts and processes related to the research design, (Chapters 3 and 4 might be combined).

 

-       Chapter 4: Methodology. Topics include the methods and procedures in preparing to conduct the study, in collecting data, and in organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing the data.

 

 

-       Chapter 5: Presentation of data. Topics include verbatim examples of data collection, data analysis, a synthesis of data, horizonalization, meaning units, clustered themes, textural and structural descriptions, and a synthesis of meanings and essences of the experience.

 

-       Chapter 6: Summary, implications, and outcomes. Sections include a summary of the study, statements about how the findings differ from those in the literature review, recommendations for future studies, the identification of limitations, a discussion about implications, and the inclusion of a creative closure that speaks to the essence of the study and its inspiration for the researcher.