Discussion Responses

Response 1

What are the steps in the overall data collection process of qualitative research?

Researchers must select a site or individual to study. The site or individuals selected will vary depending on the type of study. Narratives, for example, will have one or more individuals. Participants in a phenomenological study must have had the same shared experience. Researchers must gain access to the site and develop a rapport with the people involved. A human subjects review board must grant access. Participants must give consent. Researchers must connect with those who can provide access to the site and the data. Gatekeepers can help facilitate connections with marginalized groups. Researchers must purposely develop a participant sample. Sampling considerations include whom to select as participants, the specific sampling strategy, and the size of the sample to be studied. Researchers must collect data using one of four primary forms: a) interviews (ranging from one-on-one, in-person interactions, to the group, web-based interactions), b) observations (ranging from non-participant to participant), c) documents (ranging from private to public), and d) audiovisual materials (ranging from photographs to participant-created artifacts). Researchers should develop and use a protocol to record information collected during an interview or observation to organize thoughts and take concise, consistent, and relevant notes.  Researchers must minimize field issues including a) entry and organizational access, b) procedures for observations, c) dynamics between interviewer and interviewee, d) availability of documents and audiovisual materials, and e) data storage and security. In all steps and throughout research, researchers must attend to ethical considerations.

 What are the key ethical considerations when collecting data?

 There are three primary principles for ethical research: 1) respect for persons, 2) concern for welfare, and 3) justice. Researchers must protect anonymity by assigning numbers or aliases, explain to participants the purpose of the study, be aware of the information shared off the record that may harm individuals if reported and be familiar with the context and respectful of marginalized populations.

 What are typical access and rapport issues?

 Researchers must seek permission from an ethical review board. They must also seek consent for participants.  They should connect with individuals who can gain access to the research site and facilitate the collection of data and use a gatekeeper to help connect with marginalized groups

 What issues should you expect in your own research? Explain why.

The purpose of our study is to assess the experiences of households with remote work for adults and distance education for children occurring concurrently to assess shortcomings and make recommendations for improvement. Key research questions are: how well are people in the remote work and distance learning environment managing work productivity, how well are they providing supervision and care to children, and how does the remote work /distance learning environment influence the emotional health of household members? Will will need to collect participants from the network of people that we know, as a random collection or solicitation of volunteers will be difficult under COVID-19 conditions. Selecting familiar participants has risk of bias. We anticipate issues with access resulting from COVID-19. Our research would be more effective in a natural setting. First-hand and in-person observation would not be worth the risk of COVID-19 transmission and would be irresponsible. The use of teleconferencing applications vs face-to-face communications could influence results. There could be regional influences of our sample population that make our results less universal.  We will need to develop a rapport with our subjects by demonstrating the value of our research. Research involving children bears particular attention to ethics. Researchers could witness abusive situations and feel compelled to act. Through our study of qualitative research in this class, I have gained an appreciation of written informed consent. This will be an important consideration in our research as well.

 

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications. 72-4.

Response #2

What are the steps in the overall data collection process of qualitative research?

According to Creswell & Proth (2018), the qualitative research should be collected by maintaining ethical considerations throughout the process. The steps in ethically obtaining the data is listed as follows: Locating of site or/and individual, Gaining access and developing rapport, Sampling purposefully, Collecting data, Recording information, Minimizing field issues, and Storing data securely (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Although these activities are listed, the researchers can begin at any given point.

What are the key ethical considerations when collecting data?

Our textbook authors explain that an ethical study means that researchers take into consideration all possible ethical issues that could arise during any portion of the study. There are numerous examples of possible ethical considerations for researchers to consider. From the type of questions to the respect of privacy, each study will have to take responsibility for all ethical considerations. In addition, a participant can change their mind at any point during the research and that is a situation researcher must be respectful to consider.

What are typical access and rapport issues?

Typical issues with access could range from location to participants. If security or special access is required to reach participants there could be issues. Sometime participants could be in homes or hospitals or schools where researchers would find access issues. These issues can happen at any point and are harder to anticipate. Rapport issues are easier to address and should be carefully thought out by all researchers. In a blog by Max Koh (2017), rapport issues are addressed, and she suggests the following points:

· Be accommodating.  Remember to explain that you are not testing your participant. Small talk gets the story and information out.

· Keep an eye on your body language. Always remember to keep your body language open.

· Avoid barriers between yourself and your participant.

· Dress appropriately and for the participant. If it is a corporate interview dress up and if it is a family dress more comfortable.

· Show interest in your participant. Showing some interesting in what your participant has to say can go a long way in making them feel comfortable and valued.

What issues should you expect for your own research? Explain why? 

Possible issues with researching adult learners would be confidentiality of those participants who may not be willing to let people know they are attending college. In my line of work, I have met and spoken to several adults who are embarrassed to discuss college and returning to school. There is also the issue of time and access to participants. Many of these adults are fulltime employees and have families so taking time out of their day to answer questions is not always easily accomplished.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five       approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Koh, M. (2020, March 8). How to build rapport in a user interview. https://blog.optimalworkshop.com/how-       to-build-rapport-in-a-user-interview/.