Tagged / qualitative methods

Reading about Positionality

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

This week ResearchGate informed us that the paper ‘The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers‘ by Bournemouth University M.Res. student Ms. Hannah Gurr has been read over 800 times.  The co-authors are Hannah’s supervisors Dr. Louise Oliver, Dr. Orlanda Harvey and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), and one of Nepal’s foremost sociology of health and illness researchers Prof. Madhusudan Subedi. 

The paper is of particular interest for qualitative and mixed-methods researchers as these researchers are especially required to be critically reflective and explain to readers their positionality on their work. This account can be relatively straightforward, but there are occasions when this process of reflection and outlining one’s positionality is much more complicated. This method-paper explains this process. It outlines, using examples of different occasions and situations, where and why such complications may arise, for example, around values and personal experiences. It concludes with further practical advice on writing the section on positionality for novice social scientists.  The journal in which this methodological paper is published is Open Access and therefor freely available to read for anybody across the globe.

 

Reference:

  1. Gurr, H., Oliver, L., Harvey, O., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers, Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology 18(1): 48-54,

Dr Rachel Arnold on Appreciative Inquiry

In March of this year I had the pleasure of announcing in a BU Research Blog the publication of Dr. Rachel Arnold’s contribution to the book Appreciating Health and Care: A Practical Appreciative Inquiry Resource for the Health & Social Care Sector  [1].  There is also a supplementary eBook, called Appreciating Health and Care: AI in practice [2], which introduces more professional experiences of using AI (not Artificial Intelligence, but Appreciative Inquiry) in the health and care sector.  Rachel is the lead author of the contribution ‘Let’s get messy! Where to start with using Appreciative Inquiry’ and her co-authors are Dr. Jo Hartley, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and Dr. Preeti Mahato.  ‘Let’s get messy! Where to start with using Appreciative Inquiry’ is a case study which reflects on our experiences of using Appreciative Inquiry to explore staff well-being in an NHS maternity service during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explain how we adapted and overcame some of the challenges, strategies that worked, and practical ideas for anyone interested in using Appreciative Inquiry in health or social care.

 

References:

  1. Hodgkiss, D., Quinney, S., Slack, T., Barnett, K., Howells, B. (2024a)  Appreciating Health and Care: A practical Appreciative Inquiry resource for the Health and Social Care sector, Forres: Appreciating People; ISBN: 978-1-9160267-6-6
  2. Hodgkiss, D., Quinney, S., Slack, T., Barnett, K., Howells, B. (2024b) Appreciating Health and Care: AI in practice, Forres: Appreciating People.

 

 

Research process seminar. Interviewing journalists: How to get the most out of qualitative data while finding the “new” in the “same old” – Tuesday 6th June at 2pm on Zoom

You are warmly welcomed to this week’s research process seminar. Hosted in FMC but open to all.
While the topic is on interviewing journalists, much of what Mireya will talk about covers all types of elite interviewing, and so should be of interest to many across the university.
Interviewing journalists: How to get the most out of qualitative data while finding the “new” in the “same old” – by Dr Mireya Márquez Ramírez (Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City)

Scholarship that is based on interviews with journalists or news-content producers is increasingly commonplace around the world. Despite being members of a busy occupation,  journalists who accept to be interviewed tend to openly share views that, unsurprisingly, resonate with one another regardless of socio-geographical differences, specific circumstances, or individual nuances. Familiar anecdotes and themes often emerge when interviewing journalists for different research topics: the multiple challenges they face, the restrictive conditions to exert their occupation, the impact of digital technologies in their work, or the increasing gap between normative ideals and actual practice. As a result, research findings often replicate and corroborate existing knowledge, while critical issues are overlooked. How to make the most of interviews with journalists? How to get past occupational essentialism? This talk argues that interviews with journalists might benefit from more instrument development, more refined comparative focus, better data-analysis processes, more theory-building and more dialogue with quantitative studies and literature tackling other professions. The talk reflects on the challenges and opportunities researchers face when interviewing journalists.

Mireya is Professor of Journalism Studies and Media Theory at the Department of Communications, Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City since 2011. She is a member of Mexico’s System of National Researchers (SNI), Level II, a distinction awarded by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). She received her doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London (2012) and her MA in Journalism Studies from Cardiff University (2006). She has co-published in high-impact journals like the Journal of Communication, Press Politics, Journalism, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice and Digital Journalism. Her research interests include media capture; media systems in Latin America; comparative journalism cultures; journalistic roles; journalistic professionalism and labour; sociology of news production; anti-press violence; safety of journalists, health, and sports journalism. She is the principal investigator (PI) of the Journalistic Role Performance study in Mexico and Worlds of Journalism study in Bolivia and is part of the national consortium conducting Worlds of Journalism Mexico. She serves the scientific or editorial boards of Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies, Communication Culture and Critique, Spain’s Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico and Mexico’s Communication and Society.

Tuesday 6th June on Zoom

https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/9292103478?pwd=UzJnNTNQWDdTNldXdjNWUnlTR1cxUT09

Meeting ID: 929 210 3478

Passcode: rps!4fmc

We hope to see you there

Dan and Sae

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Arnold on her latest paper

NHS, open access, Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Arnold in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) on the publication today of her  paper ‘Why use Appreciative Inquiry? Lessons learned during COVID-19 in a UK maternity service‘ [1].  This methodological paper is co-authored with Dr. Clare Gordon who holds a has joint clinical academic post at UCLan and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with a focus on developing clinically focused stroke research, education and improvement. Clare is also a former BU Ph.D. student.  Further co-authors from CMMPH are Professors Sue Way and Edwin van Teijlingen.  The final co-author, Dr. Preeti Mahato, finished her post in CMMPH two days ago to start her Lectureship in Global Health at Royal Holloway (part of the University of London).

The paper highlights that selecting the most appropriate research method is an important decision in any study. It affects the type of study questions that can be answered. In addition, the research method will have an impact on the participants – how much of their time it takes, whether the questions seem important to them and whether there is any benefit in taking part. This is especially important when conducting research with staff in health services. This article is a reflection on the process of using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) in a study that explored staff well-being in a UK maternity unit. The authors  discuss our experience of using AI,the strengths and limitations of this approach, and conclude with points to consider if you are thinking about using AI. Although a study team was actively involved in decisions, this paper is largely based on reflections by dr. Arnold, the researcher conducting the field work in the maternity services.

 

Reference:

Arnold, R., Gordon, C., van Teijlingen, E., Way, S., Mahato, P. (2022). Why use Appreciative Inquiry? Lessons learned during COVID-19 in a UK maternity service. European Journal of Midwifery, 6(May), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.18332/ejm/147444

Free training sessions for dementia researchers

conferences, international, Knowledge Exchange, Training

Bournemouth University is involved in a wider collaboration which organises the Advanced Dementia Research Conference (ADRC 2021).  The conference is delivered online today and tomorrow (19th-20th November).  ADRC 2021 is led by Dr. Brijesh Sathian, BU Visiting Faculty, based in the Geriatric Medicine Department, Rumailah Hospital, in Doha, Qatar.  Saturday morning Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen will be delivering a session on qualitative research, preceded by a session on mixed-methods research from Prof. Padam Simkhada, also BU Visiting Faculty, from the University of Huddersfield.

The programme shown is for Day 2 tomorrow.   All sessions today and tomorrow are free to attend!  You can register here! Please, note that advertised times a Qatar times which three hours ahead of the UK at the moment.  

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH (Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health)

 

Latest CMMPH publication by Dr. Alison Taylor

international, open access, Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Alison Taylor in the Centre for Midwifery,Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) whose third PhD paper  has just been accepted by the International Breastfeeding Journal.  Alison’s paper ‘Commercialisation and commodification of breastfeeding: video diaries by first-time mothers’ reminds us that many of aspects of our lives are increasingly commercialised in post-modern society.  Although breastfeeding is perhaps a late comer to this process in recent years, it too has seen significant commercialisation facilitated by social media and our obsession with celebrity culture.

This paper explores how the commercialisation and commodification of breastfeeding impacts mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding.  The paper highlights that women preparing for breastfeeding are exposed to increasing commercialisation.  When things do not go to plan, women are even more exposed to commercial solutions. The impact of online marketing strategies fuelled their need for paraphernalia so that their dependence on such items became important aspects of their parenting and breastfeeding experiences.   Dr. Taylor and her co-authors  offer new insights into how advertising influenced mothers’ need for specialist equipment and services. Observing mothers in their video diaries, provided valuable insights into their parenting styles and how this affected their breastfeeding experience.

The International Breastfeeding Journal is an Open Access journal owned by Springer.

 

References:

  1. Taylor, A.M., van Teijlingen, E., Alexander, J., Ryan, K. (2020) Commercialisation and commodification of breastfeeding: video diaries by first-time mothers, International Breastfeeding Journal (accepted).
  2. Taylor A, van Teijlingen, E.,Ryan K, Alexander J (2019) ‘Scrutinised, judged & sabotaged’: A qualitative video diary study of first-time breastfeeding mothers, Midwifery 75: 16-23.
  3. Taylor, A.M., van Teijlingen, E., Alexander, J., Ryan, K. (2019) The therapeutic role of video diaries: A qualitative study involving breastfeeding mothers, Women & Birth 32(3):276-83. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519218300064

Innovative narrative concept now available across several platforms

PG research

FHSS’ Prof Lee-Ann Fenge & Dr. Kip Jones

FHSS’ Kip Jones and Lee-Ann Fenge are pleased to announce that their article , “Gift Stories How Do We Retell the Stories that Research Participants Give Us?” is now available across several platforms.  Along with the open-access version from Creative Approaches to Research now being available, it can be downloaded on Academia.edu and BRIAN.

Jones and Fenge comment: “We can no longer afford to ignore the great advances made in representation of qualitative data. These have been overwhelmingly demonstrated by the successes achieved in auto-ethnography, poetic enquiry, ethno-drama, film, Performative Social Science and/or other arts-based efforts in research and dissemination”.

Narrative methods contribute greatly to the advances made in qualitative research. A narrative style should also be promoted in publications and presentations. This study on older LGBT citizens in rural Britain highlights this by means of a report on one part of that study—a Focus Group.

Narrative researchers are natural storytellers and need to foreground this when reporting studies for publication. Qualitative research is always about story reporting and story making, and narrative research (listening to and retelling stories) is a key democratising factor in qualitative social science research.

CQR Summer Surgery Sessions about to begin again!

PG research

Last Summer the Centre for Qualitative Research organised a series of short (half hour) surgery sessions where participants could ask us any questions that they might have about qualitative methods and their research. If we didn’t have the answer, we have a list of CQR Members who often do!

Dr Kip Jones, Centre Director and Deputy Director, Caroline Ellis-Hill will offer sessions this Summer!

To book a half hour (in person) with Kip at Royal London House on a Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon, just email kipworld@gmail.com with your possible date. Kip will get back to you with a time.

To book a a half hour (via Skype only) with Caroline on a Wednesday morning, email cehill@bournemouth.ac.uk with our possible date. Caroline will get back to you with a time and Skype arrangements. (We particularly hope that colleagues and students at Yeovil and Portsmouth will take advantage of this particular distance resource.)

CQR members have expertise in a wide range of methods. If necessary, through the surgery process we can connect you up with a particular resourceful person.

  • Research as Film/Film as Research
  • Photo-elicitation
  • Grounded Theory
  • Performance Poetry
  • Ethics
  • Interviewing
  • Focus Groups
  • Ethnography
  • Participatory Action Research
  • Autobiography
  • Auto-ethnography
  • Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Arts-based methods
  • Telephone interviews
  • Questionnaire design
  • NVIVO
  • Performance Poetry
  • Reflexivity
  • Performative Social Science

Sessions will generally run through July and the first half of August.

These sessions seemed to work quite well last Summer. We hope that you will find them a valuable assistance. No need to be a CQR member (but you may want to become one!)

Kip and Caroline