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When I reflect on the qualitative research projects I was involved with during the pandemic, I feel thankful for everything that I learned, and each milestone my clients and mentees achieved. There were many pivots, and sometimes they weren’t simple or easy. When I think about the things COVID-19 took away from qualitative research, the first one that comes to mind is food…

“What level of expertise on a subject is required before doing publishable qualitative research?” That question was asked by someone who requested permission to enter the Quali Q For Qualitative Minds Group, and it didn’t trigger any exciting content ideas in my brain until a few weeks ago when two events happened. First, I was conducting interviews for one of the projects I’m currently involved in, and had to spend a good hour on YouTube™ learning about insulin pumps. Second, a coaching client presented her results to me, and I found myself on good, old Google searching about a very specific test. Here are some of my reflections on the level of expertise required to conduct publishable qualitative research.

Today we have a guest on the Quali Q Blog! Dr. Ami Stearns, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette {and a Qualitative Research Blueprint alumna}, is talking about linking feminist theory to qualitative research. As a dietitian who believes that food is a gateway for social change, I’ve truly enjoyed reading Ami’s work…when you read the blog post you’ll understand why! She talks about her journey as a feminist and qualitative researcher while offering rich insights into both topics.

Does sharing interview transcripts with participants “count” as member checking? This is a question I received from one of the Qualitative Research Blueprint students last month when we were going through module three on verification strategies. Since this isn’t the first time this question has come up, I decided it would be a good one to address on the blog.

I was invited to speak to a virtual classroom of soon-to-be dietetic interns about applying the professional skills they’re building to qualitative research. My goal going into the presentation was to encourage future dietitians to engage in opportunities to conduct qualitative research projects in their professional roles. I wanted the presentation to be inspirational and practical, and based on the feedback I received from those students I believe it was!

Why am I sharing this with you?

What is your understanding of the philosophy of science?

If the philosophy of science is new to you, this blog post is a start but only that…a superficial start. It’s possible you’ve already discussed elements of the philosophy of science but, perhaps, without naming them as such. We can’t talk about a quest for knowledge without discussing the very nature of the world and being in the world, and how we can learn/know about it. This creates a string of beliefs and assumptions linked to ontology/epistemology/axiology/methodology that are also incorporated into the philosophy of science.

Believe it or not the most read Quali Q blog post dates back to January 14th, 2020 and is about writing a qualitative research title (Boosting Your Qualitative Research Title). To me, that’s a bit surprising because I feel I’ve written about topics and methods that are much more “needed” {and complex} yet we seem to circle back to the research title.

With that piece of blog analytics in mind, I introduce to you Boosting Your Qualitative Research Title, Part 2: What can we learn from email marketing?

You probably know by now that most of my teaching through Quali Q is done outside of an academic institution. Yet I try as much as possible to foster connections and work opportunities within universities {especially the University of Alberta where I spent so many years of my life}. Last month I taught “Reflexivity and Positionality in Qualitative Research” to a group of graduate students, and during my presentation I shared with them an example from work I had done with another graduate student. That example triggered a super interesting and valuable question.

I recently read a couple of books, The Dutch House (fiction) and The Choice (a memoir), that had a strong theme in common. Both authors talked about our ability to look at past events and start seeing them differently, with a new perspective, because we know what we know now, in the present. Now, in the present, we’re people that we weren't in the past and we didn’t know what we didn't know back then.

Complex?! Yes, but read it again and let it sink in. It’s the root of regret, I can assure you.

If you haven’t read last week’s blog post, I highly recommend you do before you get going on this one.

When Maxi and Christine showed up as invited guests to my qualitative course in 2014, Maxi had a big reusable bag with her. She walked towards the front and dumped the contents of the bag on a nearby table. A number (I don’t remember how many but I can surely say many) of journals fell out onto the table. Those journals included all her PhD notes, memos, description of categories, reflection, etc. My jaw dropped and for a second all I could think was, “I’ll never be able to do this.”

Today’s blog post (as well as next week’s) includes segments of a conversation I recently had with two qualitative researchers I met during my PhD training: Maxi Miciak and Christine Daum. Maxi and Christine stand out to me, and inspire me, for two main reasons: the personal relationship they built around (and initially because of) their qualitative projects, and their passion for demonstrating rigor in qualitative research. Today, I’m going to focus on the story of their relationship and how it shaped their growth as qualitative researchers. Next week, you’ll get a sneak peek into their process of conducting rigorous qualitative health research.