This paper explores reflexivity in qualitative research, challenging conventional perspectives that revolve around the binary of 'insider' and 'outsider' positioning. While traditionally reflexivity has been understood through the lens of a researcher's socio-historical positionality, we argue for a more dynamic understanding, emphasizing that…

This study explores how qualitative health researchers navigate the demands of medical research ethics committees in Germany where qualitative research is subject to approval only when it is conducted in medical contexts. We present the results of a grounded theory study to investigate qualitative health researchers' experiences with procedural…

Educational researchers continue to polarize into 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' camps, with these terms often functioning as global identity markers, rather than as styles of research that are available to anyone. Many scholars have lamented the drawbacks of researchers being siloed into opposing, apparently incommensurable research paradigms,…

This article explores the methodological and ethical challenges of doing qualitative fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Drawing on a long-term project conducted in China, I discuss how my interaction with the participants was mediated by the pervasive state power. This phenomenon adds a new layer to the question "can the subaltern…

With waves of fake news, many see the truth in decline. The resulting "post-truth" panic provokes methodological defensiveness, heightening scrutiny over what qualifies as qualitative research. At the same time, post qualitative research rejects qualitative research to imagine new possibilities. These debates involve a reassessment of…

A central challenge to addressing what becomes taken-for-granted in method in educational research is socialization into the field. During graduate training, students and their mentors are challenged by unique projects. Here, authors, two early career scholars and a faculty mentor, offer a critical interrogation of socialization experiences…

When researching with or about families in home-based research, there are numerous unexpected ethical issues that can emerge, particularly in qualitative research. This paper is based on reflective accounts of four homed-based research projects, two in the UK and two Australia, which examined ethical dilemmas identified when engaged in home-based…

Purpose: Doing qualitative research with vulnerable urban populations such as street traders present significant methodological challenges, which many researchers may not be prepared to handle. This paper aims to provide a reflective account of the authors' fieldwork experiences while conducting a study with street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe.…

This paper demonstrates how fictional narratives can address ethical and epistemic problems in the creation and conduct of qualitative research. A story about international students with parental responsibilities in the UK is presented. Through this 'performance,' fictional narratives can address issues linked to ethical and epistemic desires.…

Auto/biographical narrative research that touches on 'sensitive' areas can elicit accounts that researchers may find distressing and threatening to their emotional and psychological health. In this paper we offer a 'confessional tale' through which we consider our experiences of investigating a sensitive and painful topic from the perspectives of…

This article problematizes the role of the interview as a methodological strategy that loses its easy replication when employed in studies with undocumented youth. We raise questions about the contingencies of conducting qualitative interviews with undocumented youth -- what does it mean leverage the interview-event as a space of healing for them?…

The need for researcher reflexivity in qualitative research, especially where data are gathered through interview, is well documented. Studies employing a range of theoretical frameworks and methodologies are similarly affected, with researchers needing to consider specific contextual factors related to the design nuances of each project. This…

In this essay, Pei Pei Liu identifies the act of unveiling a completed portrait to solicit participant response as central to the conceptualization of portraiture. While this explicit extension of research relationships into the study "aftermath" distinguishes portraiture from many other qualitative methods, little practical guidance…

Formerly incarcerated women face diverse challenges to re-entry, which include recovering from health illnesses and trauma to navigating various systems of stigma and surveillance. It is these multilevel challenges to reintegration that also make formerly incarcerated women vulnerable participants in research. As such, this qualitative study…

This article explores the complex relationship between researcher and respondent through shared experience and interaction in the interview processes. Ethical considerations related to the balance of power and potential for change in respondents' professional actions and decisions post-interview are discussed whilst problematizing the concept of…