Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
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<strong>Qualitative</strong> research <strong>in</strong> practice<br />
disability. He draws on <strong>the</strong>ir study of parents with a learn<strong>in</strong>g difficulty<br />
(Booth & Booth, 1994a) as well as that of children of parents<br />
with a learn<strong>in</strong>g difficulty (Booth & Booth, 1996).<br />
An approach to writ<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong> stories of <strong>in</strong>articulate <strong>in</strong>formants<br />
Tim:<br />
Yvonne:<br />
The challenge is how do you tell <strong>the</strong> story? How do you<br />
tell <strong>the</strong> stories of people who lack words? ...In <strong>the</strong><br />
case of <strong>the</strong> group of people that we are talk<strong>in</strong>g about,<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong>coherence of most transcripts may be<br />
exaggerated because <strong>the</strong>y lack <strong>the</strong> same command of<br />
grammar, <strong>the</strong> same vocabulary and <strong>the</strong> same oratorical<br />
skills. Now, if as a researcher you believe <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> notion<br />
of be<strong>in</strong>g absolutely true to <strong>the</strong> data that you collect, and<br />
only present<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> material verbatim, frankly, most of<br />
<strong>the</strong> time you would end up with an <strong>in</strong>coherent story.<br />
You wouldn’t be able to use it to convey <strong>in</strong>formation to<br />
a reader, because <strong>the</strong> reader wouldn’t be able to penetrate<br />
<strong>the</strong> prose, lack<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>d of struts and supports<br />
that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviewer or researcher had—prior knowledge<br />
of <strong>the</strong> person, an understand<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong>ir lives,<br />
experience of <strong>the</strong> way <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong>y express <strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
Lack<strong>in</strong>g all that and ask<strong>in</strong>g a reader to make<br />
sense of a transcript is present<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m with an impossible<br />
task and actually is also do<strong>in</strong>g a disservice to <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>formant, because it emphasises <strong>the</strong>ir [<strong>in</strong>articulateness],<br />
when, <strong>in</strong> context, <strong>the</strong>y might very well have<br />
been able to express <strong>the</strong>mselves ...So <strong>the</strong>re is a real<br />
challenge <strong>the</strong>re for researchers, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sense of how do<br />
you cope with this quite fundamental dilemma ...My<br />
considered view, based upon ten years of research, is<br />
that while people have <strong>the</strong> stories, and we have <strong>the</strong><br />
words, we can lend <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> words to enable <strong>the</strong>m to<br />
tell <strong>the</strong>ir stories. That <strong>in</strong> itself br<strong>in</strong>gs all k<strong>in</strong>ds of ethical<br />
issues, issues of legitimation and representation, which<br />
I would gladly expand on at length, but I am sure you<br />
are not here to listen to me go on about it now, though<br />
it is a real challenge.<br />
How do you deal with some of those issues? You are<br />
say<strong>in</strong>g if you don’t <strong>in</strong> a sense take over and write <strong>the</strong><br />
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