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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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