Qualitative Journeys: Student and Mentor Experiences With Research

Abstract

This text and resource book is designed for students and professionals in the field of social sciences, education, human services, health, and related fields. It is intended for those students who already have some rudimentary knowledge of qualitative research, and can be used in conjunction with more traditional structured text. This book, after all, is about the journey that researchers experience. The first two chapters describe the general nature of a qualitative research journey. Each subsequent chapter tells the story of a research study (both master's and doctoral level) with vivid, compelling descriptions of the struggles, joys, discoveries, surprises, and interpersonal negotiations that take place. Most critically, the parallel stories of both student and mentor reveal the innermost working of how the qualitative research process unfolds and evolves over time, as well as how all the participants are changed personally and professionally by the experience. A section at the end of each chapter discusses the themes, challenges, and practical issues that have arisen in this particular research experience, helping the student to better appreciate and understand the major concepts highlighted and how to apply these in further qualitative research. The purpose of the book is to prepare readers, both novice student researchers and their experienced mentor researchers, about the complex journey and partnership they are about to undertake. The chapters portray this research journey not as a sanitized process, as is often presented in published research articles and conference presentations, but as part of normal human activity and reflective learning processes with all of the accompanying joys, pains, and contradictions.