There are a lot of things I want to do on this blog/journal that I have not done yet. -Sample some bad tape and sample how different software and effects sound when applied to the bad tape -Post at least one (short) movie made with a handheld camera -Try out Transana and write about it (maybe that will be a fit for my practice effort producing a more detailed transcript) -Finish the latest episode (and further episodes) of the adventures of "Qualitative ninja girl" But before any of that, there are still things I want to write about the class interview assignment. In Kvale's book about interviewing (the one that is part of "The Sage Qualitative Research Kit, " Sage, 2007), he has this incredible description of the transitions a researcher might go through after conducting interviews - from being unbelievably enthused and optimistic, to an eventual sort of depressed and overwhelmed state in which the researcher just about despises the interviews (or maybe just the thought of working with them); I might have mentioned this passage before because I found it very powerful to read. It actually applies to just about anyone who has ever felt 'pressured' to 'finish' anything. This passage is in Chapter 4 - pgs 34-35 "Emotional Dynamics of an Interview Journey." Interesting to contrast this part of the 'journey' with the traveler and miner descriptions from earlier in the same book.
I can understand the process Kvale described although I think I have never (to date) hit the depth of despair that Kvale described. What I find, instead, is that sometimes reading and the inevitable reliving (an inevitable part of rereading for me) is...wearying. I tend to think this this weariness is more emotional than anything else and I dread the effort of the experience. For this reason I find myself sometimes putting off reading or re-reading. It is a similar response I have to reading things that are really complex or dense. I think it is an anticipation of the investment (emotional or intellectual) that is going to go into the process and wanting to delay that. Another analogy/comparison for me is would be a planned hard workout. I told my former running partner about this (former because I moved) and he laughed because he also felt (self-imposed) 'pressure' to do a good job when he had a hard workout planned - almost to the extent of an 'approach-avoidance' response. It is awareness not just that there may be physical discomfort, but also of the extent of the mental focus and concentration that is often needed - I think that is the really hard part. Of course I am always looking for the 'effortless effort,' the 'zone,' the 'flow' or however you like to think of the sense of being caught up in the experience. However, as a research/analyst of the information, there may never really be a chance to get 'immersed' in your data; you have to keep at least one eye open to be able to think not just about what you hear or read, but what it might mean. A real pleasure for me, though, was in re-reading (again) the class interview. I attribute this to the fact that my co-researcher viewed learning qualitative inquiry experiences in a very positive light. This made the whole tone of the conversation very positive. I smiled when I read my transcript completed by the other student and I am smiling a lot when I read my transcript of my interview with the other student. What would this experience have been like if I had spoken with someone who had less positive experiences or even negative experiences? I have a feeling that would have produced a very hard transcript to finish and to re-read.
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AuthorI am Sheryl L. Chatfield, Ph.D, C.T.R.S. I am a member of the faculty in the College of Public Health at Kent State University. I also Co-coordinate the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research and I am a member of the Design Innovation Team at Kent State. Archives
February 2024
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