Lessons of a Failed Study: Lone Research, Media Analysis, and the Limitations of Bracketing

Gregory, Katherine

doi:10.1177/1609406919842450

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The above mentioned tension in documentary film making is not unlike many of the methodological debates in the social sciences regarding the positionality of the researcher and who can tell another group's narrative (Gregory, 2019). Implicit in this tension is an assumption that only insiders can tell the authentic Appalachian experience.…”

Section: The Imperial Gaze Of the Cameramentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are several reasons to abandon a research project. Whether a project is wrought with obstacles or abandoned entirely during the research design (Gregory, 2019), data collection (Nairn et al, 2005;Watson, 2006), or coding and analysis phase (Roulston, 2011), insights can be gained from reflecting on one's research challenges and failures (Sousa & Clark, 2019). When utilizing digital media technology-in the form of audio recording, video capture, editing software, or data scraping-as part of a qualitative research technique for data collection, the media tools define what constitutes as data.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Video Camera Spoiled My Ethnography: A Critical Approach

Gregory

2020

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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As videography and other media technologies are normalized in the field of qualitative methods for the purpose of data collection, there is a growing need to discuss the benefits and limitations of these data collection tools. This article chronicles an ethnographic video study focused on the experiences of Muslim adults living in the Netherlands, and why the author opted to end the project. Issues focus on reckoning with the imperial gaze of the camera, performative behavior of participants before the camera and interdisciplinary tensions the researcher faced from conflicting trainings as a qualitative methodologist and media practitioner.

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Section: The Imperial Gaze Of the Cameramentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Video Camera Spoiled My Ethnography: A Critical Approach

Gregory

2020

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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“…In recent years, however, a small yet growing body of literature in qualitative research not only creates visibility of failure as a normal part of research, but also establishes a "counternarrative" (Nairn et al, 2005) of failure by showing the insights that can be gained from working with these data (e.g., Eckert & Cichecki, 2020;Gregory, 2019;Nairn et al, 2005;Prior, 2014; see also Roulston, 2011aRoulston, , 2011b. Sousa and Clark's "call to share more" (2019) experiences with failure is an important step toward making counternarratives more numerous, visible, and accessible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Shoot! Can We Restart the Interview?”: Lessons From Practicing “Uncomfortable Reflexivity”

Eckert

2020

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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Failure is a typical experience in research, but it is largely taboo in published studies. In recent years, however, we can observe a small yet growing body of literature on failure in qualitative research to address this gap. In this article, I contribute my experiences of failed interviews in a mixed-methods study in Germany to this body of literature and highlight some aspects of failure that have not yet received enough attention. First, in my example, it was not only one interview or a few interviews that failed; rather, it seemed that the whole study failed in design due to particular methodical decisions. Second, failed research presents an intellectual challenge, but it also produces emotional and social trouble because failed research might be attributed to a failed researcher. This may be one reason failure is so damaging for one’s well-being and so difficult to share. Nevertheless, practicing some form of “uncomfortable reflexivity” (Pillow, 2003) via qualitative, close analysis helped me navigate the research process, gain methodical insights and substantive results. Third, I share lessons that might be useful for other researchers: reading literature on failure, the search for a safe and supportive space, and analyzing failure as closely and early as possible.

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“…This is where scholars (van Manen, 2017a(van Manen, , 2018Zahavi, 2019aZahavi, , 2019bZahavi, , 2020 have challenged IPA and its relationship with interpretative phenomenological philosophy. Thus, I have applied the guidance of LeVasseur (2003) and more recently, Gregory (2019). For example, Gregory (2019) highlights the concept of bracketing as even less achievable for the lone researcher due to the level of involvement in all stages of the research process; this is discussed further in The third stage involved further reading of the data, the clustering of initial themes and grouping them appropriately.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors apply 'critical' in two ways: first, meaning something of importance and second, as involving some kind of reflection. Similar to interpretative phenomenological scholars' rejection of bracketing and the epoché (Gregory, 2019;Zahavi, 2019b), Hayward and Cassell (2018) believe the researcher and the researched can never be completely separate. Therefore, becoming aware of, and understanding how I impact the research, is a defining part of my research process.…”

Section: The Researcher's Role: Achieving Critical Distancementioning

confidence: 96%

Entrepreneurial Experiences of Becoming an Employer: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Williams¹

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The aim of this study is to better understand how entrepreneurs become employers. Taking a phenomenological position, my research uses a co-creative methodology to explore transitions from entrepreneur to entrepreneur-employer. Job creation is commonly cited as a benefit of entrepreneurship (Birch, 1979; Acs, 2006), yet little is known about the transition to entrepreneur-employer. Recent estimates highlight that many UK enterprises are classified as non-employing businesses, comprising the founder only (ONS, 2020). This suggests that while a high proportion of individuals enter self-employment, growth presents a significant challenge for many (Coad et al., 2017). Extant research investigating the entrepreneur to entrepreneur-employer transition is predominantly functionalist, reinforcing commonly held beliefs that entrepreneurship is a desirable economic activity (Dvouletý, 2018). In response, I sought to apply a qualitative approach. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a guiding framework, I explore the lived experiences of six female and four male entrepreneur-employers in South Wales. My contribution to the entrepreneurship field is twofold. Firstly, my findings reflect an uglier reality to job-creation than is readily visible in the mainstream entrepreneurship literature. Perceiving it as a double-edged sword, participants juxtaposed common entrepreneurial narratives against their everyday realties. Becoming an employer introduced a level of relationality, exposing participants to systems demanding conformity rather than entrepreneurial diversity. Second, methodologically I demonstrate how the use of a co-creative method is a valuable tool for accessing complex and nuanced entrepreneurial experiences. Participants universally expressed frustration at being suspended in what I interpret as a liminal state. Drawing on relevant literature, I theorise that this is particularly felt within neoliberal post-industrial contexts. I conclude that, for my participants, negotiating the gap between mainstream entrepreneurial narratives, and their lived entrepreneurial experiences, was a significant factor in moving beyond the critical entrepreneur to entrepreneur-employer transition.

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Lessons of a Failed Study: Lone Research, Media Analysis, and the Limitations of Bracketing

Cited by 12 publications

References 53 publications

The Video Camera Spoiled My Ethnography: A Critical Approach

The Video Camera Spoiled My Ethnography: A Critical Approach

“Shoot! Can We Restart the Interview?”: Lessons From Practicing “Uncomfortable Reflexivity”

Entrepreneurial Experiences of Becoming an Employer: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

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