Methodological Considerations for Qualitative Research with Immigrant Populations: Lessons from Two Studies

Abstract

Often, research strategies are guided by principles developed based on mainstream U.S. cultural norms. Immigrants, however, may differ in their cultural backgrounds and previous exposure to research. Commonly adopted research procedures, such as the informed consent process, may be culturally inappropriate for research with culturally diverse populations, and hence require cultural adaptations. Based on two qualitative studies, this paper describes the methodological issues encountered in the field when working with Chinese and Kenyan immigrants, and explains how these issues were resolved. Comparing and synthesizing experiences from the two studies, recommendations for methodological adaptations when working with immigrant populations are provided. Specifically, suggestions on how to prepare the research protocol, recruit participants, obtain informed consent, deal with unanticipated incidents during the research process, and choose the interview language(s) are discussed in depth.

Challenges in using authentic assessment in 21st century ESL classrooms

“…This instrument was piloted with another excellent teacher who was not the participant in this study. Some modifications were made on the instrument upon discussion with an expert in assessment [29] before it was used with the group of teachers in the main study. Apart from that, an observation protocol adapted from Ho [30] was used in this study to assist the researchers in capturing quotes and moments that should be recorded as data.…”

Cross-Cultural Researchers’ Positionality in Immigrant Health Research: Reflections on Conducting Research on Chinese Immigrants’ Experiences in the United States

“…Recognition of our spectrum of insiderness and outsiderness was consistent with previous studies' findings that researchers' identities are fluid, hybrid, and socially constructed (e.g., Bhabha, 2012;Chan, 2017;Hall, 2000;and Langer-Osuna & Nasir, 2016). Our insiderness as cross-cultural researchers helped us recruit participants from personal networks and community organizations (Lu & Gatua, 2014;Ojeda et al, 2011;and Suh et al, 2009); provide opportunities to enlarge the recruitment pool and allow us to establish better rapport during the interviews (Van Mol et al, 2013); probe meaningful questions (Merriam et al, 2001); capture subtle meanings and ensure the data quality in the processes of transcription and translation (Van Mol et al, 2014); and create commitment to deriving accurate meanings from the interviews and reducing the ambiguity of transcripts through triangulation (Greene, 2014). Conversely, the characteristics associated with outsiderness enabled us to maintain curiosity and openness in obtaining information and insights when exploring topics that were unfamiliar (Merriam et al, 2001;Van Mol et al, 2014); and maintain to a certain extent distance or detachment from the Chinese immigrant community by reducing potential assumptions that may have arisen when looking at the data collected (Chavez, 2008;Woodward, 2008).…”

“…Reflexivity recognizes the influences of the researcher’s background, assumptions, and expectations on the research process and outcomes (Hickson, 2016), and calls for the need to be more open and accountable to how one has participated in research and produced knowledge (Subedi, 2006). Cross-cultural researchers can be considered “human research instruments” (Cohen & Crabtree, 2006), whose reflexivity of the research process helps develop culturally appropriate research protocols to conduct multicultural research (Lu & Gatua, 2014). In this study, our team of cross-cultural researchers used reflexivity to describe our capacity for self-awareness that affects how we understood who we are, our values, and how they influenced the study data collection process (Hickson, 2016; Taylor & White, 2001).…”

Parental Involvement in Chinese Immigrant Mothers: The Influences of Cultural and Parenting Cognitions

“…Consequently, generalization of the findings to a larger Chinese immigrant population should be made cautiously. Snowball technique utilizing personal connections for recruitment appeared to be the most effective way to obtain a large number of participants for Chinese immigrants as there is established trust between them and the researcher (e.g., Lu & Gatua, 2014;Ojeda et al, 2011;Suh et al, 2009). However, utilizing informal networks for recruitment also presents some limitations.…”