https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/issue/feedForum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research2024-01-29T11:10:31+01:00Katja MruckFQS@qualitative-research.netOpen Journal Systems<p><em>FQS</em> is a peer-reviewed multilingual online journal for qualitative research. <em>FQS</em> issues are published three times a year. Selected single contributions and contributions to the journal's regular features <em>FQS</em> Reviews, <em>FQS</em> Debates, <em>FQS</em> Conferences and <em>FQS</em> Interviews are part of each issue. Additionally, thematic issues are published according to prior agreement with the <em>FQS </em>Editors<em>.</em></p> <p><em>FQS</em> is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access">open-access</a> journal, so all articles are available free of charge and published under a <a href="https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/submission/copyright">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p> <ul> <li>Current Issue: <a href="https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/issue/current">Current</a></li> <li>Back Issues: <a href="https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/issue/archive">Archives</a></li> </ul> <p>Please <a href="https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/user/register">register</a> if you are interested to receive our newsletter, distributed three times per year to inform about new publications and other news, important for qualitative researchers.</p>https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4180Current Transformations of Teaching and Learning Qualitative Research: A Discussion2024-01-13T09:31:56+01:00Günter MeyDebora NiermannPetra PanenkaNicole Weydmann<p>In this article we document the symposium "Transformations of Teaching and Learning Qualitative Research" at the 18th annual <em>Berliner Methodentreffen Qualitative Forschung</em> [Berlin Meeting on Qualitative Research]. We begin with remarks on the changes in discussions about teaching and learning of qualitative research over the last 20 years. This is followed by panelists' reports of their experiences to illuminate the challenges of teaching qualitative research and students' learning outcomes. Subsequently, some unique features of teaching and learning qualitative research are discussed in relation to its essentials: openness, communication, reflexivity. Regarding the increasing didactization and digitalization, the panelists concretize the requirements of experience-based teaching. They also bring forward affordances for reforming learning and teaching methods, which go far beyond the expansion of university structures and entail a fundamentally different understanding of the design of arrangements for teaching and learning.</p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Günter Mey, Debora Niermann, Petra Panenka, Nicole Weydmannhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4175Review Essay: About Metaphors and Monsters2023-12-22T10:56:28+01:00Jo Reichertz<div> <p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Metaphor analysis is an established part of qualitative social research. Therefore, the current book by Peter ADAMS, a psychologist from New Zealand who has been working for years on the renewal of rhetoric, is taken here as an opportunity to reflect on the power of metaphors. First, I will outline the author's theory that metaphors are actors of their own kind, that metaphors can combine with other metaphors and then grow into "monster metaphors" that shape not only people's thoughts but also their actions. In the second part of this article, ADAMS' position is then subjected to criticism from an action theory perspective.</span></span></p> </div>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Jo Reichertzhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4183Review: Louise Ryan (2023). Social Networks and Migration—Relocations, Relationships and Resources2024-01-16T13:04:32+01:00Nicolas Tavitian<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In "Social Networks and Migration," Louise RYAN reexamines data obtained over 15 years of research to explore how migrants of different ages and backgrounds construct their social networks and how these networks evolve with time as migrants go through different stages in life. RYAN explores the aspirations and needs which migrants aim to address by nurturing existing connections or by creating new ones. With RYAN's approach to qualitative social network analysis (SNA) she emphasizes the specificities—i.e., the content and meaning—of each social connection. RYAN focuses on the individuality of each experience, and intentionally eschews the temptation to generalize to groups or identities of any kind. Her data are based on narratives ("telling network stories"), which yield information on relationships, on their meaning to interviewees, and on their nature and content. The book is particularly insightful in describing the content of relationships as well as their evolution over time. It also inevitably leaves out of its field of investigation more than it covers. It is therefore an invitation to further research into the way migrants shape their networks, how social networks shape their lives, and how they distil this experience in the form of narratives.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Nicolas Tavitianhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4143The Spirit of Fieldwork? Navigating Alcohol Consumption, Abstinence and Religious Positionalities in Social Sciences Research2023-08-24T01:19:36+02:00Jennifer Philippa EggertSeb Rumsby<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In recent years, debates on researcher positionality have increasingly gained traction in academic circles. However, despite this increased focus on questions evolving around the impact of the researcher's presence on the research process and outcome, there are still issues that scholars have tended to avoid, such as the effect of alcohol on the research process. While existing publications contain some discussion of various aspects related to researchers navigating alcohol consumption during fieldwork, they do not touch on the role of religion—a striking absence considering the prevalence of religious reasons for abstinence. In this article, we therefore build on existing literature by discussing two case studies focused on the experiences of religious researchers with alcohol that help complicate our understanding of the role of alcohol consumption and abstinence during fieldwork. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach and drawing on our fieldwork experiences as a Muslim woman in Lebanon and a Christian man in Vietnam, we discuss how religion affects rapport and insider/outsider dynamics during fieldwork. We conclude with recommendations on how academic institutions can better support students and staff members (regardless of religious identity or lack thereof) when it comes to navigating alcohol consumption during fieldwork and beyond.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Jennifer Philippa Eggert, Seb Rumsbyhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/3998Participatory Research with Young People Concerning Sexuality, Violence, and Protection in (International) Youth Work: Methodological Reflections2023-03-02T19:22:24+01:00Tom Fixemer<p>In this article, I reflect on the participative research approach in the joint project "SchutzNorm: Protection Concepts in Child and Youth Work. Constructions of Normality of Sexuality and Violence Among Adolescents" (2018-2021), specifically regarding method(olog)ical issues. I present current German debates on participatory research, along with theoretical perspectives from the sociology of knowledge and connected with basic approaches of a postcolonial pedagogy according to Paulo FREIRE. First, I discuss participation situations in the project "SchutzNorm." Then I explore the peer research process in the sub-project "International Youth Work."</p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Tom Fixemerhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4097Doorways of Understanding: A Generative Metaphor Analysis2023-06-20T11:00:54+02:00Katie HausJaclyn HadfieldKathryn LaRocheBarbara DennisRonna TurnerBrandon CrawfordWen-Juo LoKristen Jozkowski<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this paper, we explore the use of a generative metaphor for analyzing qualitative interviews on abortion attitudes. U.S. abortion attitudes are notably complex and multidimensional, thus, requiring subtle, complex, and multidimensional tools of study. We used the generative metaphor of a "doorway" as an analytic tool to enable new understandings of abortion attitudes as expressed across 24 one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews with U.S. adults. The doorway metaphor gave us an understanding of the ways in which participants thought of their abortion attitudes as open to revision or change to some degree while also being closed to revision in other ways. This spectrum of openness and closedness does not come into view when examining abortion attitudes through the dichotomous framings. <span lang="en-US">In this methodological paper, we thoroughly describe how we used the metaphor to explicate the complexities and multi-dimensionalities of a person's abortion attitudes.</span></span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Kristen Jozkowski, Katie Haus, Jaclyn Hadfield, Kathryn LaRoche, Barbara Dennis, Ronna Turner, Brandon Crawford, Wen-Juo Lohttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4039Subjectification of Highly Qualified Professionals in the Cuban Realm of Work: Analyzing a Two-Sided Process2023-05-31T11:58:35+02:00Nina Jany<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this article, I elaborate on discourses and discursively mediated subject positions regarding the working self in Cuba. My main objective is to analyze whether and how highly qualified professionals in Cuba position themselves relating to these discourses and subject positions. Building on the hitherto little-known conceptual framework of <em>interpretive subjectification analysis</em>, I perform the empirical analysis in two parts: First, I identify subject positions directed at Cuban workers in contemporary discourses on the Cuban realm of work. Second, based on qualitative interviews with highly qualified professionals in Havana, I reconstruct individual self-positioning modes. I demonstrate how the interviewees described and explained their professional biographies by relating to discourses and subject positions. By indicating similarities and differences with the existing literature on the working self in Western, post-Fordist, and neoliberal contexts, I intend to enhance the understanding of subjectification processes in a new context. Simultaneously, I evaluate whether the approach of <em>interpretive subjectification analysis, </em>which was developed in a Western, market-capitalist context, is equally fruitful for understanding subjectification processes in Cuba. In doing so, I contribute to the advancement of this approach.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Nina Janyhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4066Symbolic Boundaries and Stigma Management of ALG II Recipients2023-06-20T10:36:37+02:00Sebastian Jürss<p>The introduction of <em>Hartz IV</em> (formally <em>Arbeitslosengeld II</em> [German unemployment benefits]) in 2005 resulted in deep cuts for affected recipients of transfer payments. In the accompanying discourses and public opinion, images of individual failures and "typical Hartz IV recipients" were manifested, which often portrayed recipients in a stigmatizing way. In order to avoid these stigmatizations or to pass them on to other beneficiaries, different distinctions are made by recipients, that allow for a differentiation within the collective of Hartz IV recipients. In the article, I propose to discern these distinctions with the theoretical construct of symbolic boundaries, that can be read as a form of stigma management (GOFFMAN 1975 [1963]). Data are in the form of problem-centered interviews with ALG II recipients, which were analyzed using the documentary method. In the article, I reconstruct the boundaries between employment and respectability, as well as the practical consequences of passing stigmatization to other unemployment recipients. Finally, I discuss the sociopolitical implications for the <em>Bürgergeld</em> [citizen's income] that has been in effect since January 2023 and serves as a reform of the former Hartz IV.</p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Sebastian Jürsshttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4193Transformative Social Research: A Call for Empirical Engagement2024-01-29T07:09:05+01:00Katharina Miko-Schefzig<p>In this article I examine the question of whether the claim of the value judgment dispute (WEBER, 1904, 1980 [1921]) in qualitative research is compatible with current debates on participation, transformation, and performative research, and to what extent in the so-called third value judgment dispute (TRAUE, 2022) new fault lines have been revealed and created. Current approaches, such as Anglo-American "intellectual activism" (CONTU, 2018, 2019), and historical examples, such as Marie JAHODA's (1997) social claim in her work in Vienna will be addressed. In addition, concepts such as "practical orientation," "private research," and "third mission" will be analyzed in terms of their significance for the involvement of qualitative research. The aim is to further explore the practical consequences of this oscillation between basic research and social relevance.</p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Katharina Miko-Schefzighttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4075Being a Foreigner During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Researcher Positionality in Online Interviews2023-04-26T13:28:31+02:00Aimi Muranaka<div> <p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the project underlying this article, I investigated the shift in the researcher-interviewee relationship in the process of online interviews with migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in feminist interview methods have discussed the intricate and shifting power dynamics with study participants, while other scholars have examined the advantages and disadvantages of online interviews. However, researchers have not sufficiently analyzed the shifts in positionality that occur during online interviews. Using the concept of "being in the moment," I examined how my online interviews with migrant participants facilitated, prevented, and transformed my positionality as a researcher in relation to them while I performed fieldwork during COVID-19. My main findings were that both the participants and I were able to share background information prior to the interviews due to the prevalence of social networking services (SNSs) after the outbreak of the pandemic. This alleviated the potential distance created through the research. Furthermore, the migrants and I found commonalities as foreigners living through the pandemic. Thus, I concluded that online interviews provide opportunities for the researcher and interviewees to seek commonalities through sharing various social and professional moments during the research process.</span></span></p> <p class="FQSIntroAbstract"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p> </div>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Aimi Muranakahttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4048Racial Matching in Qualitative Interviews: Integrating Ontological, Ethical, and Methodological Arguments2023-05-16T12:39:10+02:00Olivia Marcucci<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because of the primacy of color-evasiveness as an ideological and interactional force, researching race and related processes can be an imprecise process. While not the only salient methodological choice, racial matching during qualitative interviewing may impact the robustness of a qualitative dataset's data on race. Researchers across paradigms agree that interviewers' race impacts data collection. Researchers with different ontological orientations, however, differ in how they would wrestle with that impact. In this article, I integrate quantitative and qualitative methodological research with ontological and ethical considerations to understand the benefits and drawbacks of racial matching in qualitative interview studies. I reflect on two of my research studies involving race through these new insights. I conclude with major ethical questions and ontological considerations for qualitative researchers to consider during the design process of their projects.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Olivia Marcuccihttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4092Multiple Ways of Seeing. Reflections on an Image-Based Q Study on Reconciliation in Colombia2023-05-25T14:53:16+02:00Anika OettlerIlona StahlLuisa Betancourt MacuaseMyriell Fusser<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Q methodology was created as a means to explore and map subjective viewpoints in a systematic, relational and holistic manner. In this paper, we discuss Q methodology as a promising hybrid approach and present methodological takeaways from an online Q study on the meanings of reconciliation in Colombia, based on data obtained in 2021. Q is a method of capturing subjectivity that conveys an aura of objectivity, because researchers seldom explicitly engage subjectivity We provide a brief overview of our research project, showcase some results, and offer a lens through which to reflect on the entanglement of qualitative and quantitative moments in Q methodology. We spell out its interpretive layers, highlighting the role of subjectivity in two key phases of the research: the design of the study (image-based Q items) and the interpretive process (factor analysis). Although the quantitative moments of Q are seductive in their promise of objective factor analytical measurement, we argue that Q requires researchers to practice reflexivity and to explicitly engage with their subjectivity. </span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Anika Oettler, Ilona Stahl, Luisa Betancourt Macuase, Myriell Fusserhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4115Making Sense of Data Interrelations in Qualitative Longitudinal and Multi-Perspective Analysis2023-08-01T09:42:24+02:00Agnieszka TrąbkaPaula PustułkaJustyna Bell<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this article, we address data interrelations that social researchers face when working with qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with longitudinal (QLR) and multi-perspective (MPR) research designs. Revisiting data from four different research projects and building on the proposal by VOGL, ZARTLER, SCHMIDT and RIEDER (2018), we present the 4C model of complexities within data interrelations. Specifically, the broader pool of data allowed us to cross-investigate how interview data may contradict, correct, complement, or be confluent with what the researcher has gathered from another interview conducted at a different point in time (longitudinally) or with another study participant (multi-perspective approach). Using different forms of transitions (e.g., transitions to adulthood, <span lang="en-US">migratory transitions,</span> transitions to parenthood) as a common analytical thread, we argue that revealing inherent inconsistencies in the data reflects the complex and ever-changing nature of reality and that making sense of these inconsistencies often enriches interpretations.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Agnieszka Trąbka, Paula Pustulka, Justyna Bellhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4129Automatic Transcription of English and German Qualitative Interviews2023-07-24T16:28:49+02:00Susanne Wollin-GieringMarkus HoffmannJonas HöftingCarla Ventzke<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recording and transcribing interviews in qualitative social research is a vital but time-consuming and resource-intensive task. To tackle this challenge, researchers have explored various alternative approaches; automatic transcription utilising speech recognition algorithms has emerged as a promising solution. The question of whether automated transcripts can match the quality of transcripts produced by humans remains unanswered. In this paper we systematically compare multiple automatic transcription tools: <em>Amberscript</em>, <em>Dragon</em>, <em>F4x</em>, <em>Happy</em> <em>Scribe</em>, <em>NVivo</em>, <em>Sonix</em>, <em>Trint</em>, <em>Otter</em>, and <em>Whisper</em>. We evaluate aspects of data protection, accuracy, time efficiency, and costs for an English and a German interview. Based on the analysis, we conclude that <em>Whisper</em> performs best overall and that similar local-automatic transcription tools are likely to become more relevant. For any type of transcription, we recommend reviewing the text to ensure accuracy. We hope to shed light on the effectiveness of automatic transcription services and provide a comparative frame for others interested in automatic transcription.</span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2023 Susanne Wollin-Giering, Markus Hoffmann, Jonas Höfting, Carla Ventzkehttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4177Conference Report: Methodological Education in Social Sciences and Its Value for Professional Practice2024-01-04T23:00:48+01:00Sofia Marie FletschingerLoli Milošević<p>The conference marked the start of the conference series "Aspects of Professionalization and Perspectives of the Profession" and aimed to open up a multi-perspective and transdisciplinary exchange on the relationship between methodological education in social science and its benefits for professional practice. In this report we not only document the various contributions, but also explicitly address the challenge of making the relevance of methodological education tangible for students and their later professional practice, as methodological education was predominantly assessed as a fundamental component for the development of professional competence in an increasingly complex society.</p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Sofia Marie Fletschinger, Loli Miloševićhttps://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/4159Conference Essay: Exploring Spaces of Opportunity for Everyday Creativity2023-10-27T11:55:51+02:00Laharee MitraHelen Johnson<p style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm; line-height: 0.5cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this conference essay, we reflect on a sandpit, organized by the AHRC Everyday Creativity Research Network on the theme of place-making and everyday creativity. We begin by introducing the Everyday Creativity Research Network and the problems faced in defining everyday creativity, which was a key objective of this sandpit. We then discuss the program and major themes identified during the event. We distinguish between the concepts of "space" and "place," with particular consideration into how these concepts shape policies on everyday creativity. "Spaces of opportunity" is proposed in this context as a potential term that offers a framework to understand subjective and collective uses of creativity. We also identify constraints that hinder everyday creativity, including limitations on resources and lack of access. We explore how present models of creative initiatives are restricted by bureaucratic procedures that necessitate a focus on output as a measure of impact. We conclude by reflecting on future actions for this Network to propose alternative models of creative initiatives that encourage everyday creativity in a way that minimizes judgments and barriers while respecting local understandings of creativity. </span></span></p>2024-01-29T00:00:00+01:00Copyright (c) 2024 Laharee Mitra, Helen Johnson