Centre for Qualitative Research

Centre for Qualitative Research : Event Report

6th International Advances in Qualitative Methods Conference, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 17-20 February 2005

by Dr Eloise C J Carr
Senior Lecturer
HSC, Bournemouth University

Organised by the International Board of the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology this conference attracted over 300 delegates to a very cold but sunny Edmonton. Whilst revisiting mainstream qualitative research the conference attracts new work that extends the boundaries. There were plenary lectures from Arthur Frank, Marilyn Ray, Dorothy Smith, Joe Norris, John Cresswell & Amanda Coffey

'How to design a mixed methods study' John Creswell and Ron Stope (pre-conf workshop)
This proved to be a most worthwhile and intellectually invigorating day. I have struggled to bring methods from different paradigms together to answer research questions. This workshop started by showing us a photograph of a birthday cake and asking us to describe it. Listening to the different stories revealed how we all saw the world…some quantitatively others qualitatively and a few merged a story of the making of Emily's cake with colour, size and number of candles. Few of us really thought in a mixed method way! Throughout the day we collectively worked on designing a proposal for one of the participants using a mixed-methods approach. The workshop was very practical with helpful statements on 'purpose' and flowcharts to organise the approaches. All great resources for grant proposals. I have a copy of the PowerPoint presentation outlining the research proposal we worked on. Please contact me if you would like a copy.

A flavour of some of the presentations:

Computer mediated data collection (Cameron Murdoch & Tim Dueck, Univ British Columbia). Fascinating study using the 'instant messaging (IM)' to explore gay men's views of Christianity. Ethical issues were well explored in relation to privacy/confidentiality, verifying identify, monitoring affect and accessibility. They clearly had chosen a challenging and yet very rich method to capture their data. Tim explained how he used on-line focus groups for his research.

Developing consumer-led research (Diane Rose, Angela Sweeney & Tanya Graham)- this was a brilliant symposium from the School of Psychiatry in London and the SURE project. This innovative view really captured mental health users as all the staff in SURE have had mental illness. They gave insight into how as researchers they are 'expert insiders'. Working with communities who identify their own research agenda's can conflict with funders who may have a different perspective.

Evaluation (Sharleen Simpson, Univ Florida) reported on a huge ethnographic study in Florida, which explored why STD uptake had been declining. She talked through the many stages of this work, including ethical review, data collection and analysis. The outcomes have been extremely positive with changes in policies and improvement in uptake. It was very enlightening.

Mixed Methods (symposium) Janice Morse and colleagues. This was a completely packed room! Without going into lavish detail the definitions of mixed method and the difference between mixed and multi were articulated. There were clear descriptions of approaches that might be taken and rationale. Where the presentation heated up was related to 'theoretical' perspectives and the 'drive' for mixing method. It would appear that the 'pragmatic' paradigm gave rise to concerns by these presenters. It would seem that this is a rich area for academic debate which I look forward to!

Playbuilding as research part II - the method from data collection to performance (Joe Norris) This plenary paper told the story of how Joe (as a playwright) works with actors to write material for social issues. He outlined a typical production where the 'product of the performance becomes the text'. Dramatic forms can be 'word collage', 'creative moments' and 'mime with narration'. He visually built up a qualitative story through drama. He also included a few clips of work which powerfully illuminated his work. It felt as he was forming and performing a qualitative piece of research - clever and illuminating.

Overall this was a great opportunity to listen, learn and network. There was a diverse collection of rich presentation and it was often impossible to choose from competing interests. I had specifically wanted to engage in the mixed-method milieu and the conference provided ample opportunity to engage in serious dialogue. Whilst there is some reconciliation of differences it is apparent that this area of work is growing phenomenally. It looks as if this approach will continue to attract not only increasing funding but increasing debate.