The Qualitative Open Mic

Qualitative Controversies: Profit and pricing in academia with Kirsten Bell

In July 2023, all of the 44 editors of acclaimed Critical Public Health journal simultaneously resigned, citing concerns about Taylor and Francis' pricing system. They went on to found a new independent journal, the Journal of Critical Public Health. We speak to an editorial board member who resigned, Kirsten Bell. Kirsten sheds light on the intricate dynamics between profit, pricing, and the neoliberal influence on qualitative health research. 

Making interpretations: Joy Llewellyn-Beardsley on lived experience

This episode reflects on how lived experience can engender insights, support the interpretative process and enhance the trustworthiness of qualitative research. We consider the different kinds of experience that can enhance this process, the limits of individual lived experience, and what this means for researchers who don’t have personal experience of the phenomenon under study.

Making interpretations: Elaine Keane on Constructivist Grounded Theory

Constructivist grounded theory's origins lie in criticisms of classical grounded theory as overly objectivist and insufficiently reflexive when it comes to interpretive processes. Sohail and Elaine discuss this context before going on to unpack the whys and hows of interpretation in constructivist grounded theory, how researchers can make the vital leap from description of data to higher-level conceptualisation, plus the pitfalls to avoid along the way.

Making Interpretations: Alda Terracciano on Interpreting Creative Data

The use of creative and participatory methods throws up complex issues for researchers. How do we interpret creative work? What knowledge and skills do qualitative researchers need to do this ethically? Is interpretation even the right word for this context? Sohail speaks to artist and academic Alda Terracciano to explore how visual art, poetry, and theatre can open up qualitative research into sensitive or stigmatised topics.

Making interpretations: Michael Larkin - Leaning into interpretation in IPA

This episode reflects on the history and theory of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: where does its approach to meaning sit in relation to other qualitative methods and methodologies? How have new ways of collecting data and the expansion of creative methods changed IPA research? We go on to consider the insights IPA can bring to key questions actively being debated across qualitative research: the inclusion of lived experience perspectives, decolonisation, and open science.

Making interpretations: Shira Birnbaum - How can we support qualitative researchers in making interpretations?

This episode explores the role of supervisors and mentors in furnishing the interpretative processes. How can they support novice and more experienced qualitative researchers in making interpretations? What training and reading might they provide to prepare them and what does supervision look like at this stage in the analytical process? Finally, how can the wider context be shaped in a way that is conducive to making interpretations?

Qualitative Open Mic: Ethics in Qualitative Research – Episode 6 - Nishita Nair on marginalised researchers’ ethical processes

In this episode, we explore Nishita’s research on whether social research ethics codes and institutional processes effectively aid researchers working with ethnic minority communities in the UK. Her study, involving semi-structured interviews with researchers from King’s College London and the UCL Institute of Education, seeks to uncover both the benefits and limitations of these codes and processes.

Qualitative Open Mic: Ethics in Qualitative Research – Episode 5 – María Cristina Quevedo-Gómez on Culture and Ethics

In this episode, María Cristina Quevedo-Gómez discusses how collaboration when coming from different countries and belonging to different cultures can influence ethics.

The Qualitative Open Mic: Ethics in Qualitative Research – Episode 4 – Janet Holt on how can health ethics committees adapt?

In this episode, Janet Holt explores health ethics committees and issues around transparency, dialogue, emerging qualitative methods and regulatory versus relational ethics

Qualitative Open Mic: Ethics in Qualitative Research – Episode 3 – Tanya Mackay on Sharing Ethical Knowledge

In this episode, Tanya Mackay explores how sharing ethical knowledge can provide a way through ethical dilemmas in qualitative health research