Creswell Chapter 9: Writing a Qualitative Study

Reflective Reading Log #3 (part 2)

In Creswell’s chapter that details several different ways to write a qualitative study (even with the same type of data), it is clear that there are countless ways to do so.

In terms of responsible data representation, I love the questions that Creswell asks the reader to consider: “Has my writing connected the voices and stories of individuals back to the set of historic, structural, and economic relations in which they are situated? Have I backed into the passive voice and decoupled my responsibility from the writing” (p.180)? And particularly, “How far should I go in theorizing the words of participants? (p. 180)?  As the qualitative research seeks to use the voice of participants to learn about a situation, experience, or phenomenon, they walk a fine line as they serve as interpreters for different people with different voices, perceptions, and experiences, and presenters of cohesive and composite set of information. 

Creswell also recognizes that researchers must acknowledge different audiences in their writings. Sometimes, the same data can be presented in a multitude of formats to varying groups of people: practitioner workshops and conferences, academic journals, digestible books, etc. For example, I am confident that Rebekah Nathan, author of My Freshman Year, presented the data she garnered from her year as a student in a variety of formats. The book, meant for a more public, non-academic audience, was certainly less researchy (for lack of better words) than most “studies.” However, that in itself, does not make it any less academic or rigorous.

As Creswell outlines various ways to write up the data, as according to various research designs, I found myself to be a little overwhelmed. I felt (unprovoked) pressure to select a favorite way, a preferred model, or the best way to present quotes. Long quotes? Embedded quotes? How much analysis around each quote? To use vignettes or not? Then, I relaxed…and remembered that I don’t pick the format (in a sense), as the format picks me. The actual data (and research design for that matter) will help to dictate how the research is presented. It is akin to doctoral students that say, “oh I am doing a qualitative dissertation” before they have even identified a research problem and question. In fact, the type of question and the way that it is asked will dictate what type of dissertation a student will do.

According to Creswell, “How we write is a reflection of our own interpretation based on the cultural, social, gender, class, and personal politics that we bring to research” (p.178). In qualitative research, the researcher is expected to identify their background and biases, as these areas certainly contribute to the way the data was garnered and the way it is presented. This, in fact, is my favorite part of qualitative research. The author, admittedly, is a part of the research. We can pretend that quantitative research is more subjective and less biased, but the researcher still selects the topic, chooses the instrument, decides what statistics to run and what responses to delete (as they might bring down the “validity” of the results), and finally, writes the results. However, such research does not so rigorously require that the researcher report and record their biases. While I appreciate (and even like!) quantitative research, I truly value qualitative research as it can actually provide a tangible voice for the voiceless.