Hello. Hope all is well with everyone. Below I have posted the Reflection section of my published (2012) dissertation (Qualitative Research in Understanding Effects of Mobile Technology Use in Worker-Leader Relationships) briefly summarizing my experience in conducting qualitative research required for the Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership. Hope you enjoy. Reflection: The conclusion of significant research warrants thoughtful contemplation, and personal introspection of the experience. Reflecting on the past tasks and time dedicated to this research brought to mind that fundamental effort in research centers on exploring identifiable phenomena concerning life experiences, to examine, redefine, and reconstruct meaning; moreover, to transform information into a commonality of newly surfaced beliefs. The research journey leading to such an end initially brought me to unparalleled minutiae, becoming incessantly focused on the immediate particulars that compose research. The auspicious revelation of research complexities prompts an immediate practice to track research progression, to assimilate information that in due time reflects the research journey. Tracking elemental tasks from the onset of the research brought order and logical progression of a multifaceted feat, the qualitative study. Development of The Active Field Work Notebook formed with the Excel workbook, provided the instrument to chronicle the research process through frequent researcher entries. The notebook framework consisted of labeled sections for describing tasks, entering task completion dates, and a section for additional field notes; for example, entries included dates indicating subjects introductory letter preparation, interview appointments, completed interviews, copying interview audio files to discs, and so forth. The Excel workbook also included eight tabs with spreadsheets for individual subject contact information, and correspondence tracking. The Active Field Work Notebook served not only as an effective project management tool but also rendered a blueprint for study replication. Deciding on the research methodology as qualitative with a narrative inquiry research design appropriately fit the envisioned data collection process; appropriate because the research purpose was to investigate how mobile technology use in organizations affected worker-leader relations according to subjects lived experiences. Contrasted to data collection through surveys customary in quantitative studies, the preferred interview process allowed subjects to share detailed life experiences through narratives inevitably reflecting different philosophical standpoints. Creswell (2013) referred to variances in philosophical beliefs as multiple realities, theoretical assumptions labeled ontological (pertaining to characters of reality), epistemological, axiological, and methodology assumptions (Creswell, 2013), each significant to the study. The research practice of purposeful selection acquiring subjects for researcher-subject interviews drove the data collection process, generating multiple-reality-based textual data engendered through subjects narratives. Epistemological assumptions, as Creswell (2013) stressed, materialize with subjective experiences revealed during individual researcher-subject dialogues. The axiological assumption (the researchers values) surfaced through researchers inductive assessment of data, interpretative analysis, and data categorization. Coding text intrinsically structured textual data for later theme development, subsequently synthesizing individual shared experiences into theory generalization. Reflecting on the qualitative research experience points to a fundamental phenomenon that assessing complexities derived from unique life experiences help define commonalities, reframing shared experiences into general themes and theories significant to many. Emergent knowledge in qualitative investigation categorically stems from the study and assessment of individual life experiences, prompting researchers to recognize, define, conceptualize, and reframe data into meaningful iteration. Dr. Judith Gayle Olund
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 18:21:10 +0000
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