Open AccessResilient Research in the Field: Insights and Lessons From Adapting Qualitative Research Projects During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Syahirah Abdul Rahman,
Lauren Tuckerman,
Tim Vorley,
Cristian Gherhes
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of qualitative methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.414
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 1609-4069
DOI - 10.1177/16094069211016106
Subject(s) - reflexivity , pandemic , qualitative research , covid-19 , context (archaeology) , social distance , adaptability , psychological resilience , field (mathematics) , resilience (materials science) , adaptation (eye) , flexibility (engineering) , distancing , sociology , engineering ethics , psychology , engineering , medicine , social science , social psychology , management , geography , virology , mathematics , archaeology , pathology , outbreak , thermodynamics , physics , disease , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pure mathematics , economics
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the implementation of unprecedented social distancing measures, restricting social interaction and with it the possibility for conducting face-to-face qualitative research. This paper provides lessons from a series of qualitative research projects that were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their continuation and completion. By reflecting on our experiences and discussing the opportunities and challenges presented by crises to the use of a number of qualitative research methods, we provide a series of insights and lessons for proactively building resilience into the qualitative research process. We show that reflexivity, responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility ensured continuity in the research projects and highlighted distinct advantages to using digital methods, providing lessons beyond the COVID-19 context. The paper concludes with reflections on research resilience and adaptation during crises.