Open AccessOn the Inside Looking In: Methodological Insights and Challenges in Conducting Qualitative Insider Research
Author(s) -
Melanie Greene
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1106
Subject(s) - insider , qualitative research , narrative , principal (computer security) , sociology , relation (database) , process (computing) , trustworthiness , epistemology , psychology , public relations , social psychology , engineering ethics , political science , social science , computer science , philosophy , linguistics , database , engineering , operating system
As qualitative researchers, what stories we are told, how they are relayed to us, and the narratives that we form and share with others are inevitably influenced by our position and experiences as a researcher in relation to our participants. This is particularly true for insider research, which is concerned with the study of one’s own social group or society. This paper explores some of the possible methodological insights and challenges that may arise from insider research, and suggests several techniques and tools that may be utilized to aid in, rather than hinder, the process of the telling and sharing of participants’ stories. Such strategies may also be used to minimize ethical implications, avoid potential bias and increase the trustworthiness of the data gathered. This analysis draws on the author’s own experiences as an insider researcher and principal investigator on a research project that employed qualitative methodologies.