Ticely
Sanders, Master of Arts in Social Science Graduate Student
Georgia
Southern University
As I entered the classroom to my
sociology Qualitative Research Methods course, my heart and mind were filled
with uncertainty. Being that this was the first qualitative class I had ever
taken, I literally had no clue what to expect. I assumed I would not enjoy it
as much as I did quantitative research, but I was immediately proven wrong. As
the semester progressed, and I worked on my own research project, I realized
that everything that I do on a day-to-day basis can relate to qualitative
research.
What is
Qualitative Research?
Researchers have many definitions.
For example, in Martyn Hammersley’s book, “What is Qualitative Research?” he gives
Margarete Sandelowski’s (2004: 893) example:
“An umbrella term for any array of attitudes towards and strategies for
strategies conducting inquiry that are aimed at discovering how human beings
understand, experience, and interpret, and produce the social world.” This is a
broad description that makes sense to me.
College
Athletes’ Perceptions of Transgender Athletes
During the semester I completed
an original research project with two other graduate students. Our title was, “College Athletes’ Perceptions of
Transgender Athletes." Transgender is, "An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc." [Link to hyyp://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-terminology-and-definitions]
For more information on transgender issues, check out this video from ESPN and Frequently Asked Questions:
We conducted qualitative interviews with
cisgender athletes or “people whose gender identity or expression aligns with
those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth,” [Link to
http://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-terminology-and-definitions]
and explored their views on participating in college sports with athletes who
are transgender. Overall, my group found that both cisgender men and women felt
that it was acceptable for transgender athletes to participate in college
sports, and that they would be able to adjust in a respectful way. Athletes
appeared much more open than we thought they would be.
Reflections
I learned a lot about
conducting qualitative research. I now know how to develop an interview
protocol and how to conduct one on one interviews. I realized how important it
is to be specific and concise with your interview questions and that sometimes
you need to modify your questions because they just don’t work. I definitely appreciate
how difficult transcribing interviews and analyzing data really is. Thankfully I
had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Eagle QuaRC Fall Symposium [link to previous post by Dr. Trena
Paulus:
http://eaglequarc.blogspot.com/2015/09/digital-tools-for-qualitative-research_13.html]
at Georgia Southern where I learned more about analyzing data using digital
tools, such a NVivo.
Overall, my
group research project was insightful, intriguing, and taught me that you never
know the answer to your questions unless you ask for it. Even though you may
think you have an answer to your research question or already have a
conclusion, you might be completely wrong.
Qualitative research ended up
being my favorite class last semester. I learned skills that will not only help
me with future research, but help me better understand things in everyday life.
If anyone has the opportunity to take qualitative research, TAKE IT. It is educational,
fun, and meaningful!
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