Qualitative research tip (a thread):
1. If you really want to be a stellar qualitative researcher, one of the most important skills you'd have to cultivate and sharpen, especially if you want to work with people, is to learn to listen deeply. #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter
1. If you really want to be a stellar qualitative researcher, one of the most important skills you'd have to cultivate and sharpen, especially if you want to work with people, is to learn to listen deeply. #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter
2. This means not thinking about the question you will ask next, or how what the person is saying fits with your study or not. It means staying so present that the person knows that for those moments, there is nothing more important in your life than listening to them. #phdlife
3. Forget everything you learned in school, all processes that you read in a textbook. Nothing matters than your genuine presence in bearing witness to a fellow human being's sharing of narratives. This is how you build trust and cultivate a sincere relationship. #highered
4. People live fast lives, and by being fully present, you're offering the gift of slowing down and telling a fellow human being that what they experienced, what they think and feel matters to you, in ways that exceed any academic rewards (publication, degree, etc.) #phdchat
5. In those moments you enact interconnectivity and the person feels seen, heard, understood, in ways maybe they don't always feel in their lives. This is a thoughtful and sincere offering that exceeds any researcher/participant relationship. #phdadvice #critqual #quallove
6. And when the person stops talking, it is okay to be in silence together as you collect your thoughts before responding. You will be surprised how generous your participant will be in holding space for you when you sort out your own thoughts. #contemplative #highereducation
7. This is a hard practice for any of us. Try it with a family member or a friend. Let them tell you something for 10 minutes, and you remain fully present. Don't think of counterarguments, questions you must remember to ask when the person finishes talking, or that to-do list.
8. Journal after deep listening. What worked, what were your challenges, how would you do this the next time, what were you able to learn about yourself, the person you listened to, what (if any) insights rose to the surface, and how (if at all) was sense-making interconnected?
