IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socres/v11y2006i1p62-73.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Content, Context, Reflexivity and the Qualitative Research Encounter: Telling Stories in the Virtual Realm

Author

Listed:
  • Nicola Illingworth

Abstract

The arrival of the virtual realm and computer-mediated communication (CMC) has attracted considerable interest within the discipline. However, the full potential of computer-mediated conversation as both a research resource and medium of communication within the qualitative research encounter awaits further exploration. In this paper, I discuss the dimensions of the qualitative ‘tradition’, the recent burgeoning interest in biographical methods shaping the research agenda and the significance of the virtual realm as a locus of communication. In so doing, I draw from my recent research exploring 15 women's accounts of their experiences of infertility and assisted reproductive procedures. Often, the qualitative encounter becomes a shared medium of trust, reciprocity and revelation. This research highlights the importance of not just making ‘space’ for participants voices and words but of acknowledging the significance of the context of communication itself – paying attention to ‘where’ and ‘how’ we speak is as critical as paying attention to what might be said. Participants within this study used and translated virtual text and virtual participation into a sense-making vehicle. In this respect, the virtual space offers a new dimension to the qualitative research encounter and we need to remain aware of the opportunities this affords.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Illingworth, 2006. "Content, Context, Reflexivity and the Qualitative Research Encounter: Telling Stories in the Virtual Realm," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(1), pages 62-73, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:11:y:2006:i:1:p:62-73
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.1216
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.5153/sro.1216
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5153/sro.1216?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manos Savvakis & Manolis Tzanakis, 2004. "‘The Researcher, the Field and the Issue of Entry: Two Cases of Ethnographic Research concerning Asylums in Greece’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 9(2), pages 86-97, May.
    2. R. Coomber, 1997. "Using the Internet for Survey Research," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(2), pages 49-58, June.
    3. R. Schroeder, 1997. "Networked Worlds: Social Aspects of Multi-User Virtual Reality Technology," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(4), pages 89-99, December.
    4. Nicola Illingworth, 2001. "The Internet Matters: Exploring the Use of the Internet as a Research Tool," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 6(2), pages 79-90, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Danny Beusch, 2007. "Textual Interaction as Sexual Interaction: Sexuality And/in the Online Interview," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(5), pages 18-30, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. N/A, 2004. "Christine Hine (2004) ‘Social Research Methods and the Internet: A Thematic Review’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 9(2), pages 110-116, May.
    2. Valeria Lo Iacono & Paul Symonds & David H.K. Brown, 2016. "Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(2), pages 103-117, May.
    3. Walczuch R & Hofmaier K, 2000. "Measuring Customer Satisfaction on the Internet," Research Memorandum 019, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    4. Nelson Turgo, 2012. "‘I Know Him So Well’: Contracting/tual ‘Insiderness’, and Maintaining Access and Rapport in a Philippine Fishing Community," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 17(3), pages 19-31, August.
    5. Danny Beusch, 2007. "Textual Interaction as Sexual Interaction: Sexuality And/in the Online Interview," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(5), pages 18-30, September.
    6. Piergiorgio Degli Esposti & Ariela Mortara & Geraldina Roberti, 2021. "Sharing and Sustainable Consumption in the Era of COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    7. Will Gibson & Peter Callery & Malcolm Campbell & Andy Hall & Dave Richards, 2005. "The Digital Revolution in Qualitative Research: Working with Digital Audio Data through Atlas. Ti," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 10(1), pages 57-68, June.
    8. Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall & Sheila Greenfield & Susan J. Neilson & Jenny Adamski & Sharon Beardsmore & Martin English & Andrew Peet, 2020. "Exploring the Role of ‘Shadowing’ as a Beneficial Preparatory Step for Sensitive Qualitative Research with Children and Young People with Serious Health Conditions," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, January.
    9. Savvakis Manos & Tzanakis Manolis & Alexias Giorgos, 2015. "Breast Cancer in Contemporary Greece: Economic Dimensions and Socio-Psychological Effects," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 5(3), pages 933-933.
    10. Diane Kholos Wysocki, 1998. "But Women Can't Have ‘Hemophilia’!: A Look at the Lives of Women with Bleeding Disorder," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 3(4), pages 14-25, December.
    11. Henrietta O'Connor & Clare Madge, 2004. "‘Cyber-Mothers: Online Synchronous Interviewing using Conferencing Software’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 9(2), pages 136-152, May.
    12. Willem, A. & Devos, A. & Buelens, M., 2006. "Differences between private and public sector employees’ psychological contracts," Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School Working Paper Series 2007-2, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School.
    13. Walczuch, R.M. & Hofmaier, K., 2000. "Measuring customer satisfaction on the Internet," Research Memorandum 051, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    14. Adrian Lee, 2008. "Finding the Way to the End of the Rainbow: A Researcher's Insight Investigating British Older Gay Men's Lives," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 13(1), pages 90-103, January.
    15. Adam Pattison Rathbone & Kimberly Jamie, 2016. "Transferring from Clinical Pharmacy Practice to Qualitative Research: Questioning Identity, Epistemology and Ethical Frameworks," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(2), pages 1-9, May.
    16. Stef Adriaenssens & Giulia Garofalo Geymonat & Laura Oso, 2016. "Quality of Work in Prostitution and Sex Work. Introduction to the Special Section," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(4), pages 121-132, November.
    17. Peter Chen & S.M. Hinton, 1999. "Realtime Interviewing Using the World Wide Web," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 4(3), pages 63-81, September.
    18. Martine Selm & Nicholas Jankowski, 2006. "Conducting Online Surveys," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 435-456, June.
    19. Fox, Nick & Ward, Katie J., 2008. "You are what you eat? Vegetarianism, health and identity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(12), pages 2585-2595, June.
    20. Shih-Yen Huang, 2015. "Video Commercial Image Preference Study Through The Web Analytical Tool," International Journal of Business Research and Management (IJBRM), Computer Science Journals (CSC Journals), vol. 6(3), pages 71-85, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:11:y:2006:i:1:p:62-73. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.