Writing for Publication: Transitions and Tools that Support Scholars’ Success - Mary Renck Jalongo, Olivia N. Saracho 2016
Writing About Findings
From Qualitative Research to a Journal Article
Conference Proposals and Article Types
Some researchers report only their findings, while others simultaneously report their findings and support them with findings from previous studies. The examples from Burnard (2004) in Table 8.3 illustrate the difference between these two types of reporting for a study on learning to cope.
Table 8.3
Ways of reporting qualitative findings
|
Report only on findings |
Including previous studies in findings |
A number of respondents found that they learned to cope by talking about their stress to mentors, clinical practitioners and educators. In particular, they found it useful to read widely on the topic as a way of attempting to understand what was happening to them. One suggested that: |
A number of respondents found that they learned to cope by talking about their stress to mentors, clinical practitioners and educators. In particular, they found it useful to read widely on the topic as a way of attempting to understand what was happening to them. This echoes the findings of Daniels (Ref) who found that ’educational therapy’ in which students were helped to find as much information about stress as they could, made a difference to their coping with it. One respondent suggested that: |
I think it takes the sting out of it really. Once you have some idea of what stress is about and what causes it, you can start to deal with it. The worst thing was, like, not knowing what was happening to me. I learned quite a bit from a computer search I did in the School |
I think it takes the sting out of it really. Once you have some idea of what stress is about and what causes it, you can start to deal with it. The worst thing was, like, not knowing what was happening to me. I learned quite a bit from a computer search I did in the School |
Another respondent noted that simply understanding stress did not necessarily help you to cope with it |
Another respondent noted that simply understanding stress did not necessarily help you to cope with it. The respondent seems to indicate the gap that many psychological researchers have noted between cognitive understand and changed behavior (see, for example, refs) |
I know the theories about stress but somehow, in the end, it’s you. You have to cope somehow. It’s where the theory breaks down a bit. Knowing the theory doesn’t always help you to cope |
I know the theories about stress but somehow, in the end, it’s you. You have to cope somehow. It’s where the theory breaks down a bit. Knowing the theory doesn’t always help you to cope (p. 179) |
Some researchers prefer to identify themes or categories from the data. They believe this is an integrative strategy in analyzing the data. Since qualitative analysis usually requires some cutting and pasting, there is a continuous possibility that when the data are reduced to manageable chunks, they may be reported without enough context to provide an accurate meaning. Skillful reporting of qualitative findings involves more than selecting a few pithy quotations and interpreting their meaning. The data excerpts need to be related to the interpretations. For example, in a study on the roles that teachers of young children assume in the classroom, Saracho (1984) used the data to identify categories and descriptions of the teachers’ roles in early childhood education. She identified, described, and supported with previous research the roles of decision-maker, organizer of instruction, diagnostician, curriculum designer, manager of learning, and counselor/advisor. Studies that are used to support the findings need to be clear and relevant. Researchers need to provide sufficient evidence to show that the previous published studies support the findings.
Qualitative studies are sometimes criticized for being anecdotal and individually interpreted. To address this concern about researcher bias, findings need to meet two of Guba and Lincoln’s (1989) trustworthiness criteria: Credibility and confirmability. Credibility refers to the degree to which the findings correspond to the participants’ personal interpretations. Confirmability refers to the degree to which the data support the findings and conclusions (Clissett, 2008). Therefore, it is important that qualitative researchers provide enough information about the participants (e.g., participants’ expressions and beliefs) to support their findings and make them “come alive to the reader” (Drisko, 2005, p. 592).
Online Tool
Harvard University’s Foundations of Qualitative Research in Education website provides print and video guidelines on writing qualitative research questions, conducting literature reviews, and writing research proposals. http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative.