Critical reflections on conducting qualitative health research during Covid-19: The lived experiences of a cohort of postgraduate students in a South African university
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Date
2023-01-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sage journal
Abstract
COVID-19 ushered in public health guidelines restricting face-to-face contact and movement, and encouraging social distancing,
all of which had implications for conducting field-based research during the pandemic. For qualitative researchers, this meant
adapting conventional face-to-face methods and resorting to virtual variations of the same in adherence to stipulated COVID-19
health protocols. Virtual qualitative research introduced new concerns and logistical challenges. This paper presents critical
reflections on experiences of conducting qualitative research during the pandemic, from the perspectives of a cohort of
postgraduate fellows. A critical reflection framework was utilised to explore fellows experiences and meanings ascribed to their
experiences. The research findings illustrate three overarching processes which, in turn, shaped ways of thinking, doing and
being. First, explicating tacit assumptions about their anticipated research journeys and interrogating these. Second, shifts in
power differentials demonstrated by role reversal between researchers and participants, and between fellows and supervisors
as they re-negotiated their positionalities in virtual research spaces. Third, context specific sense-making, in which - narrative
accounts support the notion of knowledge as a social construct. Our findings have important implications for qualitative
research practice. Our study documents methodological nuances and social implications of conducting qualitative research
during COVID-19 and in a-South African context. In addition, our study exemplifies the use of critical reflection in qualitative
research practice in the specific context of postgraduate academic research. Further, our study illustrates how the use of
technology shapes qualitative research protocol development, data collection and analysis phases.
Description
Keywords
qualitative research, COVID-19, virtual research, critical reflection, South Africa
Citation
Githaiga, J. N. et al. (2023) Critical Reflections on Conducting Qualitative Health Research During COVID-19: The Lived Experiences of a Cohort of Postgraduate Students in a South African University. International journal of qualitative methods. [Online] 2216094069221148406–16094069221148406.