The qualitative dissertation-issues that people don't talk about too much

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now, and like many things, it had to be put off.  However, I feel that I need to write this now, mostly to make myself feel a little bit better.

Everyone knows that qualitative research has its advantages and disadvantages.  However, in all my moments of discouragement and  fishing around for articles/blogs online, I rarely see frustrations with the data collection phase discussed.

Some points, framed a bit like giving advice [but also in a way to communicate some of my experiences]:

If a substantial amount of your data is going to come from interviews, even if you have strong contacts with your target population, the recruitment process can be slow. People are busy.  If you teach or work another job, your work schedule might conflict with the time(s) that people are available to schedule the interview(s).  Some people will prefer an in-person interview; they might live far enough away to make you have to put off the interview indefinitely until you have a big enough window in your work schedule.  You might have to send several follow up e-mails before a potential interviewee responds; they might be traveling or might have just missed your e-mail because they get so many others (like so many of us these days!).  As previously mentioned, even if you have connections with your target population, you might need to meet a number of people in person and conduct those interviews before people are comfortable enough to help you in the process of "snowball sampling."  This whole initial "start up" process can take months, especially, as mentioned above, if your population is scattered geographically.

You will have ups and downs.  You might have several people express interest in a short amount of time.  You might think, "Yes! I am going to have at least a half dozen interviews within the next few weeks."  Well, half of the people who agreed to be interviewed might not get back to repeated follow up e-mails or even phone messages (again, see above comment about people being busy).  Your project is definitely not high on everyone's list of priorities.  You might even schedule an interview with someone and they will be  a "no show" and not respond to follow up contacts.  It happens, and you need to move on (ok, I am really speaking to myself here, but I am *hoping* others can relate).  On the other hand, you will definitely be inspired by your interviewees as they share their viewpoints and experiences, especially if your project has more of a phenomenological focus.

You might either be encouraged or frustrated if you speak with other dissertating individuals who have done this type of research.  Some might tell you that they reached the magic number of 40 interviews within two semesters.  You might fret because it might just take you two full semesters and a summer or more to get that far.  No two projects are the same; you have to consider some of the issues mentioned above as well as the topic of your dissertation.  Some topics are more sensitive than others and thus require the building of more trust with key members of the community.

To those of you who read this blog (first, thanks so much for reading!)- if you have done qualitative, interview-based research in the past, have you faced similar issues with the recruitment process?  I ask this as I continue to send out letters.  Also, have you tried doing follow-up phone calls if  you had a phone number for the person/organization?  I have tried to avoid this unless the person gave me their number directly or told me to call, but I am thinking that I will have to do this more in the future.

Thank you!

The neverending time management conundrum-teaching, family, dissertation, potential publications, etc.

Right off the bat, I want to say that I cannot believe that October is upon us.  Time continues to get away from us; by using the pronoun "us" I am really trying to highlight my own perpetual frustrations with time management that are somewhat minimized by referring to myself as part of a frustrated collective. 

In mid-August, I was pretty content with the fact that I was only going to be teaching one course.  However, financial realities set in.  How to afford preschool tuition and any amount of day care if I only taught one course (even though I am privileged in the sense that my husband has a decent job)?  What about other bills, like the continuation tuition that I have to pay?  Fast forward, I am teaching a total of 3 courses throughout this semester at 2 different institutions.  I am thankful for the opportunities, nevertheless, I am struggling to give priority to my dissertation research.  I want my students to have an optimal learning environment; I want to give substantial feedback on their assignments.  However, I would by lying if I said that the focus on my dissertation wasn't suffering as a result.  Not to mention, I've been trying to be especially intentional about focusing on my kids when I am with them, but I would also be fibbing if I said that the stress of constantly thinking about what I should do next doesn't influence my demeanor.  Another case in point-- my husband wanted to go on a mini foliage scouting trip over the long weekend- maybe just a day trip, or maybe overnight since we can get a discount.  Aside from my back problems and the thought of my pain level after sitting in the car for an extended period of time, I just didn't feel too inclined to agree to it due to all these things swirling around in my head (and, of course, the fact that I need to get a lot done in a short amount of time over the next few weeks).

Sometimes, despite the financial obvious, teaching whilst trying to work on a dissertation seems counterproductive, especially when one is paying for child care.  I take on more classes to make more money so that I can pay my tuition and other bills, yes, but a decent chunk of the change inevitably goes to pay day care.  Of course, I use a good amount of the time that my kids are in day care/preschool to work on stuff related to the courses that I teach.  However, I also use a good amount of time to work on  my dissertation and other academic projects.  I have to tell myself that if I didn't have child care, I wouldn't even have time to do the latter.  Yes, maybe I could work in the evenings and on weekends, but in all honesty, not every person and household allows for that.  Also, my kids are benefitting in many ways from preschool and child care.  Yes, mommy guilt is there sometimes, but overall, I'm just frustrated about the time I'm spending on teaching at the expense of my dissertation research.

I know that I need to give priority to my dissertation (did I say that already?  Maybe I did).  I have to tell myself, my students won't suffer if they have to wait an extra couple of days for an assignment.  Also, they probably won't suffer if I cut down a bit on prep time.  However, my wallet will suffer if I have to take an extra semester to finish my dissertation (and hence pay more tuition).  Also, my overall well-being might take a hit if I don't finish well.  From now on, I need to set aside a whole entire day per week to work on my dissertation, from morning till evening.  No grading, no course prep, etc.  I've been trying to do that today, despite the fact that I had to teach my 8 a.m. class this morning (I know, that's not an entire day).  I have to remember, that this dissertation is my main job right now, although I love teaching and have a responsibility to my students.  Of course, I can't ignore that responsibility, but that will also suffer if I don't do something to overcome the frustration of not making my research my main priority, at least in my own "work" world.  As alluded to above, work-life/work-family balance does add another dimension to the equation.