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      Researcher–researched relationship in qualitative research: Shifts in positions and researcher vulnerability

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          Abstract

          Background

          The researcher role is highly debated in qualitative research. This article concerns the researcher-researched relationship.

          Methods

          A group of health science researchers anchored in various qualitative research traditions gathered in reflective group discussions over a period of two years.

          Results

          Efforts to establish an anti-authoritarian relationship between researcher and researched, negotiation of who actually “rules” the research agenda, and experiences of shifts in “inferior” and “superior” knowledge positions emerged as central and intertwined themes throughout the discussions. The dual role as both insider and outsider, characteristic of qualitative approaches, seemed to lead to power relations and researcher vulnerability which manifested in tangible ways.

          Conclusion

          Shifting positions and vulnerability surfaced in various ways in the projects. They nonetheless indicated a number of similar experiences which can shed light on the researcher-researched relationship. These issues could benefit from further discussion in the qualitative health research literature.

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          Most cited references45

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          Studies in ethnomethodology

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            Researching lived experience : Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy

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              "Outing" the researcher: the provenance, process, and practice of reflexivity.

              To increase the integrity and trustworthiness of qualitative research, researchers need to evaluate how intersubjective elements influence data collection and analysis. Reflexivity--where researchers engage in explicit, self-aware analysis of their own role--offers one tool for such evaluation. The process of engaging in reflexive analysis, however, is difficult, and its subjective, ambiguous nature is contested. In the face of challenges, researchers might retreat from engaging in the process. In this article, the author seeks to "out" the researcher's presence by exploring the theory and practice of reflexivity. Examples from research illustrate its problematic potential.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Professor
                Role: Associate Professor
                Role: Associate Professor
                Role: Associate Professor
                Role: Professor
                Journal
                Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being
                Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being
                QHW
                International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
                Co-Action Publishing
                1748-2623
                1748-2631
                14 June 2016
                2016
                : 11
                : 10.3402/qhw.v11.30996
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
                [2 ]Department of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Radiography, Bergen University College, Bergen, Norway
                [3 ]Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukaland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
                [4 ]Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
                [5 ]Haraldsplass Deaconess University College, Bergen, Norway
                [6 ]DIALOG, Bergen, Norway
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: M. Råheim, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway. E-mail: Malfrid.Raheim@ 123456uib.no
                Article
                30996
                10.3402/qhw.v11.30996
                4910304
                27307132
                5d6c3077-b8e9-443c-8642-b176885d2b77
                © 2016 M. Råheim et al.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.

                History
                : 20 May 2016
                Categories
                Empirical Study

                Health & Social care
                researcher–researched relationship,reflexivity,qualitative research,researcher vulnerability,ethics

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