Qualitative Research Question

[Miriam E Ebsworth]

> Is anyone familiar with the practice of presenting qualitative
> data in the form of first person stories informed by interviews,
> discussions, notes and so forth with participants who are second
language learners?
>
> I have come across stories constructed by the researcher which are
> written in the first person as part of the results section of a
> dissertation. While they have aspects of the "flavor" of a second
> language learner, to my eyes, the actual language use presented
> appears somewhat more fluent and native than the interview
> transcripts
> and other data sources would indicate. The actual sources of
> specific language used are not listed except in a summary way- the
stories
> appear to be an amalgam which dramatizes the experiences of the
participants.
>
> I have been told by some fellow faculty that this approach is now
> well accepted in qualitative research circles and it's about time I
got
> on the bandwagon. One colleague shared that 95% of participants in a
> bilingualism and literacy conference she has just attended favored
> this approach.
>
> I appreciate the opportunity to learn about a new way (to me) to
> analyze and present data, but I have some concerns about how the
> participants' words, language, and order of ideas are transformed
> through this process.
>
> Your thoughts, experiences, analysis, opinions, sources for these
> ideas- in short anything you could add to the conversation will be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth, Ph.D.
> <MEE1 at nyu.edu>
> Director of Doctoral Programs in Multilingual Multicultural Studies
>
>