If you have been following my previous posts, you know I am working toward submitting my dissertation proposal, hopefully in December 2009. Together, we have looked at the literature (I am still writing the review), and now I am examining my methodology and study design in the hopes of submitting my proposal and human subjects application at the same time.
Lit Review Update: The lit review has been grueling! I have gathered all my books and articles, and after 32 pages I realize I am nowhere near finished. Each time I introduce the name of another theory or school of thought (i.e., postmodernism), I have to explain the thought and include at least a couple of citations. This is happening a lot, with ancillary research at each turn. I imagined trying to describe the avatar of one of my subjects as a mixture of Joan Baez and Janis Joplin but then realized I would probably have to explain who Baez and Joplin are (were) if I used their names. This is going to be a long journey.
As for the methodology, I had previously decided to do an ethnographic case study. There is some difference of opinion on how many subjects I need (I originally thought I would try and study nine subjects but now realize that seven is a more realistic number). In any event, my work will be qualitative and will document the lived experiences of my subjects.
Miles and Huberman (1994) say qualitative data “is sexy.” They say this because rather than analyzing mountains of numbers from masses of subjects (only to conclude statistical information), qualitative researchers convey the way the steps on the old cabin creak under the weight of the visitor or how upon crossing the same threshold that five generations of family members crossed, one I greeted with musty air that is heavy with years of fireplace ash, pumpkin pies and tobacco. Qualitative researchers are storytellers; they are charged with placing themselves (and their readers) in the heart of the everyday lives of their subjects.