Story of this Journey
There once was a woman who believed that what she saw was what it was. Not being aware of where other paths were or how to even get to them, her faint understanding of divergent viewpoints was being shaped by unintelligible comments and vague statements. Sure, she was being guided into qualitative research, but without the neural networks required to connect dots and reach understanding, she still had quantitative strings that would keep her from the freedom that was so closely available. As it turns out, she found her way out of the rigid quantitative, deterministic world of p values where statistical significance reigns sovereign. She found instead freedom to explore phenomena with an open mind and human heart. A place where she was valued more significant than statistical software, where humanity is not something to be erased, but rather embraced. Diving deeply into those waters already explored and finding areas that needed further clarification through the telling of stories was the fire that burned the quantitative strings. Little by little, one reading after another, one video after another, one testimony after another, a qualitative foundation formed which would sustain her through the ultimate test of her determination – the dissertation. She suddenly found herself with purpose. The stories must be heard, but they must also be told well. The foundation must continue to be built upon with sturdy materials and precise tools so the end result brings honor, not only to the stories, but also to the Most High Father who co-wrote them. That woman has a refining fire in her heart now. And that woman is me.
Further Reflection
Reading samples of qualitative work for the article critique assignment (Padilla, 2003) along with the interviews conducted had the greatest impact on me. I believe this is so because they allowed me to experience qualitative research. In Padilla (2003), I learned how the researcher navigated establishing a balance between describing a phenomenon and disclosure of his own preconceptions and interpretation. During the interviews, I felt what it was like entering into their experience, and was encouraged beyond what I expected. Although, our main textbook (Creswell & Poth, 2018) was organized in a way conducive to maximizing learning about prevalent qualitative formats, it was the extensive amount of research I needed to do in order to better understand specific forms of phenomenology that prepared me to make decisions for my dissertation.
All in all, I am very thankful to have widened my perspective of research as a result of this class. If I’m ever asked to be interviewed about my doctoral journey, I am confident this class will be noted as a turning point in my journey towards completing my dissertation.
References
Creswell, J.W. & Poth, C.N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications Inc.
Padilla, R. (2003). Clara: A phenomenology of disability. The American Journal of OccupationalTherapy, 57(4), 413-423. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.57.4.413
Discerning Trauma 