Co-construction and motivations to participate in qualitative research.

What is it about?

What motivates people to voluntarily participate in qualitative research? How might participation contribute to co-constructed research findings and outcomes? This paper draws on research participants' perspectives to explore motivations to volunteer. Findings highlight the complexities of the relationship between participants and researchers in democratized research. The need to carefully negotiate this relationship is highlighted, especially for social work researchers.

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Photo by Koushik Chowdavarapu on Unsplash

Photo by Koushik Chowdavarapu on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This paper sheds light on the range of reasons some people choose to participate in qualitative research. The complex, nuanced nature of the researcher-participant relationship is considered. Qualitative researchers are encouraged to engage with research participants in principled, respectful ways and to actively seek input from participants about what research participation means to them. This active engagement supports the epistemic agency of research participants and maximizes reciprocity in research, and is part of a transformative approach within social work research. Specifically, "In directly seeking information from participants as to how they construct their involvement, a more open and explicit partnership approach in qualitative research projects is encouraged. Without such direct exploration, there remains a risk that the research process will be unilaterally constructed, based solely on the researcher’s construction" (Bell, 2011, p.538).

Perspectives