Exploring In-Depth Discussions: The One-on-One Interview for Quantitative Studies
Albert Lee '24, a researcher at [University Name], is delving into the complex topic of shackling pregnant inmates in New York state prisons for their Junior Paper. However, the process has not been without its hurdles.
In their quest for interviews, Lee has faced difficulties securing responses from prison reform organization leaders. Emails to three leaders have gone unanswered, and only one organization has an official website. To overcome this, Lee is employing a combination of purposive and snowball sampling, alongside targeted outreach to organizations and communities connected to the issue.
Lee's Junior Paper is a qualitative research project, which allows for a more personal kind of data collection. This approach has led to interviews with medical personnel, corrections officers, a New York Times contributor, and leaders of various prison reform organizations. The snowball effect, where the first person interviewed provides the name of someone else who could help, has been instrumental in expanding the network of interviewees.
However, the nature of qualitative research presents its own challenges. Unlike quantitative research, which uses existing datasets, qualitative research requires the researcher to find their own data or create it. This has been a hurdle for Lee, who is currently facing the challenge of finding more people to interview to finish their Junior Paper.
Despite these challenges, Lee finds interviews to be a great resource of information. To ensure the research is of high quality, ethical considerations are paramount. Participants are offered fair incentives, and ethical compliance is ensured through consent forms and protecting participant privacy, especially given the vulnerable population involved.
To effectively find contacts for qualitative interviews on sensitive topics like the shackling of pregnant inmates in New York state prisons, it's crucial to clarify research goals and define eligibility criteria precisely. Engaging stakeholders and gatekeeper organizations, such as legal aid groups, prisoner rights advocates, community health clinics, or midwifery practices who interact with or support incarcerated pregnant individuals, is also essential.
Lee has had to adjust their timeline to accommodate the New York Times contributor who recently gave birth. Despite the delays, Lee remains committed to shedding light on this important issue and is optimistic about the potential insights that will emerge from their research.
This multimodal approach balances quality, ethical considerations, and thorough coverage for the difficult-to-access but crucial population of pregnant incarcerated individuals affected by shackling policies in New York. The research is related to the topics "Human or Animal Subject Research", "Junior Paper (JP)", and "Trust the Qualitative: An interview with Sheila Pontis about Field Research".
- Albert Lee '24, in the pursuit of their Junior Paper focusing on education-and-self-development topic 'junior paper', is employing a combination of purposive and snowball sampling for learning more about shackling pregnant inmates in New York state prisons.
- As part of Lee's qualitative research project and personal-growth, they are leveraging stakeholders like legal aid groups, prisoner rights advocates, and community health clinics for quality insights into the issue of shackling pregnant inmates in New York state prisons.
