Dr. Melinde Lemke of the University of Buffalo in New York shared her expertise with more than 200 participants on writing qualitative research in a webinar titled: “Framing Qualitative Research: Critically Situating the Self in the Field,” August 26 via Zoom.

She emphasized that terms are essential in social policy research in her discussion. For example, “critical” has a working definition to mean the extent to which methodology and praxis can identify, iteratively reflect upon, and explain power and reproduction, she said.

Dr. Melinda added, “It can only be critical if there is a practical and liberating force where false consciousness and domination exist.”

Being a feminist, “explicit consideration of gender as an analytic category within critiques of exploitation, power, and oppression and holds that groups vulnerable to the state are my area of research expertise,” she said.

Dr. Lemke also shared her views on the core of qualitative research, that it is a rich description of human life, what shapes their future, and human experiences. The core, she said, is therefore political.

On procedural considerations, “you’re thinking about power dynamics, who have the role in the table, yourself and your relationship with people with ethical considerations. In fieldwork, you can be a covert outsider, an overt insider, reactive observer, participant observer, member researcher, or retrospective participant observer,” Dr. Melinda shared.

Finally, Dr. Lemke stressed qualitative research’s personal and political considerations. “Critically situating oneself in the field always has something to do with political considerations. Most of these situations are about shaping policies,” she said.

“Teachers are all policy actors and all with different considerations, gatekeepers, how to access to someone, equity and additive aspect of the policy, critical reflexivity and interpretation,” she ended.

The webinar was an effort of the office of the Graduate Education Department headed by Dr. Raquel Sena. Mr. Mariano Lacandola IV served as the emcee, and Mrs. Melissa Carillo was the moderator during the Q&A.