| dc.description.abstract | In 2020, guidance on collecting data through online means for qualitative research was surprisingly sparse, given the increased accessibility of videoconferencing in recent decades. During data collection for a doctoral study using virtual ethnomethodology to examine librarian teaching practices, I employed various methods: focus groups, observations of virtual research consultations between librarians and students, and interviews with those librarians. For interviews and focus groups, I trialed novel approaches to prompt reflection and engagement with participants, inspired by video-reflexive ethnography methods and evidence-based comparisons of videoconferenced and online text-based discussions, respectively. During interviews, I shared excerpts from recorded observations to prompt insight regarding challenges with the technologies used during online consultations, with limited success. For the focus groups, I aimed to compare data from the group using synchronous videoconferencing with the data from a second set of participants writing on an asynchronous, text-based discussion board through Padlet. However, in reaction to low levels of engagement in the discussion board format and several comments from participants expressing frustration with the platform, I modified data collection to conduct both focus groups via Zoom. In this research methods brief, I present my motivations to use innovative approaches to encourage engagement with research participants during online data collection, including alignment with the research paradigm using sociomaterialism and employing a conceptual framework informed by Actor-Network Theory. I reflect on my own and participants’ reactions to the challenges with the methods, and share lessons learned when the research process did not go as planned. | en_US |
