A Methodological and Practical Guide to Study Peripheral Voices in Qualitative Research

Abstract

The selection of the voices that make up a qualitative research project is of great importance since the knowledge gained about a certain object of study depends on it. Qualitative researchers focus on the voices around which the purposes of their research explicitly revolve. However, they do not customarily pay attention to peripheral voices, which are primordial to understanding the complexity of the phenomenon studied. In this article, we fill in the literature gap regarding the inclusion of peripheral voices as participants in qualitative research. We develop a five-stage methodological and practical guide to identify who the peripheral voices are, how to plan their approach, how to listen to them and how to analyze their narratives. We illustrate its practical application using the results of doctoral research focused on the construction of the nurse’s status in healthcare organizations. We conclude by discussing the potential of their inclusion in qualitative research.

Nurses' ways of talking about their experiences of (in)justice in healthcare organizations: Locating the use of language as a means of analysis

“…Peripheral voices' narratives thus become useful to better understand central voices' narratives and the context in which they are produced. Regarding justice in healthcare organizations, the inclusion of peripheral voices in research is of great interest since the construction of fair environments depends not only on those who experience injustice the most but also on those who contribute with their actions or inactions to shape these experiences (López‐Deflory, Perron, et al, 2022). These peripheral participants were split into two profiles: (1) physicians in clinical practice and (2) healthcare organization managers.…”

Linguistic Characteristics of Texts: Methodological Notes on a Missed Step in Critical Discourse Analysis

“…This study was conducted in Mallorca (Spain). Participants in this research included central and peripheral voices (López-Deflory et al, 2022). Care nurses in clinical practice, nurses in middle management positions, nurse managers, and nurses in mixed positions (between care and management) within public healthcare organizations, as well as nurses in political, collegiate, or union positions were included as the central voices of the study.…”

Dancing the Data: A Duo-Ethnographic Exploration Toward Dialogic Reflexivity in Qualitative Data Analysis

“…The interpretive nature of qualitative research stimulates methodological questions about how researchers can incorporate reflexive praxis during data analysis: among others, becoming aware of their own and how it affects both the interpretative process and the representation of voice for others (N. Brown, 2019; Leavy, 2015; López-Deflory et al, 2022). Research methodologists suggest that the arts open new possibilities in research through the very nature of the arts to stimulate and evoke perspectives.…”