Intimate reflections: private diaries in qualitative research

Abstract

This article explores the use of private diaries in qualitative research about intimate everyday experiences. The article first reflects on existing diary-based research, then examines data from a small-scale UK study about the negotiation of condom use in heterosex to pose questions about the kinds of data made available when participants use private diaries as a prompt in qualitative interviews. The article discusses the use of private diaries as a way to explore ambivalent, everyday experiences and interrogates the role of diaries as a form of confessional or measurement of private life. It explores how combined researcher intimate diaries and field note journals can be used in reflexive qualitative sexualities research. The article finally examines the potential for diaries as a form of research intervention in participants' intimate lives.

Methodological considerations in the use of audio diaries in work psychology: Adding to the qualitative toolkit

“…Bernays, Rhodes, and Terzic (2014) suggest that audio diaries provide participants with greater control over how they record their accounts, and researchers who have compared the use of audio diaries to written diaries have suggested that 'diaries spoken into voice recorders tended to be less structured but often saw the diarist reflect on his or her relation to a particular issue in great depth' (Markham & Couldry, 2007, p. 684). Researchers have also highlighted pragmatic advantages of audio diaries rather than written diaries when working with particular groups, for example those who have difficulty writing (Harvey, 2011), or older people with eyesight difficulties (Koopman-Boyden & Richardson, 2013). Furthermore, Hislop et al (2005) suggest that the use of audio diaries results in higher completion rates than using a written diary format due to the relative convenience of the technique.…”

The Facebook Experience: A phenomenology of Facebook use

“…The use of commissioned diaries provides access to activities that would otherwise be not open to participant observation (Alaszewski, 2006;Bloor & Wood, 2006;Zimmerman & Wieder, 1977). The diary method is common in studies about sexual behavior (Graham, Catania, Brand, Duong, & Canchola, 2003;Harvey, 2011) and in medical sociology (Johnson & Bytheway, 2001;Nicholl, 2010). This is because commissioned diaries provide a way to gather information about sensitive issues that participants might not be very open to talk about during interviews (e.g.…”

The Integrated Use of Audio Diaries, Photography, and Interviews in Research with Disabled Young Men

“…His account also demonstrates how diaries generated in a research context differ significantly from other forms of expression with different purposes and audiences (Gibson, 2005;Harvey, 2011). Michael shared with us his online blog where he discusses the experiences and challenges of living with DMD.…”