Resilient Research in the Field: Insights and Lessons From Adapting Qualitative Research Projects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the implementation of unprecedented social distancing measures, restricting social interaction and with it the possibility for conducting face-to-face qualitative research. This paper provides lessons from a series of qualitative research projects that were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their continuation and completion. By reflecting on our experiences and discussing the opportunities and challenges presented by crises to the use of a number of qualitative research methods, we provide a series of insights and lessons for proactively building resilience into the qualitative research process. We show that reflexivity, responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility ensured continuity in the research projects and highlighted distinct advantages to using digital methods, providing lessons beyond the COVID-19 context. The paper concludes with reflections on research resilience and adaptation during crises.

Community-Level Experiences, Understandings, and Responses to COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Ethnographic Studies

“…[33] (p. 1061). Alternative methods were quickly proposed and adopted by academics, especially those employing qualitative methodologies, including conducting digital ethnographies, shifting to phone and online surveys, interviewing, and creating focus groups using digital platforms such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and others [34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. Several scholars have proposed research agendas to collate revisions in research topics, data collection methods, and modes of dissemination stemming from pandemic restrictions and ruptures in the status quo of data collection [41][42][43].…”

Experience and lessons learned from multi-modal internet-based recruitment of U.S. Vietnamese into research

“…While, overall, our project had relative success in recruiting participants remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, we note that remote data collection that relies on digital technologies is not always appropriate in every context and situation [79][80][81]. Researchers should consider how the pandemic may have affected the participants' well-being and their ability to participate in research [81].…”

“…While, overall, our project had relative success in recruiting participants remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, we note that remote data collection that relies on digital technologies is not always appropriate in every context and situation [79][80][81]. Researchers should consider how the pandemic may have affected the participants' well-being and their ability to participate in research [81]. In addition, while our participants did not voice concerns about technological barriers, multiple studies have demonstrated inequities in access to and ability to use mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or laptops) for research participation along with challenges related to poor connectivity.…”

“…In addition, while our participants did not voice concerns about technological barriers, multiple studies have demonstrated inequities in access to and ability to use mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or laptops) for research participation along with challenges related to poor connectivity. Specifically, such issues have been documented in studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic with older adults in the U.S. and Italy [82,83], youth volunteers in Sudan [84], and adults in Malawi and the United Kingdom [81,84].…”

How does qualitative data collection modality affect disclosure of sensitive information and participant experience? Findings from a quasi-experimental study

“…Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, online focus groups (FGs) and individual interviews (IDIs) were being used with increasing frequency across multiple disciplines (Braun et al 2017;Salmons 2016), a trend that the pandemic has accelerated and mainstreamed, at least for the near-term (Saarijärvi and Bratt 2021;Rahman et al 2021). A key advantage of online data collection has always been that a researcher can collect data remotely and from individuals across multiple locations (Comley and Beaumont 2011).…”