Both/and: researcher as participant in qualitative inquiry

Purpose - Within the conversation about insider/outsider positioning, little has been written about qualitative research when the researcher is also a participant. This paper describes a unique situation in which co-researchers (doctoral interns) were also interviewees, inhabiting dual roles within a single study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential benefits of this experience for the professional development of new qualitative researchers. Design/methodology/approach - Reflections of the two co-researchers (doctoral interns) - taken from journals, memos, and team debriefing meetings - are analyzed thematically thematically by the lead researcher. Data extracts are used to illustrate key themes and illuminate cross-cultural comparisons. Findings - The paper presents three core themes relating to vulnerability, and disclosure. The interns' participant/researcher experience sensitized them to the experience of those whose stories they sought to represent, suggesting that participation may offer a valuable means for developing research skills, just as the experience of personal therapy can help to develop clinical skills in the new therapist. Practical implications - Despite the limited scope of this paper (i.e. the experience of two doctoral interns), findings suggest that the direct experience of non-dichotomized identity may be a useful way for a new researcher to appreciate the importance of relinquishing role, distance, and presumed authority within a post-modern framework of mutuality and co-construction. Originality/value - In addition to the uniqueness of this experience of inhabiting dual roles within the research process, the interns' different cultural backgrounds - and their different responses suggests that cultural notions of position, authority, and relationship need to be taken into account in the professional development of new qualitative researchers.