“The Road Less Traveled”: Toward More Culturally Relevant Qualitative Research and Evaluation

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Prioritizing Participants’ Perspectives in Qualitative Research

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to share an original theoretical framework that emerged in conjunction with STEM research efforts in diverse, urban K-12 settings as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities. The meaning-making that occurred did not follow a firm temporal chronology or emerge linearly within tidy categorical disciplines. Rather, our path of learning was a porous and rhizomatic interlacing of past, present, and future as we struggled to reconcile theoretical frameworks and research methodologies that were both respectful to research participants and acceptable to the scientific community. We offer our inspiration as just one conception of a more culturally-appropriate framework for conducting qualitative research with the vital goal of facilitating research justice.

Authors

• Jessica Christina Venable, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Katherine Cumings Mansfield, Virginia Commonwealth University