Rethinking Qualitative Research in Virtual Spaces: Ethics, Inclusion, and Methodological Adaptation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 3

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

This roundtable brings together researchers navigating the ethical and methodological complexities of virtual qualitative research in a post-pandemic landscape. One paper explores how Microsoft Teams supported inclusive, participant-centered inquiry in a Jamaican educational study, challenging the notion of virtual methods as secondary to in-person research. The second examines how a research team responded to the presence of imposter participants in online data collection, developing collaborative ethical strategies. Together, these papers interrogate digital tools not as neutral platforms but as sites of adaptation, vulnerability, and innovation—offering insights for designing flexible, responsible, and inclusive qualitative research in evolving technological contexts.

Sub Unit

• Division D - Measurement and Research Methodologies / Division D - Section 3: Qualitative Methodologies

Chair

• Hani Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi

Papers

• A Qualitative Approach to Document Analysis - Hani Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi

• COVID-19 compromise or inclusive alternative? Reimagining qualitative interviews using Microsoft Teams in Jamaican educational research. - Delta Wright, Edge Hill University

• Detecting and responding to imposter participants in online interview studies: Collaborative decision-making and solutions - Audra Skukauskaite, University of Central Florida; Stephanie Couch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Tamara Galoyan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology