The transparency demanded of our research in Writing, Research, and Technology is an example of the kind of work advocated by Pinnegar and Daynes in their chapter "Locating Narrative Inquiry Historically." They discuss the benefits of narrative inquiry and qualitative research over numbers and quantitative research. Of numbers as raw data, they write that “There is little textual evidence that allows the audience to determine whether the research was simply designed to impose the worldview of the researcher on what was researched.” By conducting research based in narrative inquiry, researchers do not eliminate their biases. Rather, they have the opportunity to make them clear to readers in a unique way.
First, by using original sources and first person accounts, data can be constructed from the ground up, after it has been collected. This differs from quantitative research where systems for gathering data must be designed before data collection, and they may not serve the data in the most effective way.
Second, in transparent qualitative research, a more thorough examination of the “how” and “why” can be conducted using a fuller range of communication channels. Numbers as data restrict researchers to correlating patterns, but qualitative research may record movement and tone in a way that can transcend researcher bias.
First, by using original sources and first person accounts, data can be constructed from the ground up, after it has been collected. This differs from quantitative research where systems for gathering data must be designed before data collection, and they may not serve the data in the most effective way.
Second, in transparent qualitative research, a more thorough examination of the “how” and “why” can be conducted using a fuller range of communication channels. Numbers as data restrict researchers to correlating patterns, but qualitative research may record movement and tone in a way that can transcend researcher bias.
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