Research update #10: Qualitative research training

After another long hiatus, we finally have another update for you! The life of a tenure-track professor is complicated, and sometimes projects fall to the "wayside" when there is not a set deadline or pressure from an external source. So, in order to inject new "life" into the analysis of this project, I decided to attend a workshop on a particular research method. The method is in the family of methods called qualitative methods. These methods are different than quantitative methods in that they focus more on the words and the qualities of what someone said, rather than counting up the number of times someone said something, or giving a score to someone's input based on a survey or a questionnaire. We chose qualitative methods for this project because we felt it was the best way to honor the unique stories that we knew we would hear from you all.

The workshop is offered by a company called ResearchTalk. The session I (Megan) attended was here: http://researchtalk.com/qualitative-data-analysis-camp-november-2016/. I am grateful for this workshop because it gave me time to step back from other demands and just sit with the interview transcripts from your interviews and start to sift through them to find the meaningful themes and results. I look forward to sharing some preliminary results soon!

Research update #9: Data cleaning and preparation

Well, after a busy summer, we are back at it with this study. As of now, we are cleaning and prepping the transcripts of all 30 interviews, then our next step will be to conduct initial coding using the grounded theory techniques of Charmaz. Stay tuned for our next update, when we'll share what emerging themes develop from our analysis of the data!

Research update #8: Data collection complete!

We are excited to announce that we have completed all of our interviews! We did a total of 30, from a wide range of backgrounds. Thank you for sharing your stories with us, it was our pleasure to talk to you! Next step is analysis, which we'll be working on this summer. Stay tuned for what we learn from the data!

Research update #7: Resuming interviews

Hello everyone! We have finished with the initial analyses, and we are pleased with the direction of the study thus far. We are resuming interviews, and will complete the remainder of the interviews before the end of April. We have about 15 more to complete. Again, thank you for your participation, and your interest in this important topic!

Research update #6: Initial analyses underway

For those of you who are research savvy, and qualitative research savvy in particular, you might recognize the term "grounded theory." In this study, we are using Charmaz (2006)'s version of grounded theory. Part of this method involves taking time out during the beginning phases of your data collection to look at the data that you have thus far, and doing what is called "initial coding." Initial coding is basically making a line-by-line summary of what the participant said. It is useful because it keeps the researcher close to the data and using the participant's terms rather than using the researcher's own pre-conceived ideas about the topic under investigation.

So, we have conducted 10 interviews to date, and have transcribed them all. We are now going to do the initial coding process and discover what our data tells us thus far. Once we do that, we'll do another "round" of interviews (probably 10 at a time) to do more digging into the topic. The benefit of doing this "pause and reflect" method is that it gives the researcher the opportunity to revise her interview questions, or to explore a particular topic with future participants. It can help focus the data collection into more meaningful stories. This is essentially what an "emergent design" is intended to do. It helps the researcher see what meaning emerges from the data, and to follow that emergent meaning in subsequent data collection.

We'll post another update once we have completed the initial coding, and start up interviews again! Thanks for staying tuned!

Research Update #5: Interviews starting

We are now in the phase of contacting a handful of people with whom to conduct in-depth interviews. We will select about 30 people out of the 163 who participated in phase 1 (the survey). So, you may or may not hear from us, but if you do, we look forward to speaking with you! We are excited about getting underway with this phase of the research, and look forward to hearing your stories! Thank you for your interest in our research, and we will update the blog again periodically as the study moves forward.

-Megan

Research Update #4: Survey closed

Greetings! The open period for the initial survey is now closed. We are happy to report that over 225 people responded, and we're excited to move into the next phase of this research! Thank you to each of you for your support along the way. We'll keep you updated on the next steps as they come.

Research update #3: Only 5 days left for the survey!

Hi folks,
We are nearing the end of the enrollment period for the survey. Remember, if you haven't looked at it yet, here's some details: it takes 5 minutes to complete, and you can enter to win an iPad mini! We'd love to hear from you, so read more about the study here: tinyurl.com/LGBTQFaithStudy.

Thanks!

Research update #2: Help us reach 200 participants!

We are happy to report that we have 163 responses so far! Wow! What a great response from the community. We are grateful for your support, and we could not have done it without you.

We would like to hit 200 responses by January 31st. Do you think you can help us? Share the page and the survey link: http://tinyurl.com/LGBTQFaithStudy

Thanks!

Research update #1: GCN recruitment a success!

Paula and Megan had a great time at the GCN in Houston last weekend, and we really enjoyed meeting lots of folks who are interested in this topic! The good news is that we are extending the survey to stay open until the end of the month so that you can tell your friends about the study and invite them to participate! 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth in the exhibit hall!

Paula did a fantastic job of presenting on the topic of gender variance in myth & scripture.

We are finished with recruitment from the Gay Christian Network (GCN) conference in Houston, TX, and we are pleased with the results! So far we have 107 participants.

To share about the study, all you need to do is tell them about our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LGBTQFaithCommunityStudy), our Twitter account (@LGBTQFaithStudy), our blog site here (LGBTQFaithCommunityStudy.blogspot.com), or just give them the direct link to the survey! (www.tinyurl.com/LGBTQFaithStudy)

Remember, the survey takes only 5 minutes, and you have a chance to win an iPad mini. The survey ends January 31, 2016. Thanks for sharing with your friends!

Gay Christian Network conference 2016

Some members of our research team are in attendance at the Gay Christian Network conference in Houston, TX, to recruit participants for the study. If you are at the conference, come find our booth in the exhibit hall. We'd love to say hi!

Telling the story

Hi again!

We are pleased to provide a brief video that introduces you to the background of this study, including the personal reasons why I (Dr. Gandy-Guedes) decided to do this research. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/9jGHMiWr3SA

Welcome!

Greetings, and thank you for visiting our page! We are excited to introduce a new research study, and we welcome you to consider participating. Please read on for more information.

Title: Why do they stay? Exploring the protective functions of faith communities in the lives of LGBTQ people. Dr. Megan E. Gandy-Guedes IRB # 6227

Purpose: This study will look at the meaning of faith communities in the lives of LGBTQ people, with a specific focus on how LGBTQ people experience positive benefits from their involvement with a faith community.

Eligibility: You may participate if: (1) you are 18 years or older), (2) if you identify as non-straight (non-heterosexual) or as a non-cisgender individual (for example: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.), and (3) if you are involved in a faith community. You can define “involvement” and “faith community” in any way you wish.

What's involved: If you are interested in participating, you will be asked to fill out a brief demographic survey and provide your contact information. Then, approximately 30 individuals will be selected from the list of people who are interested, and they will be asked to complete a 1 hour telephone interview.

If you complete the brief demographic survey and provide your contact information, you will be entered to win a drawing for an iPad mini. If you are later selected for a telephone interview, you will be given a gift card.

Contact information for the Principal Investigator: Dr. Megan E. Gandy-Guedes, megandy at ou dot edu, (405) three two five-1400.

To participate, go to: http://tinyurl.com/LGBTQfaithstudy
Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LGBTQFaithCommunityStudy
Twitter: @LGBTQFaithStudy or #LGBTQFaith