The Nature of Participant Observation and Research Relationships, and The
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2007 More than simply "hanging out": The an ture of participant observation and research relationships Julie Frances Simpson University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Simpson, Julie Frances, "More than simply "hanging out": The an ture of participant observation and research relationships" (2007). Doctoral Dissertations. 383. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/383 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MORE THAN SIMPLY “HANGING OUT”: THE NATURE OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION AND RESEARCH RELATIONSHIPS BY JULIE FRANCES SIMPSON B.S. University of New Hampshire, 1997 M.P.A. University of New Hampshire, 2000 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Education May, 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3260606 Copyright 2007 by Simpson, Julie Frances All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3260606 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2007 Julie F. Simpson Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Grant L. Cioffi, Ph.D., Dissertation Director Associate Professor of Education BkCvLfMJtU----- Elizabeth L. Crepeau, Ph.D. Professor of Occupational Therapy Barbara E. Houston, Ph.D. Professor of Education Thdmas H. Schram, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Education Irving'Seidman, Ph.D. Professor of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst A pril 13, Zool Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION ToWOS iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The dissertation marks the final stage in the long journey through a doctoral program. I could not have arrived at this point in my journey without the constant support, encouragement, and guidance of some wonderful, incredible people whom it is my honor and privilege to know. This study would not have been possible without the individuals who participated in my study. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you, all, for making the time for my study in your busy lives. Thank you also for sharing your stories with me, and for providing me with feedback and encouragement along the way. Although I may not see some of you again, I greatly appreciate your generosity and willingness to assist me in my work, in a variety of ways. My appreciation for numerous University of New Hampshire faculty and staff throughout my doctoral program work cannot be adequately articulated here. Ann Diller, Thomas Pistole, Jessica Bolker, and Kathy Cataneo are a few whom I would like to recognize individually for their support and guidance while I embarked on this endeavor. In innumerable ways, you have encouraged and advised me, and you have helped me to grow and to develop as a professional. Thank you for your faith in me, particularly for those times when I needed it most. My fellow doctoral students, particularly Patti, Bev, Lisa, Jayson, and Cynthia, as well as participants in the education department’s Dissertation Seminar, have been sources of inspiration, encouragement, joy, and solace throughout the program. Thank you, all, for your friendship and camaraderie. I have had the honor of knowing Dr. Irving Seidman for about three years. I met Irv at a New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO) annual conference v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. where I attended his workshop on qualitative interviewing. As a result of that workshop, I provided him some assistance on a writing project. I was extremely fortunate when he agreed to be on my dissertation committee as he has been an invaluable source of wisdom and support throughout my work. Thank you, Irv, for your ongoing interest in my work, for your encouragement, and for your intellectual guidance. It is a pleasure and an honor to know you, and to have worked with you. I first met Dr. Elizabeth Crepeau when we worked together on a University of New Hampshire committee nearly ten years ago. We had not worked closely together again until her involvement on my dissertation committee. Not being a student in her department made her agreement to be on my dissertation committee more of a privilege. Particularly in these last few months as the pressure has increased, Betty has been a wonderful, patient, gentle source of support, and very generous sharing her knowledge with me. Thank you, Betty, for your assistance in this endeavor, and for your guidance in my times of need. I have taken three classes with Dr. Barbara Houston in the course of my doctoral program. As well as being the most demanding teacher whom I have encountered in my academic career, she is also one of the best. All the while expecting students to stretch and challenge themselves intellectually, she is gentle, kind, and full of laughter. I will never forget the semester our cohort spent living and breathing the term “integrity.” Barbara brought all the qualities that make her such a superb teacher and wonderful mentor to her work as a dissertation committee member. Thank you, Barbara, for all that you have shared with me throughout our acquaintance, and for all your guidance and encouragement along the way. You inspired my diligence! Little did I suspect on entering the doctoral program that I would conduct a qualitative study for my dissertation. Dr. Thomas Schram has been a constant presence in my academic life since I took his qualitative methods class. During that class, he vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. graciously agreed to be on my guidance committee: I have not looked back since. Tom’s incredible generosity with his time and support is invaluable to novice researchers like me: without this level of support and guidance, my research experience would have been a lot more challenging, and much less fulfilling. Thank you, Tom, for everything. You epitomize a great teacher and scholar. The impetus for my doctoral work came from Dr. Grant Cioffi. Through my work with him in an unrelated capacity, he encouraged me to apply for the doctoral program. Throughout the program, as my advisor, he has been a quiet source of encouragement and support. He was the perfect advisor for me; always there for advice when I needed him but otherwise leaving me alone to get on with my work. Thank you, Grant, for all the time and energy you have so generously invested in me during my doctoral work. Thank you, also, for your belief in me, from the start, that I could achieve this goal. My family on two continents has been an incredible well-spring of support and understanding throughout my academic career. They have graciously accepted the myriad needs that being a part-time student makes on family members. Their unwavering support has been a quiet source of strength for me. Without their understanding, my journey would have been demonstrably more challenging. Your love and encouragement has been invaluable. Thank you. My champion and partner throughout my entire academic career as a nontraditional student, and for over half my life, has been my husband, Bill. Throughout our life together, his faith in my abilities has been steadfast, his support - intellectually and emotionally - limitless, his understanding, generous, and, his love, a gift. Without you, Bill, I would not be who I am, or where I am, today. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I love you. vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table l: Participant Characteristics Considered Important to Study Goals.....................93 Table 2: Table 2: Characteristics of Participants............................................................100 viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.....................................................................................................................iv