Researcher Roles

Tacit Roles

The researcher's role begins at the stage of research conceptualization. At this point, the researcher takes on the role of an informed “ideas” person. The researcher uses his or her prior knowledge of an area of study within a discipline, or across more than one discipline, to propose a well-crafted and coherent project with clearly articulated research questions. The research project could be a stand-alone project for a limited time frame, or it could be part of a much larger program of study unfolding over a longer period of time, perhaps a decade or more. In either case, in the role of the “ideas” person, the researcher has a number of responsibilities, the understanding of which is internalized throughout the process of attaining a PhD and develops further as new research projects are undertaken. Because the vast majority of researchers do have a PhD, the responsibilities of the ideas person are well understood by all scholars but are rarely discussed. Some of them include the following:

• Keeping current and abreast of the scholarly literature (including philosophical discussions, theoretical developments, and research findings) related to the topic under consideration
• Maintaining a critical awareness of the issues/questions needing further examination
• Having a thorough understanding of the parameters of qualitative research
• Proposing a project that is manageable and can be completed successfully
• Ensuring that the research will be conducted according to accepted methodological and ethical standards
• Seeking appropriate funding so that an investigation can be done as fully and thoroughly as possible
• Ensuring that the research is meaningful in terms of its contribution both to the discipline in particular and to knowledge or society in general

The qualitative researcher maintains the role of ideas person throughout the study, constantly and reflectively blending the theoretical framework(s) of the study with the qualitative observations to provide new and/or unique interpretations of how participants come to develop certain meanings and practices within their social worlds.

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