Love and Sexuality Project
One-to-one Interviews
What’s involved?
I am looking for people who are willing to participate in one-to-one, in-depth interviews with me about love and sexuality. There isn’t a set schedule or timescale for the interviews, so I can fit around your needs and your ‘story’. Ideally, interviews will be face to face, but I can be flexible if that isn’t possible. Because I am using a very flexible, narrative approach to the interviews, it’s hard to say how long they will last – that will largely be directed by you! I may ask to talk with you further after your interview if you are still willing and available and if issues arise that I would like further clarification of, and you will be more than welcome to contact me after the interview if you have any further reflections or thoughts that you wish to share. I will ask you to bring to our interview three ‘objects’ which feel significant to you in relation to love and sexuality – these might be objects in the traditional sense; things that you possess or which have been given to you that feel significant to you; or they might be particular images, song lyrics, poems, literature, pieces of music or art etc. With your permission, I will photograph these or make another record of them, as appropriate, and we will discuss them during your interview.
Obviously, participation is voluntary and you can withdraw from the project up to the point at which I begin analysing the data. The interviews will be treated sensitively and confidentially – I will store the data securely (digital copies on my home computer, and any paper copies stored securely in my home) for the duration of the project (my final thesis is due to be submitted towards the end of the academic year ending summer 2015). Your identity will not be attached to stored data, and you will not be identified in the final thesis. The data will be destroyed on completion of the project. I do have two supervisors who will have access to the data, and some early analysis of the data will be reviewed by a core group who will be supporting the work, but this will be completely anonymous. I am happy for you to have a copy of the finished thesis if you would like to see it.
The interviews will, with your permission, be recorded, though I may take some written notes as well. I will begin by asking for some basic background information, but the interview will be largely unstructured and will follow the direction you wish to take it. Afterwards, I will transcribe the interviews and begin to look at any common patterns or issues that emerge from the different stories. These will be examined within the context of theoretical work relating to sexuality. Although I may use direct quotes in my dissertation, participants will not be identified. If you would like a copy of the written transcript of your interview, I am happy to make that available to you.
Want to ask any questions or sign up? Contact me.
Focus Groups
What’s involved?
I am looking for people who are willing to participate in focus group discussions about love and sexuality. Groups will consist of around 6-8 people and will meet at a conveniently central location for everyone involved. There isn’t a set schedule or timescale for the discussions, but I expect them to last between one and two hours. They will be friendly, informal discussions in which issues, views and experiences will be shared. All participants in the group will be expected to respect the confidentiality of other group members, and I will ask everyone to agree to some simple ‘ground rules’ to that effect. If you have any further reflections or thoughts that you wish to share after the focus group discussion, you are very much encouraged to contact me privately. If, after your involvement in the focus group, you feel you would like to give me a one-to-one interview in addition, you will be welcome to. I will ask you to bring to the focus group meeting an ‘object’ which feels significant to you in relation to love and sexuality – this might be an object in the traditional sense; something that you possess or which has been given to you that feels significant; or it might be a particular image, song lyric, poem, literature, piece of music or art etc. With your permission, I will photograph these or make another record of them, as appropriate, and we will discuss them during the focus group session.
Obviously, participation is voluntary and you can withdraw from the project up to the point at which I begin analysing the data. The discussions will be treated sensitively and confidentially – I will store the data securely (digital copies on my home computer, and any paper copies stored securely in my home) for the duration of the project (my final thesis is due to be submitted towards the end of the academic year ending summer 2015). Your identity will not be attached to stored data, and you will not be identified in the final thesis. The data will be destroyed on completion of the project. I do have two supervisors who will have access to the data, and some early analysis of the data will be reviewed by a core group who will be supporting the work, but this will be completely anonymous. I am happy for you to have a copy of the finished thesis if you would like to see it.
The discussions will be recorded, and written notes will be made as well. The discussion will be largely unstructured and will follow the direction the group wishes to take it. Afterwards, I will transcribe any audio data and notes and begin to look at any common patterns or issues that emerge from the different stories. These will be examined within the context of theoretical work relating to sexuality. Although I may use direct quotes in my final thesis, participants will not be identified.
Want to ask any questions or sign up? Contact me.
Core Group
What’s involved?
I am looking for people who are willing to participate in a ‘Core Group’ who will contribute to, and help to support the whole fieldwork process over the coming year. The group will consist of around 6 people and will meet five times between October 2013 and August 2014. It is envisaged that meetings will be held on weekend daytimes, and at convenient, central locations. Meetings will be negotiated collectively with the group at it’s first meeting. Meetings will be friendly and informal and should be both interesting and fun to be involved with. We will share ideas and experiences and lunch and/or cake! There isn’t a set schedule or timescale for the discussions, but I expect them to last between around two hours. All participants in the group will be expected to respect the confidentiality of other group members, and I will ask everyone to agree to some simple ‘ground rules’ to that effect. There are a number of tasks and activities that the group will be involved with, including:
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You will be asked to keep a ‘journal’ throughout the year, including both photographic and written reflections.
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You will be invited to participate in a private online group (possibly via Facebook, or a similar forum) that will be for Core Group members and myself only and where we can continue to share thoughts, ideas and experiences throughout the research process
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The group will explore the use of various methodological ‘tools’, such as creating image and/or audio ‘collages, timelines, discussion etc.
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The group will look collectively at some of the early data analysis. This will be fully anonymous and will not include data collected from within the group itself.
I will ask you to bring to the first Core Group meeting up to three ‘objects’ which feel significant to you in relation to love and sexuality – these might be objects in the traditional sense; things that you possess or which have been given to you that feel significant; or they might be particular images, song lyrics, poems, literature, pieces of music or art etc. With your permission, I will photograph these or make another record of them, as appropriate, and we will discuss them during the Core Group meeting.
If, after your involvement in the Core Group, you feel you would like to give me a one-to-one interview in addition, you will be welcome to, though this will not be done until the very end of the project.
Obviously, participation is voluntary and you can withdraw from the project up to the point at which I begin analysing the data. The discussions will be treated sensitively and confidentially – I will store the data securely (digital copies on my home computer, and any paper copies stored securely in my home) for the duration of the project (my final thesis is due to be submitted towards the end of the academic year ending summer 2015). Your identity will not be attached to stored data, and you will not be identified in the final thesis. The data will be destroyed on completion of the project. I do have two supervisors who will have access to the data, but this will be completely anonymous. I am happy for you to have a copy of the finished thesis if you would like to see it.
The discussions will be recorded if possible, and written notes will be made as well. Afterwards, I will transcribe any audio data and notes, and collect journal, image and other audio data from our meetings and begin to look at any common patterns or issues that emerge. These will be examined within the context of theoretical work relating to love and sexuality. Although I may use direct quotes or images in my thesis, participants will not be identified.
Participation in the Core Group asks for a significant commitment in terms of your time and energy. I have an application in for funding with which I hope to be able to reimburse reasonable travel expenses, in acknowledgement of the commitment I am asking from Core Group members. I am not able to offer any other kind of payment for your time, but I do hope that participation in the group will be rewarding in it’s own right – that it will be both interesting and enjoyable; that it will offer interesting opportunities for your own personal reflection; that it will enable the building of positive relationships within the group; and that we can share both pleasant time together and some nice lunches!
Want to ask any questions or sign up? Contact me.