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Colloquium: Contemporary Migration between Western Countries: The Values of a Holistic Perspective Across Time & Space

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Today's date is Friday, March 29, 2024
Contemporary Migration between Western Countries: The Values of a Holistic Perspective Across Time & Space Other events...
Each methodology brings us a vantage point, a place of seeing what we may otherwise have missed in the overwhelmingness of the whole. ... Each has its place. Together, the whole shall come together as jigsaw. (Smythe, 2000, p. 18)

Quantitative and qualitative research are based on different assumptions about reality and what constitutes knowledge. These differences lead to different way of conducting and presenting research. But are quantitative and qualitative research really mutually exclusive or can they complement each other in useful ways? Does qualitative research lack methodological rigor or could it also be thorough, robust, and precise? Does it only provide insights into a small proportion of the population or could it reveal complexity, interactions, and process? Can qualitative offer something that quantitative cannot?

After briefly outlining the differences between quantitative and qualitative research, this presentation discusses a qualitative multi-side, longitudinal and process oriented research design I created for exploring the experiences and interpretations of contemporary German migrants to Australia and New Zealand. For two years, I accompanied 17 potential and actual German migrants with diverse personal and migration backgrounds through their migration journey to Australia or New Zealand. I travelled to Germany and lived with each of them in their homes for up to 7 days. I observed them, participated in their lives, and listened to the experiences and interpretations they shared in multiple episodic interviews. Those who migrated, I visited in Australia or New Zealand 6 and 18 months after migrating. Those who did not migrate, I visited after two years in Germany. Throughout the study, participants reported their experiences and interpretations in email or phone dairies. That is 34 years worth of deep personal information! I analysed the data using grounded theory and narrative analysis strategies. A composite migrant narrative and a summary of variations represent the development of the migration idea, what happened during emigrating and immigrating, and what psychological and social factors influenced the migration process.

The presentation will highlight the theoretical, methodological and ethical aspects that qualitative researchers have to consider to produce high quality research. It will also provide insights into how this research design created multiple forms of knowledge by accessing unusually deep and rich knowledge across time and space. I will conclude by proposing ways in which qualitative research can complement quantitative research to create a more complete picture of phenomena.
Speaker(s) Dr Petra Buergelt
Location Myers Street Lecture Theatre (2nd Floor)
Contact W/Professor Stephan Lewandowsky <[email protected]> : 6488 3231
Start Fri, 20 May 2011 15:00
End Fri, 20 May 2011 16:00
Submitted by Dianne Bettis <[email protected]>
Last Updated Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:52
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