I am considering studying the impact of generational context on college and career choices of Korean American females. As I read the chapter I realized that an interesting question would be to consider how Asian females may have pushed Asian males to be the highest paid demographic in the US.

·       “Qualitative research is a method for not only quenching one’s curiosity, but also resulting in explanations that could lead to social justice and transformation” (p. 7).

o   AR NOTE: This is perhaps my favorite quote from the article. When I read this, I think of the important role that qualitative research plays in counterstorytelling. Counterstorytelling empowers individuals and groups, especially members of marginalized communities, to retake control of the narratives of their lived experiences.

Key Takeaways

• I understand that Qualitative Methods are a tool of inquiry and investigation that require the researcher to, “immerse oneself in and trying to make sense of a phenomenon,” (Tracy, 2025, p. 4)

• As opposed to QuaNTitative Methods, QuaLitative researchers cannot separate themselves from the study because they are the research tool.

• I understand the importance of self-reflexivity as a Qualitative researcher, considering how easily bias and privilege may skew/manipulate the research.

• I understand that the skills of Qualitative researchers are flexible and can be applied to many different fields outside of academia.

Tools/Quotes to Keep in Mind

• Questions to consider when picking research approach

  • “What types of methods are best suited for the goals of your research project?” (Tracy, 2025, p. 6).

  • Which methods are you most equipped to use, or most attracted to?” (Tracy, 2025, p. 6).

• “Your interest in the project must rise above and propel you through moments of frustration, difficulty, and tedium,” (Tracy, 2025, p. 16).

• “Finally, when thinking about a topic and scene, I recommend that you seek advice. Other students have leads. Professors, employers, or colleagues can provide a fresh viewpoint on a project’s advantages and disadvantages,” (Tracy, 2025, p. 17).

  • Highlights the importance of community in academic work

• Types of research questions

  • Descriptive

    • “Asking what is going on”

  • Interpretive

    • “Attempting to make sense of the meaning of the data”

  • Critical

    • ‘What should be done”

  • Theoretical

    • “Explaining why’

Loved her vulnerability, honesty and desire for accountability in her assessment of her white privilege.

Key Takeaways

• I understand that qualitative research seeks to understand the “whole” by observing different contexts that all inform each other to paint a more holistic understanding

• I understand that qualitative research does not happen in a vacuum. Different methods, theories, and concepts can be used at the same time to best suit a study. 

• I understand the importance of thick description to move beyond surface-level understandings of a phenomenon. I consider this to be a response to the popular claim, “it’s not that deep.” It IS that deep.

• I understand that qualitative research often employs people’s understanding of themselves, their surroundings, their environments, their communities, etc. 

  • How a person reacts to something

  • How they perceive their reactions

  • How their reactions are shaped by expectations

• I understand that research has not always been ethical and that it is important to understand that research can easily be manipulated to be weaponized against vulnerable communities.

Tools/Quotes to Keep in Mind

• Structuration Theory (Giddens, 1984)

  • Society is constituted of people’s micro-practices

    • Reminded me of Pedagogy of the Oppressed

      • While the oppressor keeps the oppressed stifled, the oppressed must work to not aspire to be like the oppressor so they do not recreate the systems in which they are targeted (Freire, 2018)

• Sensemaking Theory (Weicks, 1979)

  • I had trouble understanding this theory

    • Sensemaking theory helps qualitative researchers understand how people interpret and construct meaning in ambiguous or complex situations?

• Phronetic Research

  • I enjoyed the points that encompass a “wise person,” especially point 5

    • “Knows how to make emotion an ally of reason - to rely on emotion to signal what a situation calls for and to inform judgment without distorting it,” (Schwartz & Sharpe, 2010, pp. 25-26).

      • This really dismantles the assumption that research should not be emotional

      • Emotions make research powerful, when appropriate

• Symbolic Interactionism

  • Might be relevant to my work in trying to understand how settler-colonial curriculum impacts students perceptions of themselves and others

• Abduction

• Gestalt

  • I liked this one a lot. Reminded me of systems-thinking (Meadows, 2008).

• Bricolage

• Colonialism & Ethnocentrism

  • My research deals extensively with this, especially in regard to curriculum manipulation 

• Post-Qualitative Methods

  • This is a new concept to me and I’m excited to learn more about this

 Key Takeaways

• I understand that McIntosh frames privilege not just as “advantage,” but as an invisible system that confers dominance. This helped me recognize that privilege is structural, not individual.

• I understand that privilege operates in ways that are often unseen by those who hold it. McIntosh’s metaphor of the “invisible knapsack” made clear how normalized and unacknowledged these daily advantages can be.

• I understand that privilege harms both the marginalized and the privileged

• I understand that while some privileges (like expecting safety from harassment) should be universal entitlements, others (like cultural permission to ignore oppressed voices) reinforce inequality and should be dismantled.

• I understand that privilege does not occur in a vacuum; it is inherently intersectional.

Tools/Quotes to Keep in Mind

• “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks” (p. 2).

  • Powerful metaphor for daily, unearned advantages.

• “Privilege may confer power, but it does not confer moral strength” (p. 9).

  • Important reminder that dominance DOES  NOT imply virtue.

• McIntosh’s insistence on self-reflection: “Having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?” (p. 3).

  •  Directly challenges me to connect awareness to action in my own work.

• SELF-REFLEXIVITY

            --Begs an interesting question, “Why is the same value of repetition not also applied to qualitative research?

• “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house?” – What about in the case of falling empires? For example, what we are seeing now in our society and from our government concerning the instability of capitalism and the ramifications of racism allude to the potential downfall of America as a world superpower. But, capitalism and racism are the, “master’s tools.” This country was built on them.

- Begs the question if something is unknowable can we name it?

p. 28-29 – It is fascinating to see how PIQDA operates as a seemingly emergent concept in the field. Most, if not all, of the citations are from articles or books written in the mid 2010’s which levels a substantial difference in understanding how qualitative research was represented otherwise earlier.

Reading this text makes me think of the ‘blue-eyes, brown-eyes’ experiments that Jane Elliot would run, but from a more introspective disposition.

I have the unearned privilege of having been born in the United States. I am choosing to write about this privilege because it is one that I can rightfully and readily acknowledge, yet it is also one that I grapple with. I am challenged with feelings of ambivalence toward this privilege as my sentiments around it are both positive and negative. Given my ancestral origins and the history of how Black people were brought to this country via the Transatlantic slave trade, the privilege of being American is one that is shrouded in the pain of knowing such history, but, also, much gratitude for the rights and privileges it affords me.

I try to understand such a person’s lived experiences by practicing empathy, and imagining myself in that person’s shoes. It is important to be knowledgeable not just about what directly affects you, but also to understand the injustices experienced by others. This knowledge comes from direct interaction, actively listening, and demonstrating open-mindedness in attempting to understand others’ experiences when they differ from one’s own. Moreover, recognizing that as part of our shared humanity, people have the same fundamental, basic human needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, etc.) is an important steppingstone to dismantling the unjust systems that perpetuate the oppression of others simply on the basis of their differences.

Small scale, everyday contextualized behaviors vs larger-level structures

- This resonated with me because this is how I stumbled into my dissertation/research topic. I was noticing that there were increasing instances of roommate conflicts that had added layers of challenges because of a student identifying as “neurodiverse.” In looking for ways to best support them, most of the research I found was about accommodations in the classroom and not supporting students living on campus or with co-curricular experiences on college campuses.

I think my research will utilize a combination of structuration theory and sensemaking with grounding in abductive reasoning.

I never thought about this question as a potential researcher, generally speaking we might have good intentions, but are we really helping the population we are trying to study?

·      Mean/Matter: I really appreciate this method because I value talking about context and fully understanding the context of a situation before jumping to judgment or response. I also appreciate the piece about making emotion an ally of reason, since oftentimes the two are pitted against each other. I want to practice how to do this more within research.

Interpretation: there are many, diverse ways to research a question, a combination is ideal, but must be sure to conduct research ethically and be precise as possible.

o   McIntosh lists concrete ways white privilege shows up (e.g., being able to move through neighborhoods without harassment, seeing people of one’s race widely represented in media, not being asked to speak for one’s entire race, finding bandages that match skin tone).

o   She pairs this with recognition of male privilege—such as men’s voices being taken more seriously or their professional competence not being questioned.

Is it Researchable?

Is it Original?

It is Contributory?

Tracy points out that just because a gap in the knowledge is present it does not automatically mean someone should try to fill it in. There may be good reasons why nobody has yet studied it.

Those adopting an emic approach tend to use inductive reasoning, researchers (1) begin with observing specific interactions; (2) conceptualize general concepts in the field); and (4) draw conclusions that build theory or create the field);

Question: Perhaps through my research, I can gain a broad understanding of dictatorship and then narrow my focus to the school, the classroom, and the teacher's implementation of the curriculum.