Kelli Epling

November 14, 2015

Qualitative Research Final Journal
There has been a transformation not only in my ability, but also in my
understanding of qualitative research. I am forever changed because of this
course, and I am thankful to Bobbie and Dr. Campbell for their understanding
and guidance during this course. I began this course dreading the
assignments, that I heard were extremely time consuming and difficult. I
found the readings to be extremely informative, and I fell in love with the
people-focused form of research. While others found the assignments to be
hard, I found them to be essential in my preparation to complete a
qualitative study for my dissertation.
I am a life-long learner and always feel that there is room for improvement,
yet I feel that considering where I started, I have improved substantially. I
have gained a basic understanding of terminology and methods and have
learned how to complete field notes, interviews, and coding. Although I have
learned how complete these tasks, I realize that I am a novice and with time
and practice I will improve.
I began with a mind-set that qualitative was not a research approach that I
would use and have ended with the mind-set that qualitative is the only
research approach for me. I have been more passionate about the
experiences in this course than any previously. I was anxious about my first
observation and interview. I took way too many dialogue-focused notes and
missed much of what was actually occurring. I have learned that I have to
listen closer to my participants during the interview and how to create
questions that will uncover relevant data. I have learned how tedious
transcribing can be and have gained an appreciation for transcription
services that I plan on using in the future.
The live-class meetings were always informative and I enjoyed my fellow
classmates stories and class discussion. Watching Dr. Campbell interview
Josh and create follow-up questions was an excellent modeling exercise that
allowed me to reflect on how I can improve my own questioning method. I
found the writing workshop to be extremely helpful as the responses from
my classmates gave me a new perspective on my own writing. I found their
suggestions to be useful and I made changes many changes to my paper

based on the conversation that we had. I have put forth a great amount of
effort in this course, and I hope my final paper reflects my hard work and
dedication to the study. I have viewed the assignments as the precursor to
my dissertation; therefore, seeing them as imperative to my personal growth
has made this course relevant and inspiring. I hope that my desire to
improve the lives of others is recognizable even now, and that in the future
my research will truly make a difference.