Appraising the Ingredients of the Interpreter/Researcher Relationship

A Reflexive Qualitative Exploration

Authors

  • Supriya Baily George Mason University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7577/njcie.2762

Keywords:

qualitative research, interviews, reflexivity, translators, interpreters

Abstract

In this study, we address how student teachers can facilitate democratic engagement in school. The demo-cratic engagement is seen through the lenses of an increasingly digital world through which both teachers and children live in. 42 third-year student teachers systematically prepared to use social media as an illus-trative pedagogical tool in their practice placement period. By using the notions of “thin” and “thick” de-mocracy, we are analyzing student teachers’ understanding of democracy and democratic engagement. Our findings suggest that the students view democracy in a thin way, and this lack of democratic competence may influence their classroom practices as future teachers. The Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture was used to analyse the student teachers’ competence to connect the use of social media as a digital and pedagogical tool in promoting democratic engagement. The findings disclose that students vary in their capacity to make use of social media when promoting democratic en-gagement. In our closing discussion, we argue that these results, primarily, pose serious challenges for teacher education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Supriya Baily, George Mason University

Associate Professor

Supriya Baily is Associate Professor at George Mason University where she teaches courses in international and comparative education, qualitative research methods and teacher education.  She is also the Associate Director for the Center for International Education. Her research interests focus on gender, education and empowerment, the role of teacher agency towards social justice, and theorizing qualitative research methods.

References

Asay, S. M., & Hennon, C. B. (1999). The challenge of conducting family research in international settings. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 27(4), 409–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X99274003

Baird, M. B. (2011). Lessons learned from translators and interpreters from the Dinka Tribe of Southern Sudan. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 22, 116–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659610395764

Berman, R. C., & Tyyskä, V. (2010). A critical reflection on the use of translators/interpreters in a qualitative cross-language research project. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 1, 178–190.

Briggs, C. (1986). Learning how to ask. A socio-linguistic appraisal of the role of the interview in social science research. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139165990

Edwards, R. (1998). A critical examination of the use of interpreters in the qualitative research process. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 24, 197–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.1998.9976626

Fryer, C., Mackintosh, S., Stanley, M., & Crichton, J. (2012). Qualitative studies using in-depth interviews with older people from multiple language groups: Methodological systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(1), 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05719.x

Ghaffar-Kucher (2014). Writing culture; Inscribing lives: a reflective treatise on the burden of representation in native research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

Holstein, J. A., & Gubrium, J. F. (2003). Inside interviewing: New lenses, new concerns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412984492

Jones, E. G., & Boyle, J. S. (2011). Working with translators and interpreters in research: Lessons learned. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 22(2), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659610395767

Kim, Y. J. (2012). Ethnographer location and the politics of translation: Researching one’s own group in a host country. Qualitative Research, 12, 131–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794111422032

Larkin, P. J., Dierckx de Casterlé, B., & Schotsmans, P. (2007). Multilingual translation issues in qualitative research: Reflections on a metaphorical process. Qualitative Health Research, 17(4), 468–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307299258

Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Mayorga-Gallo, S., & Hordge-Freeman, E. (2016). Between marginality and privilege: Gaining access and navigating the field in multi-ethnic settings. Qualitative Research, 17(4), 377–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794116672915

Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

Morales, A., & Hanson, W. E. (2005). Language brokering: An integrative review of the literature. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27, 471–502. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986305281333

Poland, B. D. (2003). Transcription quality. In J. A. Holstein & J. F. Gubrium (Eds.), Inside interviewing: New lenses, new concerns (pp. 267–288). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Pryor, J., Kuupole, A., Kutor, N., Dunne, M., & Adu-Yeboah, C. (2009). Exploring the fault lines of cross-cultural collaborative research. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 39(6), 769-782 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057920903220130

Ryen, A. (2003). Cross-cultural interviewing. In J. A. Holstein & J. F. Gubrium (Eds.), Inside interviewing: New lenses, new concerns (pp. 429–448). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Shimpuku, Y., & Norr, K. F. (2012). Working with interpreters in cross-cultural qualitative research in the context of a developing country: Systematic literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(8), 1692–1706. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.05951.x

Soni-Sinha, U. (2008). Dynamics of the ‘field’: Multiple star narrative and shifting positionality in multi-sited research. Qualitative Research. 8, 515–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794108093898

Squires, A. (2009). Methodological challenges in cross-language qualitative research: A research review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46, 277–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.08.006

Temple, B., & Edwards, R. (2002). Interpreters/translators and cross-language research: Reflexivity and border crossings. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 1(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100201

Temple, B., & Young, A. (2004). Qualitative research and translation dilemmas. Qualitative Research, 4, 161–178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794104044430

Turner, S. (2010). Research Note: The silenced assistant. Reflections of invisible interpreters and research assistants. Asia Pacific Viewpoint. 51, 206–219. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8373.2010.01425.x

Vara, R. & Patel, N. (2012). Working with interpreters in qualitative psychological research: Methodological and ethical issues. Qualitative Research in Psychology 9, 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2012.630830

Williamson, D. L., Choi, J., Charchuk, M., Rempel, G. R., Pitre, N., Breitkreuz, R., & Kushner, K. E. (2011). Interpreter-facilitated cross-language interviews: A research note. Qualitative Research, 11, 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794111404319

Wong, J. P.-H, & Poon, M. K.-L. (2010). Bringing translation out of the shadows: Translation as an issue of methodological significance in cross-cultural qualitative research. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 21(2), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659609357637

Downloads

Published

2018-12-17

How to Cite

Baily, S. (2018). Appraising the Ingredients of the Interpreter/Researcher Relationship: A Reflexive Qualitative Exploration. Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education (NJCIE), 2(4), 53–69. https://doi.org/10.7577/njcie.2762