Much of our work, as qualitative researchers, is about process. From start to finish, we are asked to pay attention to what we know, assume, and perceive, and make assertions that stay “true” to our data. We must be both planful and open to shifts and changes. We must interpret and tend to how our positionalities influence these interpretations. We must accept the limitations of language and turn around and use this same language to clearly and cogently communicate our findings. We must be comfortable with both the concrete and the ambiguous.

We begin, on Day 1, by learning about the foundations for Vagle’s 5 principles which focus on WHAT we do, WHY we do what we do, and HOW we do it. We conclude Day 1 by learning about the 5 principles, in relation to a study each participant is currently designing or carrying out:

1. Phenomena (persistent, and often vexing, lived experiences) are always in flux. There is never nothing going on with them.
2. Contexts (moment-to-moment situations and broad social matters) constantly shape and re-shape these phenomena.
3. We must slow down a concrete dimension of a phenomenon, and a context that is shaping it, in order to open it up for reflection.
4. We then try to “see what frames our seeing” of that concrete dimension of the phenomenon and a context that is shaping it.
5. Finally, we aim to “look at, instead of through, the frames” that are most influencing the vexing phenomenon we are experiencing.

On Day 2, we will each identify and bring a challenging phenomenon we face in the process of designing or carrying out our current study—and will then work the 5 principles on our phenomenon and our study.