Interview Dynamics: gender and shared ethnicity

It is important to elaborate upon the gender and the ethnicity of the researcher as the position of the researcher may raise issues of trust and representation in the present research. A white non-Muslim female studying the educational experiences of young Muslim females potentially constitutes a dilemma for social science research. There is

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no consensus in the literature, for example, on whether differences in race should determine the feasibility of research. In this connection, Haw (1996) titled a paper ‗… should the white researcher stay at home?‘ and concluded it was better to travel ‗sensitively, judiciously, continually being aware of your limitations, reflecting critically, making your limitations explicit and admitting when you are wrong‘ (p.329). In my view, this is the only way to open possibilities for increasing understanding through research. Others‘ experiences of ‗same‘ and ‗different race‘ research have been both positive and negative (Essed 1991; Rhodes 1994). In particular, Mennell (1994) indicates that ‗...The individual‘s image of other people … becomes more permeated by observation and experience. Perceptions of others become richer in nuances, and freer from the instant response of spontaneous emotion‘ (p.185).

Similarly ‗representation of others‘, particularly from minority groups, is also problematic when considering power differentials and responsibilities in making the private, public (Sparkes 1995; Fine et al., 2000). To eliminate the potential for disparity, extra care was taken during the data gathering process to remain aware of the power dynamics inherent in the interchange of information, to remain sensitive to exploring religio-cultural issues when respondents felt it too difficult to discuss, and to not use the process itself as an act of politicising, problematising or sensationalising the research question. As such, by concentrating on a phenomenological methodological approach, to ensure that the voices of Muslim schoolgirls are used to disclose their own stories impartially and perceptibly, participants are encouraged to present accounts of their life histories incorporating a range of perspectives and aspirations that help to inform impartial research on the nature of experience for Muslim schoolgirls. Although there are important factors to take into account in the dynamics between the researcher and the researched because of different religions, there are positives that can be taken into consideration based on shared gender. As an important aside, I gained the impression, that generally the Muslim schoolgirls were at ease talking to me about their PE experiences. They seemed to like having the opportunity to talk about aspects of the minority culture and religion and felt valued that I was taking the time to research their experiences. This confirms Tinker and Armstrong‘s (2009) suggestion that outsider status ‗can have the benefit of empowering the interviewee by putting him/her in the position of authority about the topic in question‘ (p.56)

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That a researcher investigating topics as complex as identity will misunderstand, overlook and fail to appreciate much of what she sees and hears is inevitable. It is argued that a researcher with shared ethnic characteristics is less likely to pathologise or stereotype and more likely to remain ‗ethically correct‘ (Brar, 1992, p.195). Undoubtedly, the risks are greater for a researcher who is situated outside the community with which she is concerned. This relates both to the Muslim community and the community of the PE teacher (the fact that I am myself a teacher gave me the advantage of insight into the school community). From a personal perspective, there was no doubt that being female was the most important facet of researcher/researched relations in this instance. A male researcher entering a qualitative long-term project with Muslim women would have been untenable for some of my respondents. Being non-Muslim was an advantage since the female pupils felt able to ‗disclose‘ issues of their religious values, beliefs and practices, which they might not have shared with a Muslim researcher: for example, personal decisions they took when they found no conducive facilities for prayer or private ablutions in their school situations. Tinker and Armstrong (2008) explain that this outsider status may ‗enable interviewees to share their views without fear of judgement‘ (p.56). Not being ‗black‘ or inside the Asian culture meant I would always be ‗an outsider‘, the Muslim women‘s constant willingness to converse about their experiences and ‗try to help me understand‘ reflects the empathy and shared ‗mutual interests‘ in the research.

Who am I to be pondering these problems, asking these questions was a constant refrain in my head as I arranged meetings, held interviews but I persisted with my task, in the belief that it is short-sighted to expect social scientists to investigate only those social groups of which they are a part and the best way to begin to understand the research aims is to take the time to listen to the people in whom one is interested. The nature of the investigation also necessitated developing a rapport with the respondents before they were asked questions about various important issues concerning identity. Also during the interview a researcher can empower the respondents to think, deliberate and clarify points and provide opinion even about issues, which they have not thought of before. This can be done by providing cues and prompts, repeating a question, wording a question differently, repeating parts of the respondents‘ answer or

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making encouraging sounds. Furthermore, I recognised that I had to distance myself from my sample, to stand back and to examine the data from a researchers‘ perspective. Tinker and Armstrong (2008) acknowledge that outsider status can potentially limit a researcher‘s understanding of the material but being conscious of one‘s outsider status can ‗encourage thorough and rigorous analysis by enabling the researcher to maintain a critical distance form the data‘ (p.53).

The in-depth interview is a powerful way to elicit research data. To maximise results, the researcher has to ‗actively listen‘, to keep the interview ‗focused‘, ‗infilling and explicating‘ where data is lacking and identifying clues from respondents. As one group of educational researchers put it:

‗... The interview, therefore, is not just a device for gathering information. It is a process of constructing reality to which both parties contribute and by which both are affected. Interviewers put something of themselves into an interview. It may be some contrasting or complementary experiences perhaps, or some indications of their own personae, or at the very least they act as a sounding board. They come out reflecting on how the interview has affected their thoughts, ideas, viewpoints, theories. The researcher is, however already looking to the next chain at a different time, or with a different person; or be it observation, study of documents, questionnaire, or whatever‘ (Hammersley 1996, p.60).

Furthermore, when interviewing pupils, the researcher had to demonstrate that she had the necessary qualities to engage with respondents, and yet still remain detached. Similarly, with teachers, the researcher had to be considered a professional with genuine interests in PE, ensuring all ethical standards of research were adhered to. In addition, care was taken so as not to be drawn into politically or religiously charged conversation. Each experience was achieved through the management of impressions (Goffman, 1990), as well as through the utilisation of appropriate social science methods. At each school, the teachers were interviewed first. I envisaged that the teachers might raise issues that could be useful in formulating questions for the pupils.

Interviewing as the sole method of data collection has been criticised (Marshall & Rossman 1989). Whilst interviewing was the principal method of data collection in the

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present study, additional information was obtained through attendance registers as one teacher reported that Muslim females were more likely to give excuses to absent themselves from PE than their non-Muslim counterparts. This was not evident from the attendance registers. Informal conversations with teachers and observations of registration before lessons and systematic observations were also employed.