Virtual Qualitative Research Using Transnational Feminist Queer Methodology: The Challenges and Opportunities of Zoom-Based Research During Moments of Crisis

In this paper, we discussed our experiences with Zoom-based virtual qualitative research with Asian international students attending Canadian universities. When reflecting on our study, we drew inspiration from Roberts et al., (2020) who highlight the ethical challenges that emerge when conducting virtual qualitative research with a community that is experiencing the harrowing effects of COVID-19 in real time. Yet we also departed from such work by considering the added ethical complexity of conducting research during COVID-19 with research participants and with research team members who have transnational lives. In answering the question, “how do you design a virtual qualitative research project with research participants and with a research team whose lives are transnational,” we discussed how our use of transnational feminist queer methodology allows us to emphasize accountability and flexibility and recognize the multiple-and-varied social locations of our research participants and our research team members. We realized that working with research participants who have transnational lives means that notions of risk and consent cannot only be considered from the standpoint of the individual who is participating in the project. Instead, it is paramount that risk and consent be considered from the standpoint of the individual’s larger, transnational community and location in global, geopolitical contexts. Transnational feminist queer methodology also allowed us to see the challenges and possibilities of virtual qualitative research. While Zoom presented challenges (namely, that our participants were concerned about their privacy), we found the functionalities of Zoom to enhance our research. Specifically, we found that the chatbox deepened participant engagement through the sharing of memes and GIFs, allowing more rapport to develop. Ultimately, we argue that virtual qualitative research is not an inferior alternative to in-person research but should instead be seen as a different way of doing research, one necessitating distinct methodologies and methods.

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