Reflexive Accounts of Conducting Qualitative Interviews in the MENA Region

Authors

• Chaima Mennai, University of El Oued, AlgeriaFollow
• Sana Alzahrani, King Saud University, Saudi ArabiaFollow

Abstract

This paper provides a reflexive account of our experiences conducting qualitative research in the contexts of two Arab countries, from our perspectives as researchers trained in a Western academic context. We explore the challenges and insights gained when recruiting and interviewing participants for qualitative Ph.D. projects within what is a predominantly quantitative research culture. Drawing on Walsh’s reflexive framework, we detail the issues that emerged during the recruitment and interview processes, identifying their potentially significant implications for Ph.D. candidates and early-career researchers who were trained in the West and are choosing to conduct research in contexts where the qualitative research tradition is unfamiliar. The issues identified include: a lack of compatibility with the specific ethical guidelines established by “Western” institutions, a lack of familiarity with “newly” embraced research approaches in “Western” contexts (namely qualitative interviews), and the power imbalance between researcher and participants. We further highlight the critical role of self-reflection and reflexivity as powerful tools for fostering meaningful change and transformation within research cultures. Our paper represents a valuable contribution to the ongoing conversation regarding the importance of decolonising research methods and practices, while providing key implications for stakeholders at Higher Education research institutions.

Keywords

MENA Region, positionality, reflexivity, qualitative interviews

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Chaima Mennai is an associate professor of Education in the English Department at the University of El Oued. Dr. Mennai holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Exeter and is actively involved in research aimed at enhancing educational practices within academic settings. She is also involved in training teachers to design and deliver their courses online, helping educators adapt to digital platforms and improve the quality of their teaching.

Sana Alzahrani is an Assistant Professor of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL) at King Saud University. Her research interest includes Reflexivity, Second Language Teacher Education, Language Teacher Identity (LTI), Self-Directed Learning (SDL), Self-Directed Professional Development (SDPD), and Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP). Dr. Sana can be contacted at [email protected] .

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the peer reviewers for their careful reading and thoughtful guidance. Their feedback pushed us to engage more critically with our findings, and their contributions were instrumental in shaping and refining the final version of this manuscript.

Publication Date

10-31-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Mennai, C., & Alzahrani, S. (2026). Reflexive accounts of conducting qualitative interviews in the MENA region. The Qualitative Report, 31(10), 6961-6983.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9981-3006