Interviewing Female Teachers as a Male Researcher: A Field Reflection from a Patriarchal Society Perspective

Authors

Khim Raj Subedi, Tribhuvan University, Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, NepalFollow
Uttam Gaulee Dr, Morgan State University, United StatesFollow

Abstract

This article examines the role of gender difference in a qualitative interview from the theoretical lenses of the sociocultural perspective of teachers' identity in a localized context of Ph.D. field research. The study blends the researcher's critical reflections during interviewing female teachers in exploring their teacher identity and existing literature on gender differences in a qualitative interview. In addition, a research diary is used as the data source to unpack the complexity of gender dynamics in a qualitative interview. To add to the discussion of gender difference in a qualitative interview, we argued that gender difference between the interviewer and the interviewee mediates and shapes the data collection in a qualitative interview. Thus, to understand the role of gender difference in a qualitative interview, it is necessary to do a comprehensive analysis of the complex dynamics of gender matching, the cultural background of the interviewee, and possible power relations between the researcher and participants. This study contributes to the dynamics in interviewing women by a man outside the Western cultural setting, particularly during a field research experience by a Ph.D. scholar.

Keywords

qualitative interview, gender difference, sociocultural context, rapport building, narrative inquiry, field notes

Author Bio(s)

Khim Raj Subedi, a Ph.D. scholar at the Graduate School of Education at Tribhuvan University, is carrying out his doctoral research on the teacher identity of primary teachers. He serves as an assistant professor of Curriculum and Assessment at Tribhuvan University, Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, Nepal. He is passionate about teacher identity, narrative inquiry, qualitative research, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Please direct correspondence to krsubedi@pncampus.edu.np; krsubedi@gmail.com

Uttam Gaulee, Ph.D., is a Professor of Higher Education Administration and Policy at Morgan State University, United States. He also has an experience in research and university-level teaching in Nepal. Currently, Dr. Gaulee chairs the STAR Scholars Network. Please direct correspondence to uttam.gaulee@morgan.edu

Acknowledgements

The first author wishes to extend his sincere gratitude to Professor Dr Peshal Khanal, his dissertation supervisor, for mentoring and providing support throughout the study. Additionally, the first author acknowledges and appreciates the participants who took part in this PhD preliminary study, which was conducted as part of his doctoral research.

Publication Date

9-3-2023

Creative Commons License

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

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5651

Recommended APA Citation

Subedi, K. R., & Gaulee, U. (2023). Interviewing Female Teachers as a Male Researcher: A Field Reflection from a Patriarchal Society Perspective. The Qualitative Report, 28(9), 2589-2606. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5651

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0778-3012