It's important for qualitative researchers to run data results by the participants in a study. This is called a member check, and it allows the participants to voice their agreement, or disagreement, with the findings. It's one of several ways the researcher can verify his findings are grounded in data and not being pulled out of his ass.
This process has been looming over my head because it's taking me a long while to get the results analyzed. The longer it takes, the tougher it will be for me to reach the participants for a member check. It's now been over a year since I conducted my last interview, so one can understand my stress. Most of them gave me their alumni e-mail addresses from the college they attended, which may work. And I do have cell phone information for most, though those numbers may no longer work. And frankly, I'm not all that comfortable just cold-calling people I've only met for one hour of their entire lives.
It occurred to me that many of the participants may be up on Facebook. Fortunately, I've found all of them but two. Not bad! So, there is hope in me actually reaching a good number of them. This is a good thing.
Ah, technology. I love ya, I love ya.
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