Joanna Ostrouch-Kamińska

Faculty of Social Sciences. University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

Transdyscyplinary Seminar of Qualitative Research

Organizer: Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Zakład Pedagogiki Kultury (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Department of the Pedagogy of Culture)

June 4-6, 2012, Kazimierz Dolny nad Wisłą, Poland

According to the organizers, Transdyscyplinary Seminar of Qualitative Research was conceived as a long-term and multi-dimensional integration program of qualitative research community in Poland, representing various disciplines of broadly defined human sciences. Its aim is to strengthen and develop qualitative methodology and qualitative research practices, as well as to initiate and support various forms of cooperation between qualitative researchers in Poland, including the dissemination of their achievements through joint publications.

The inaugural Transdyscyplinary Seminar of Qualitative Research was held between June 4-6, 2012 in Kazimierz Dolny upon the Wisła River. It was attended by over 160 people from different Polish universities, and other research institutions from all over the country. Participants represented various disciplines, including sociology, pedagogy, psychology, cultural anthropology, philosophy, management science, health sciences, political science, social work or history. Many experienced qualitative academic researchers who accepted the invitation to participate in the seminar have supported the training of young qualitative researchers and the list of participants included such names as Krzysztof Konecki, Anna Kacperczyk, Ewa Marynowicz-Hetka, Danuta Urbaniak-Zając (University of Łódz), Maria Pąchalska (Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University), Ludmiła Marcinowicz (Medical University of Bialystok), Beata Glinka (University of Warsaw), Dariusz Kubinowski (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University), Marek Gorzko (University of Szczecin), Sławomir Krzychała (University of Lower Silesia).

The program of the meeting was designed to allow participants to discuss and exchange experiences and in this respect it was significantly different from traditional conferences. At the beginning of each day of meetings, participants attended several introductory lectures on visual grounded theory, humanistic clinical neuropsychology, qualitative research in health care or enterprise. The rest of the time was devoted to discussions in three parallel groups, in which the leading issues were: qualitative research in different disciplines; subjects, topics and procedures, methods and techniques of qualitative research, as well as the quality of qualitative research, methods of analysis, interpretation and representation of data, and ethical dilemmas. Examples of research presented included: minority or migrants’ groups, research on capoeiristas, backpackers, victims of violence and children. Examples of ethnography of organization, grounded theory in pedagogical research, phenomenography, discourse analysis or narrative research were also analyzed. Participants also took part in a panel discussion on current trends in Polish qualitative research, as well as barriers to their development and the challenges they face.

The next meeting of Transdyscyplinary Seminar of Qualitative Research will be held next year in Lodz under the auspices of professor Krzysztof Konecki.

Transdyscyplinarne Seminarium Badań Jakościowych