Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore low-income lone mothers’ perceptions of their engagement with a text (SMS) and multimedia message (MMS) qualitative study. Study participants were asked to submit text and pictures via SMS and MMS that represented their reflections, observations, and experiences accessing community support services over a 6-week period. After engaging in the study, participants were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire. The resoundingly positive feedback received in the evaluation—and the researchers’ satisfaction with the data collected—suggests that researchers should consider employing SMS and MMS data collection strategies to gain open-ended insights into the daily experiences of marginalized groups. This method may be particularly well suited to feminist research designs and research with populations underrepresented in the literature due to barriers presented by traditional data collection strategies.
The purpose of this study was to explore low-income lone mothers’ perceptions of their engagement with a text (SMS) and multimedia message (MMS) qualitative study. Study participants (n = 12) were asked to submit texts and pictures via SMS and MMS that represented their reflections, observations, and experiences accessing community support services over a 6-week period. After engaging in the study, participants were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire about their experiences of the SMS and MMS data collection method. Insights drawn from their feedback were used to frame learnings for those interested in research designs, particularly feminist designs, using SMS and MMS data collection strategies.
The present study is a substudy of an ongoing project that seeks to understand how low-income lone mothers navigate complex networks of supports (i.e., state benefits, community charities, and informal support networks) to meet their needs. Understanding the effects that these experiences have on mothers and the interdependent communities to which they belong is also important to the larger ongoing study. Informed by feminist methods (Hesse-Biber, 2014; Leavy & Harris, 2019; Oakley, 2005), this qualitative study centers on participants’ lived experiences.
To explore the lived experiences of mothers, a method was needed that could (a) capture more information than could likely be shared in one face-to-face meeting, (b) foster ongoing engagement with participants over a 6-week period to gain insights into their day-to-day realities including needs that arise and monthly eligibility for social supports, (c) fit into the busy lives of potential participants, and (d) be compatible with the researchers’ own mothering and care realities.
The use of SMS and MMS data collection strategies (here in referred to as “text messaging” or “text message” for simplicity purposes) is relatively new in social work research. The method was selected based on its potential to provide an accessible and convenient tool for participants to share their lived experiences over extended periods of time without a researcher’s physical presence (Plowman & Stevenson, 2012). Further, utilizing personal mobile devices in a manner in which participants are already accustomed offers creative possibilities to amplify the perspectives of marginalized groups, which are often limited by traditional data collection methods (Twis et al., 2020, p. 39).
It is always important to understand participants’ experiences of research processes (Oakley, 2005). Given the limited literature available on text message-based research strategies, this was especially important in the present study. After sharing texts and pictures of their reflections, observations, and experiences over a 6-week period, participants were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire on the research processes. Two overarching questions guided the evaluation. First, what were participants’ overall perceptions and experiences of the open-ended SMS and MMS data collection process? Second, what did participants value within their text message interactions with the researcher?
Literature Review
Mobile Ownership and Use
Mobile phones have become highly integrated into the daily lives of people in Western society, including those with limited financial resources (Griffin et al., 2018; Raento et al., 2009). In Canada, people of all demographics have shown a consistent preference for wireless services (mobile phones) over landlines (wireline, home phones) primarily because of the increased functionality of wireless systems (The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission [CRTC], 2016). Today, approximately 90% of the population subscribes to wireless services (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, 2018; CRTC, 2019). Lower income households in Canada now have more mobile phones than personal computers (CRTC, 2016). This is likely because these households choose to devote their limited resources to smartphones that can duplicate some tasks of computers and offer additional services (CRTC, 2016).
The ease and convenience of texting friends and family have made texting the most common form of communication among Canadian mobile phone owners (Sinha, 2014). Within their respective studies, researchers in Australia (Walsh & Brinker, 2019), the United Kingdom (Richmond et al., 2015), and the United States (Griffin et al., 2018) have each reported on the potential for text message-based research due to the prevalent use of the service within their countries of study. Because of their pervasiveness in daily routines, mobile phones and text messaging provide enormous potential for researchers to communicate with participants (Haller et al., 2006; Walsh & Brinker, 2019) and to amplify and engage voices that have historically been difficult to engage in research processes (Twis et al., 2020).
Text Messaging as a Data Collection Method
The use of text messaging as a data collection tool has experienced growing popularity in recent times (Premkumar et al., 2019; Raento et al., 2009; Twis et al., 2020). In their use of text messaging in social work, Twis et al. (2020) utilized a text messaging feature in an app they developed to collect responses to standardized questions. In the present study, the same convenient features of texting are employed without the use of an app. Instead, this study relies on SMS and MMS services that are standard for all mobile phone subscribers.
Text messaging methods are widely employed by health care professionals in public health (Chang et al., 2014; van Velthoven et al., 2018), medical research (Kew, 2010), and psychological research (Walsh & Brinker, 2019). Common uses of text messaging through both apps and standard SMS messaging in these fields include sending supportive or informative messages aimed at sustaining behavioral changes including smoking cessation (Agyapong et al., 2018; Snuggs et al., 2012; Thrul et al., 2018), alcohol use (Weitzel et al., 2007), and physical activity engagement (Buchholz et al., 2013). Others utilize text messaging to collect data for medication adherence (Li et al., 2015), alcohol consumption (Wright et al., 2016), postoperative pain (Premkumar et al., 2019), and pregnancy data (Lori et al., 2012). Much of the data requested within these studies is prompted by standardized questions. In contrast, the open-ended data collected in the present study, including participants’ reflections, observations, and experiences, were prompted primarily by participants’ daily experiences and postexperience reflections.
Text message-based research methods are a feasible and reliable way of collecting real-time data (Chang et al., 2014; Kew, 2010; Twis et al., 2020) under real-life conditions (Ravert et al., 2010). Benefits of this data collection strategy include low costs (Alam et al., 2014; Chang et al., 2014; Kew, 2010), the ability to collect rich data in a timely manner (Kew, 2010, Twis et al., 2020), the convenience of response for participants (Chang et al., 2014; Kew, 2010; Rempel et al., 2014), increased possibility of privacy when others are present (Kew, 2010), good response rates (Alam et al., 2014), participant preference to traditional data collection tools (Chang et al., 2014), and the ability to retain the convenience of an online qualitative tool while mitigating data quality issues associated with digital submissions, such as when participants feel they are not submitting their responses to a living, breathing person (Gao et al., 2016; Twis et al., 2020, p. 49).
In reference to using mobile phones in research more generally, Raento et al. (2009) highlighted how being on one’s phone when participating in research offers an essentially invisible process, as engaging with one’s phone in multiple different ways (e.g., texting, emailing, gaming, checking the weather, reading the news) are accepted parts of day-to-day activity. Miller (2012, p. 224) explained how, as a society, we have very close relationships with our phones, carrying them with us at most times. This familiarity with our mobile devices can make sharing information through them feel more comfortable than other data collection processes such as an interview with an unfamiliar researcher (Miller, 2012). Further, mobile phones offer various features that can make participation accessible, convenient, and engaging including voice-to-text (Twis et al., 2020) and the ability to take and share pictures (Hulkko et al., 2004).
Researchers who have engaged in text message-based data collection have expressed a few limitations of their strategies, including difficulties processing and coding emoticons (Gergle et al., 2018) and time zone constraints in larger scale studies where questions required real-time responses (Gergle et al., 2018). Twis et al. (2020) raised concerns that text message responses can be short (in characters) and may not provide rich data. However, Walsh and Brinker (2019) reported that while the text message responses in their study were short in character count, they did not contain less information than other forms of data collection. Finally, while more a point for careful consideration than a limitation, Rempel et al. (2014) reported that the connectivity between researchers and participants provided by text-based methods could be perceived by participants as invasive.
Method
Context and Research Design
This project takes place against the backdrop of a mixed social welfare economy in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. Within Canada, the responsibility for provision and well-being is divided between four realms/locations: markets, families, communities, and the state (Jenson, 2013, 2015). The major source of well-being within the Canadian context is the market (Jenson, 2013). The roles, responsibilities, ownership, and perceptions of social problems by these four realms are not static or equal—they can shift depending on notions of each realm (Jenson, 2013), collective and individual responsibility (Jenson, 2013), federalism (Jenson, 2013), political opportunities (Phillips, 2013), conceptions of citizenship and rights (Gurstein & Vilches, 2009), and political ideology (Phillips, 2013). While the Canadian neoliberal welfare state looks differently from its earlier versions, health and education remain public resources, and core income support programs remain in place. Concurrently, communities are increasingly relied upon to distribute resources (Kelly & Caputo, 2011), which can make it challenging to make sense of how Canada cares for its poor and to decipher who is—and who should be—doing what, where.
Lone mothers were chosen as the participant sample group for the larger study, which utilized SMS and MMS data collection methods, for two primary reasons: First, because of their high rates of poverty in Canada. Following unattached people aged 45–64, single parents experience higher rates of low-income than any other “high-risk/vulnerable” group (ESDC, 2016). Single mothers are more at risk of being not only income poor but also asset poor (Rothwell & Robson, 2018). The second reason for focusing on single mothers is because of the gendered impacts of poverty and neoliberalism, as well as the inability of poverty measurement tools to capture all the care work and social provisioning performed by mothers that make them particularly vulnerable to being and staying poor (Fox & Moyser, 2018; Gornick & Boeri, 2016; Gurstein & Vilches, 2009; Neysmith et al., 2009, 2012; Orloff, 2011; Young, 2009).
Participants
Participants in the SMS and MMS phase of the study included 12 of the 25 lone mothers who participated in the larger study, which explores the complexities of relying on community resources (e.g., charities, social services) to meet their needs. Participants for the larger study (Phase 1) were recruited from across the city of Ottawa via postings in Facebook groups and through posters in community agencies including community health and resource centers and food banks. Participant criteria included (1) identifying as a lone mother and parenting at least one child under 19 years of age, (2) having accessed supports from a community organization at least once in the past 12 months (e.g., food, clothing, legal aid, hydro help, housing supports), and (3) having lived in Ottawa for at least 18 months as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen. Residency requirements were put in place as residency impacts eligibility for state-provided social services, and refugee status was not a variable within this limited study. There were no income requirements for participation as the research was interested in the income levels and income sources of participants accessing community supports. Participation was limited to women who were able to converse in English.
All in-person interviews were conducted by the researcher, an Italian Canadian first-generation settler, close in age to the median age of participants. The researcher met each of the 25 participants in a location that was convenient for them for a semistructured interview that typically lasted 2 hr. At the interview, the researcher introduced herself as a PhD candidate and this work as her dissertation. She explained that the work was motivated by her social work experiences in the community and the difficulties she had connecting community members to services despite having worked in the community for over 10 years. She also explained that she too was a mother and elaborated on some of her additional care responsibilities that further motivate the work.
Participants in the broader study self-identified as “white” or “Caucasian” (n = 20, 80%), “Native” (n = 2, 8%), “Black” (n = 1, 4%), “Chinese” (n = 1, 4%), and “Mexican” (n = 1, 4%). Ages ranged from 19 to 51, with a median age of 36. Primary income sources included social assistance (n = 9, 36%), paid work (n = 7, 28%), a combination of social assistance and paid work (n = 4, 16%), disability assistance (n = 4, 16%), and child’s disability assistance (n = 1, 4%).
Participants were made aware of the SMS and MMS phase of the broader study before the in-person interview, as it was detailed in the consent forms provided in advance. The invitation to participate in the SMS and MMS phase (Phase 2) was formally extended in person during the interview. At that time, personal fit for the method was discussed. For example, if a participant was visibly unsettled during the interview when talking about their experiences, there was a discussion about whether extending the conversation an additional 6 weeks would be too emotionally draining. To avoid undue pressure to participate in this phase of the study, participants were asked to consider engagement after their in-person meeting. During their interviews, some participants offered unsolicited reasons for their decision not to participate in the study’s SMS and MMS phase. For some, ruminating on their experiences was viewed as an emotionally upsetting and draining process. It was not something they felt they wanted to engage in for their emotional and mental health. Others shared that they did not feel they would be accessing many community services in the 6 weeks after their interview, and therefore participation did not make sense.
Participants who chose to engage in the texting phase of the study (Phase 2) self-identified as “white” or “Caucasian” (n = 9, 75%), “Native” (n = 2, 17%), and “Black” (n =1, 8%). Ages ranged from 20 to 43, with a median age of 36 years. Primary income sources included social assistance (n = 6, 50%), a combination of social assistance and paid work (n = 3, 25%), paid work (n = 2, 17%), and disability assistance (n = 1, 8%). As per agreements between the researcher and participants, pseudonyms represent participants.
Text Message Data Collection Research Design
Text message-based data collection was utilized to enrich the experiences gathered in the semistructured interview and to collect additional experiences (Twis et al., 2020). A 6-week engagement period was selected to capture fluctuating needs, so that all social supports and benefits received over a calendar month could be captured. This strategy for engaging via text messaging differs from existing strategies espoused by most previous studies, which asked participants to respond to predetermined questions (Kew, 2010, Gergle et al., 2018; van Velthoven et al., 2018). In comparison, this study sought descriptive observations, reflections, and pictures (without people in them) of experiences as they occurred, and at the participants’ convenience. As these are not experiences that necessarily occur each day and differ substantially from schedule to schedule, this study sought feedback based around the time of engagement (the event) or as a reflection in the present or near present.
Participants were provided with a handout during their in-person interview, and again via email after the interview, explaining that the second phase of the study was an extension of their in-person interview. It read, I am interested in hearing about your experiences and feelings trying to access the services and goods you and your family need. I am asking that you please text me your thoughts and feelings in real time, or as reflections shortly afterwards. “Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful experience. Sounds like a beautiful outfit! I hope your son is feeling better soon.” “Thank you for sharing your very real and valued experiences. Know that you do not come off as complaining and that there are certainly lots of systems that need to work better for people. I had a bit of a chuckle about the cute librarian, isn’t it always the way. Thank you again.” “For the record, I think you are very deserving. I of course appreciate the many rollercoasters involved. Thanks so much for sharing.”
If texts were unclear or more information was required for a richer account, clarifying questions were asked via text, just as they would be in an in-person interview. For example, the following responses were texted to participants: “I am sorry to hear you are feeling stressed. Did they give you any indication of when you will find out? Certainly makes planning tricky.” “Thanks for sharing. How were your experiences with these overall?” “Did you find [name of service] kid friendly?”
With the objective of keeping participants engaged, each participant who had not texted over the course of a week was sent a reminder prompt towards the end of that week. If participants had sent a text, they were not sent the week’s reminder. Reminder prompts were designed around context. Examples of the reminder prompts sent include the following: “Hello! If you used or could have benefitted from some community services over Thanksgiving, I would love to hear about it.” “Just a friendly reminder that we would love to hear your input this week. One idea could be if any closures over the holidays impacted you.” “For those that have not sent a note this week and are interested in doing so, some ideas could be around accessing winter clothing on this freezing day and/or if the teachers’ strike has impacted your access to work, resources, etc.”
Reminders were not standardized across the week of participation, as participants tended to begin this phase of the study immediately following their scheduled interview. No matter their week of engagement, participants who had not sent a text message during the weekly period received the same prompt relevant to the context of that week (i.e., holidays, weather, current events). Participants were encouraged to participate as little or as much as made sense for them and were compensated CAD$10.00 toward a gift card for each week they sent a text and/or picture sharing their experiences. Participants were compensated with an additional $10.00 toward the gift card for responding to the evaluation questionnaire regarding their experiences of the research process.
Participant Engagement
Only one of the study’s 12 participants did not actively engage in the study; this participant sent text messages in their first 2 weeks but then became nonresponsive to reminder prompts. At the end of their 6-week period, the participant sent a text sharing that new family responsibilities had surfaced that resulted in having “zero time to think” (Courtney). Of the 11 remaining participants, eight (73%) participants engaged in all 6 weeks, two (18%) engaged in 5 weeks, and one (9%) in 4 weeks.
Evaluation of Texting Process
Participant feedback was requested at the end of each participant’s 6-week engagement period. At that time, participants were asked to respond to six questions regarding their experiences of the text message data collection strategy. The questions were sent via text and email, with the option to respond by either mode. All 11 participants who actively engaged in the study completed the evaluation questionnaire. Participants were asked: How did you find participating in this phase of the project that asked you to send text message reflections? Did you find the 6-week period too long, too short, just right, or other? In your ideal, what kinds of responses would you have liked to receive for your messages and why? What was your favorite part of being involved in this process of sending text messages? How could this experience of sending text messages have been made better for you? After having participated in providing text messages as data to a researcher, what are your thoughts on if I should use this strategy again in the future?
The evaluation questionnaires were reviewed as submitted to establish whether and how the research processes could be improved. Overall, the responses indicated that the clear protocols and upfront communication that were put in place were well received. While there were worries that the participants might perceive the reminder prompts as intrusive, participant feedback consistently revealed that these prompts supported engagement. The questionnaires were reviewed collectively to answer two overarching research questions:
Participants reported resoundingly positive overall perceptions and experiences of the open-ended SMS and MMS data collection using descriptive words such as, “great,” “good,” “easy,” “convenient,” “awesome,” “ideal,” and “effective.” This feedback showed that participants valued the clear research processes and knowing what to expect from the researcher with respect to responses and reminders. Further, participants stated that they appreciated the friendliness of the researcher.
Prior to analysis, all responses were reviewed numerous times to establish a general direction (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Leavy & Harris, 2019). The responses were then coded, and the codes were used to generate themes, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) phases of thematic analysis. The themes were organized into two main categories to frame learnings for researchers interested in SMS- and MMS-based research methods. The first theme pertained to how participants’ experienced engaging in text message data input; the second pertained to how they experienced text messaging as a research process.
Results
Participants’ Experiences Engaging in Text Message Data Input
Participants provided unanimously positive feedback about sharing their experiences via text messaging. They shared that they found the method easy and convenient and that it mirrored how they shared their experiences with their social networks—which facilitated a sense of familiarity and comfort. Participants also shared that their engagement provided emotional support and opportunities for reflection.
Easy and convenient
Participants shared that submitting their text messages “wasn’t any different than sending a text to a friend. Super easy” (Johanna). Further, they communicated that the open-ended structure of the process made participation easy. As Molly shared, “The ease of communicating this information by text was nice and again not being required to complete some long form by just being allowed to freely express myself and talk about my experiences was really good.” Regarding the ease of sending messages, participants said that because they carry their phones throughout the day, sending unstructured and unprompted messages as events occurred was a convenient method of sharing their experiences. Corrine wrote, I liked the idea of participating in the study by responding by text as it made it very convenient to respond quickly and fast. I was able to respond when at my daughter’s gymnastics class and had some free time for example and wasn’t required to answer some long questionnaire that would require a lot more effort from me.
Facilitates open feedback
Participants shared that texting their experiences facilitated an ease of sharing experiences with a researcher as it was a medium they customarily used to communicate their daily experiences to their friends and family. As Christine shared, I loved being able to sit down and write out the struggles and highs of my life. During this time, I felt like I had a friend who I could reach out to without any judgement. I was able to open up more in the text messages more than I would have in person. In person sometimes I get tonged tied.
Emotional support
Somewhat unexpectedly, participants overwhelmingly shared that the process of sending text messages provided emotional support. Christine wrote, “it was a way of feeling less alone, as a single mom you can feel very alone. This way I didn’t feel as alone. This way I could reflect while reaching out to someone who was listening.” Claire shared that her favorite part of participating in the study “was having someone to tell that had a genuine interest.” The presence of a supportive audience also provided support for provision processes that participants described as quite taxing. Natalie shared, “I actually noticed that I was less reluctant to reach out to resources because I knew there was a landing place for my fears, overwhelm and frustrations—thinking especially the food bank.” Many participants also expressed that sending their experiences via text provided an outlet for their feelings. Margaret shared, Honestly, it ended up being a place to vent. When something was frustrating, worrisome or exciting it was just something I wanted to do. I am alone most of the time so being able to get that stress out by texting made me a better mom because I wasn’t let[ting] it come out dealing with my kids.
Reflection
Participants shared that in the busyness of their lives, the process of taking the time to reflect on, and text their experiences “was really good. It made me pay attention to all the details of certain programs and how they affect people” (Brigette). Participants further elaborated that through reflecting on their experiences with services, they were reminded that they are not alone with the frustrations and barriers they encounter.
Participants’ Experience of the Research Processes
Timeline
Of the 11 lone mothers who completed the evaluation questionnaire, eight responded similarly to Claire, who felt “the 6 weeks was just right.” The remaining two participants found the 6-week period “a bit long” (Tara) to be engaged in the project and suggested 4 or 5 weeks as an alternative.
In general, participants felt that 6 weeks provided a representative snapshot of their daily lived realities. Christine stated, “I thought it was [the] perfect time period. It was enough time to catch [the] highs and lows of being a single mom on low income.” Further, participants shared that the 6-week period provided enough time to convey the fluidity of their thoughts and feelings accurately.
Prompts
While the evaluation questionnaire did not directly ask participants about their experience of receiving the weekly reminder prompts, several participants shared that they found these prompts not only helpful but also necessary. Participants shared that the prompts reminded them to share their experiences amid the busyness of life where things can be forgotten while also providing ideas and inspiration for content to reflect on and share.
Researcher responses
Participants generally liked receiving responses to their text messages and found it “really helpful to know that the texts were received” (Natalie), with 10 of the 11 participants sharing positive sentiments about receiving responses. One participant felt she may have been more comfortable “letting it out” if someone was not on “the other end” (Margaret). Participants liked responses that were validating and friendly. Jen shared, I think that [the researcher’s] responses to my experiences were perfect. [She] showed empathy for frustrating situations and [she was] congratulatory when things went in my favor. This was in fact my favorite part of the experience, receiving a quick empathetic response to my struggles and/or victory. It was also great to hear that my frustraftions were understood and valid—and not be met with “yes, it is actually worse than what you experience.” I’d rather be alone in my suffering than to think about others also suffering even more than I am and what little hope that means for change. I appreciated the neutrality yet friendliness of the responses.
Data collection method
The final question of the evaluation questionnaire asked participants, “After having participated in providing text messages as data to a researcher, what are your thoughts on if I should use this strategy again in the future?” Participants unanimously felt that this form of data collection should be continued for reasons previously stated. Corinne’s response captures the general sentiments of the group. She responded, I really liked this experience and think that the same strategy of texting responses should be used for other studies. Of course there may be downsides and challenges to it as with most things and in this case you may come across individuals that are not comfortable with the technology but it would be rare in this day and age. It was convenient and gave the freedom to dive into my specific experience and situations I have faced while using the resources.
Limitations
There are several limitations to note in this study. First, the small sample of mothers who engaged in the study was predominantly white (75%). Reasons for this may include the fact that the study was only accessible in English, and the online community groups from which many participants were recruited may lack diversity. As mentioned previously, this study was part of a larger study of a larger sample. Participants who engaged in the larger study were also predominantly white (80%). This suggests that the researcher’s whiteness (Occhiuto & Rowlands, 2019) may not have impacted participants’ decision to engage in the text messaging phase of the study. However, this is a small sample with many other variables to consider, including participants’ comfort with the technology and the rapport established during the in-person interview.
The second limitation is that these findings must be considered within the context of the research design, which involved the researcher meeting each participant in person prior to engaging in the text message-based phase of this study. Further, this preestablished relationship with the researcher may have skewed the evaluation responses more positively; however, this also likely contributed to the high rate of participant engagement in the study. While the study was limited by a small, largely white sample, participant feedback suggests that the method explored has potential that merits further exploration and evaluation.
SMS and MMS in Research Designs
This article’s primary purpose is to develop an understanding of participants’ perceptions of the research design, which involved sending text and pictures via standardized SMS and MMS services. The entire group of low-income lone mothers who participated in this study shared positive perceptions of their experience. Participants found the process easy and convenient, as it mirrored everyday activities, and they could participate at a time that worked best for them. This aligns with the findings of other mobile phone data collection studies (Chang et al., 2014; Kew, 2010; Rempel et al., 2014). The ease and convenience of this method worked to reduce barriers to participation. Thus, text-based data collection via mobile phones can work to amplify voices as well as provide opportunities for innovative data collection strategies (Twis et al., 2020).
Further, while the method served as an effective data collection method for the researcher, participants shared that they found the process to be somewhat therapeutic, which suggests that the method offers an opportunity to give back to participants in seemingly small but meaningful ways. However, these therapeutic elements need to be understood within the context of the preestablished rapport that was fostered between the researcher and participants during in-person interviews.
Participant feedback gathered in this study was overwhelmingly positive and may provide foundational knowledge for those looking to solicit open-ended text and picture data through standard SMS and MMS services. The findings suggest that 4–6 weeks is an ideal period for participants to stay engaged and to feel they have accurately represented their lived experiences. While data collection was open-ended in nature, participant feedback was clear that reminder prompts were appreciated and necessary. This feedback suggests that researchers interested in similar research designs should plan the kinds of reminder prompts they want to include, and if and how they will be standardized should the design require it.
Further, researchers interested in engaging in this sort of research should develop clear protocols for responding to participants. In the present study, clear boundaries were set around the sort of dialogue that would occur. This was done to avoid fracturing relationships as there are high expectations around responsiveness within texting culture, and because at the time this study was designed, there was uncertainty around how many participants would be interested, and how the research design would fit within the researcher’s own mothering and care realities.
The article’s secondary purpose is to understand what participants valued within their text message interactions with the researcher. The responses indicated that the structure was unanimously well received. Participants knew what to expect in advance as expectations and the study format were explained thoroughly during the in-person interview. In addition, an informational handout was provided both in person and electronically after the in-person interview.
Throughout the process, participants regularly shared very personal details of their lives via text. It became apparent to the researcher that she was regularly utilizing her clinical social work skills, developed through her extensive experience working in community mental health, in responding to texts. This again highlights the need to develop clear research protocols—including how to respond to participants’ emotionally charged sharing and statements of material and service needs—especially given the intimate connectivity between researchers and participants that the method fosters. Further, it requires a recognition of the relationship building skills and emotional labor involved in feminist research processes.
SMS and MMS in Feminist Research Designs
Research methods that utilize texting to explore participants’ experiences are well suited to feminist research in a few key ways. A key precept within feminist research is to build from experience (Jaggar & Wisor, 2015). Such experiences can be difficult to capture over time due to limitations within research designs, and the demands they place on potential research participants and researchers with different caregiving and mothering responsibilities. However, as Creese and Frisby (2011, p. 7) highlight, “Connecting with people over time illustrates the fluidity of relationships and interpretations of one’s circumstances and points to the limitations of one-time cross sectional methodologies in illuminating complex social issues.” Text message-based research offers a method capable of providing insights into experiences over extended periods of time without the physical presence of the researcher. It provides participants with more time to express and share their experiences, as well as time to reflect on and change their interpretations. In their evaluations, participants stated that they felt they there were able to represent themselves more accurately over the 6-week period than they could have in a one-time in-person interview.
Feminist researchers are also called to make conscious efforts “to include the excluded” (Jaggar & Wisor, 2015, p. 512) and text message-based data collection provides the ability to do so in ways participants feel they can engage with positively, without the need for additional equipment or downloading of an app. This method also provides a good fit within the feminist prioritization of time and place (Oakley, 2005; Varcoe et al., 2011) by offering a design that can fit into participants’ daily routines.
Feminist research study design is attentive to boundaries and relationships (Ackerly & True, 2010). While conceptions of boundaries and relationships take many forms, this attentiveness is especially important within SMS and MMS research designs due to contemporary mobile phone culture, which places high expectations on connectivity and responsiveness. From the outset of the present study, the researcher had concerns that if responses were not immediate, this delay could be misinterpreted as unresponsive and potentially lead to fractured relationships. As such, expectations of the researcher’s interactions with her mobile research phone were clearly defined from the onset; the researcher shared details of her own life, that she too was a mom, that she worked in settings that were not conducive to constant phone access, and that she would not be carrying the research phone with her as she would her personal device. This clarity served the project well.
Those interested in engaging in feminist research with this method must be attentive to boundaries within the relationship and consider the types of conversations they want to facilitate through the method, their responsiveness and timing, and the nature of the text-based dialogue. This method provides opportunities to connect and form relationships with participants; however, at the forefront, researchers need to be conscious of the nature and power involved in the relationships (Ackerly & True, 2010). Further, researchers need to ensure they are respecting participants’ boundaries and not causing undue stress or pressure to participate, given the intimate connectivity to participants that texting provides.
Conclusion
This article underscores the conclusions presented in the literature that text messaging has tremendous potential as a data collection method (Ravert et al., 2010). It echoes the findings of Twis et al. (2020, p. 47) who concluded that text messaging offers promising alternatives to the challenges associated with the use of traditional qualitative data collection tools with vulnerable populations. Given the resoundingly positive participant feedback regarding the process and ability to share experiences, as well as the researcher’s satisfaction with the data collected, the findings of this study support the incorporation of SMS and MMS data collection strategies in research designs to gather open-ended insights into the daily experiences of marginalized groups. The nature of this study suggests that the method might also be particularly well suited to feminist research designs.
Footnotes
Author’s Note
This study was granted ethics clearance from The Carleton University Research Ethics Board-A. CUREB-A Clearance # 111368.
Acknowledgments
This paper is possible because of the mothers that participated in this study. I am deeply grateful for their trust in me, and their generosity with their stories. Thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Sarah Todd, for her continuous generosity with her time and expertise, and for leading with curiosity and kindness. I am also grateful for the continued mentorship of Dr. Therese Jennissen and Professor Allan Moscovitch, both of whom reviewed drafts of this paper. I am also thankful to my committee members, Drs. Susan Phillips and Jennifer Robson, both of whom were instrumental in this study's design. And finally, thank you to the editors and reviewers for their thoughtful comments which greatly strengthened this work.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This paper draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
