Practical Lessons for Conducting International Qualitative Fieldwork as a Graduate Student

Abstract

Qualitative field research can be profoundly rewarding, but it is also a complex task with some unique challenges for early-career scholars. Compounding the problem is the frequent lack of honest conversations about the practicalities of this methodology. Acknowledging the abundant existing literature on qualitative epistemologies, theories, and study designs, we take a different tack in this article. We reflect on our experiences as former graduate students to discuss some of the practical, nuts-and-bolts-type difficulties we faced while conducting international fieldwork for our dissertations. We believe that considerations of the nitty-gritty mechanics are vital but rarely discussed in published writing, instead often gleaned through informal conversations between advisers and students. To begin to address this gap, we outline the primary challenges and most important lessons during four stages of ethnographic research: planning trips, accessing field sites, gathering data, and processing evidence. Our objective is to contribute to a more open discussion among colleagues and practitioners, in order to increase the transparency and supportiveness of our field.