Editorial

Editorial

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Qualitative Research Journal, Volume 12, Issue 2.

As this issue of QRJ is published, the renewed Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) is about to hold its second discourse, power, resistance “DPR down under” conference with the theme of “Embodying good research – what counts and who decides?” in Darwin, Northern Territory.

The first “DPR down under” conference, with the theme of “Will the real evidence please stand up: politicising qualitative research” was held in Cairns, Queensland last year. This conference served to re-invigorate our community and provided an opportunity for experienced academics and newcomers to academia to share their research and join in with colleagues from Australia, Finland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania, UK, USA and Vietnam; and to be challenged and supported in equal measure.

This issue includes outstanding papers from the 2011 conference. It heralds a return to a fine AQR tradition where conference presentations are supported into publication in QRJ. The opportunity to publish in a highly competitive journal like QRJ is a particularly attractive feature of our conference (for more information about additional publication opportunities, see the AQR website: www.aqr.org.au).

Consistent with the recently developed aims of QRJ, in this issue we have nine original papers. Authors from Australia, Luxembourg, Turkey and the UK write from diverse disciplines and fields including business, education, health, language and sports.

This issue is divided into two sections. The first section includes four interesting contributions from the AQR/DPR conference: Darren Garvey, from Curtin University, writes about his personal and methodological crises while investigating the discursive construction of Indigenous mental health. Jennifer Petschler, from the University of Sydney, also writes about personal tensions in her role as researcher – she asks, what happens to a researcher who conducts research in her own workplace and then continues to work there after the research is concluded? Daniel Teghe, from Central Queensland University, demonstrates the use of applied phronesis as a method of analysis in deconstructing the use of “productivism” in the rationalization of elderly care policy in Australia. And finally, Sascha Neumann, from the University of Luxembourg, writes of the fascinating and complex language practices within linguistically “super diverse” nurseries in Luxembourg.

In the second section of this issue, five exemplary papers are also included: Servet Celik has written a complex and highly engaging account of empathy within narrative inquiry in his study, which is located within Turkish Higher Education. Also focussing on narrative inquiry and Higher Education, Sharon Thomas from Tasmania in Australia provides an account of how she introduced this research approach to academic colleagues and succeeded in convincing them of the legitimacy and richness of narrative inquiry. Focussing on young people aged 10-13 in England, Jill Clark offers “diamond ranking” as a useful technique within visual research approaches. Keith Parry from New South Wales in Australia has offered a rich and passionate account of emotions for the sports fan, using autoethnography. And in the final paper, Alma Whiteley from Western Australia has considered assumptions of “practical rigour,” research design and the self within her study of the supervisor-doctoral candidate relationship within a business school.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our new publisher, Emerald, who responded quickly and positively to our request to bring this issue forward to coincide with the 2012 DPR Down Under Conference. Changing publishers has required a lot of work for the Editorial Team, but we are delighted with the new look of the journal and the highly professional support we have received from the Emerald team. And we are hopeful that in the near future we will increase the number of issues each year, which will allow us to keep up with the extraordinarily high volume and quality of submissions we regularly receive.

Finally, we wish to publicly thank our reviewers, who are listed as follows:

David AzulTiffany BerginRussell BishopLaurette BristolMartyn BroganAnthony BryantMary BurstonServet CelikNita CherryKelly Clarke-KeefeAndre De QuadrosAntonio Diaz AndradeMary DixonYvonne DownsSarah DrewMary DrinkwaterPeter FergusonTanya FitzgeraldJulia FlutterArthur FrankKen GaleDawn GarbettLisa GibbsPamela GreenSally GodinhoNoel GoughRaia HalonenNatalia HanleyAmos HatchStephne HerselmanBrenda HoltEileen HonanNeil HooleyMichele KnobelMatthew KlugmanTony KrugerJennifer LaviaIan LingElaine MartinJohn MartinoTarquam McKennaMary-Rose McLarenGuy MerchantNaoko MetcalfGaetan MourmantKagendo MutuaParichart NitimanopCa NuntiyaTai PesetaHeather PiperGreg PowellBetina PrzybylakJudy PuttQi WuMary-Lou RasmussenJean RumboldJanet SayersJan SchapperKim SeniorPat SikesDorothy SmithErica SouthgateAndrew SparkesElaine SwanSophie TamasLiz TingwellColleen ValeAnthony WattsCate WatsonMary WeavenRuth WodakJonathan WyattJoe YatesYe Hong

Julie White, Iris Dumenden and Mark VicarsEditorial Team