A comparison of internet and face-to-face (FTF) qualitative methods in studying the relationships of gay men

Brad van Eeden-Moorefield, Christine M. Proulx, Kay Pasley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although the Internet increasingly is part of our daily interactions, it remains largely unexplored as a qualitative research medium. Because most research on the relationships of gay men uses homogeneous samples, which are often difficult to locate, the Internet provides a methodological opportunity to obtain a more diverse set of perspectives of the lived experiences of participants. Our primary interests here are to discuss the processes and ethics of using Internet focus groups and in-depth interviews compared to traditional face-to-face (FTF) methods and to discuss the trustworthiness and quality of data garnered from the use of Internet methods. Using previous literature and our own experiences conducting Internet-based and FTF qualitative research that explored the relationships of gay men as well as data from this study, we suggest that using the Internet as a qualitative research medium can enhance sample recruitment and result in data that is trustworthy. Additionally, we offer suggestions for online moderating.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-204
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of GLBT Family Studies
Volume4
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008

Keywords

  • Gay couples
  • Internet
  • Qualitative research
  • Research methods

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