Green Eyed (Step)Monsters Method Section

Method

To gain a richer understanding of how jealousy is expressed, experienced and coped with in the stepfamily by adult parental figures, a qualitative approach was employed. Qualitative research allows investigators to explore the complexity and context of an issue in order to understand how individuals interpret and produce the world around them (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Also, qualitative research allows investigators to gain rich information beyond the original research questions (Bengtson, Acock, Allen, Dilworth-Anderson, & Klein, 2005).
Participants
The sample for this study consisted of _____ adult stepfamily parental figures between the ages of ____ and _____ recruited through snowball sampling and volunteer sampling (Welch, 1975). Participant selection included individuals who were a biological parent, a stepparent, or a significant other to a biological parent. Participants did not have to be married but they did have to have some type of connection to children from a previous relationship. Represented were ____ stepmother figures, _____stepfather figures, _____biological mothers, and _____biological fathers. The age of the children involved ranged from _____ to ______. The length of the step-relationship ranged from _____ (months?) to ______years.
Data Collection
Data collection consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews allowing for the ability to explore additional questions (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). In order to establish rapport with the interviewees, the interviewer did disclose the fact that she, too, is a part of a stepfamily, both as an adult onset stepchild and as a stepmother. Frey, Botan, & Kreps (2000) noted the way respondents view the interviewer may affect what they say; researchers should therefore frequently assure that interviewers are similar in crucial ways to the interviewees.
Participants were not immediately informed the research focus was on emotions of jealousy in order to avoid the possibility of the development of a social desirability bias going into the interview. The semistructred interview format began with questions pertaining to the participants’ stepfamily relationship (e.g., “Describe for me your current stepfamily situations”) to help put the participant at ease before moving to more personal, emotionally charged questions. The interview protocol then moved to questions regarding communication between the participant and other stepfamily members, emotions related to other stepfamily members, and then finally moved to questions relating to experiences and expressions of jealousy. At the end of the interview, participants were debriefed explaining the purpose of the research study. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were digital audio recorded then downloaded onto a personal laptop computer. Recordings were transcribed by the researcher for the purpose of analysis, resulting in ____ pages of single-spaced typed text.
Data Analysis
Interview transcripts were analyzed for emergent themes though open coding, marking transcripts for potential categories (Strauss, 1987). Using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss, 1987), themes were identified and analyzed to describe experiences and expressions of jealousy along with coping strategies utilized by participants. Evidence of jealousy experiences and expressions related to other parental figures of the same sex and the children emerged through the data analysis.

References

Bengtson, V. L., Acock, A. C., Allen, K. A., Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Klein, D. M. (2005). Theory and theorizing in family research. In V. L. Bengtson, A. C. Acock, K. A. Allen, P. Dilworth-Anderson, & D. M. Klein (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theory & research (pp. 3-33). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Frey, L. R., Botan, C. H., & Kreps, G. L. (2000). Investigating communication: An introduction to research methods (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies of qualitative research. London: Wiedenfeld and Nicholson.
Strauss, A. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Welch, S. (1975). Sampling by referral in a dispersed population. Public Opinion Quarterly, 39, 237-245.