The Experience of the Researcher: Qualitative Approaches in Pursuit of a Research Agenda.

It is argued that careful attention to the role of the researcher's experience in qualitative research is desirable for several reasons. A rationale for such examination is established, and the research and scholarly activity pursued by the author for the last 11 years are described to present a kind of career case study for analysis of the process as it has evolved. The search for the self in research efforts is considered. Personal predispositions are acknowledged as they affect research work. Also acknowledged are the associations among the nature of the researcher, the focus of the research, the process of researching, and results found in the data. Interrelated themes are revealed that are likely to emerge in the experience of other researchers: (1) the significant role of personal predispositions at the beginning of and throughout the entire research process; (2) the apparent flow of inquiry from one stage of research to another; and (3) the deepening of understanding and meaning through reflection and writing. The experience of the researcher must be valued even as it is monitored. (SLD)