HOW CLOSE IS TOO CLOSE? EXPLORING THE BENEFITS OF “FRIENDSHIP AS METHOD” AND MUTUAL INVESTMENT WITHIN THE RESEARCHER-PARTICIPANT RELATIONSHIP AS EQUITY AND JUSTICE-ORIENTED APPROACHES IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH

Participant-researcher relationships in qualitative research can be drastically improved by dedicating extensive time in the field for data collection. Through continual conversation and increased presence at the field site, the researcher can get to know the participants more intimately, which supports the researcher’s ability to share the participants’ stories with more robust thick description. Through my dissertation data collection process between 2021-2023, I have established connections to my participants that have helped paint a holistic picture of their lived experiences, deepening my understanding of how their voices fit within my studies. Beyond the value these relationships add to my research, through time, I have grown to consider these individuals to be colleagues and friends. Using “friendship as method” as an equity and justice-oriented approach to qualitative research, I have developed research relationships in some participant cases in which we share mutual investment in each other’s success. I use the preliminary results from my two dissertation studies on white racial allyship identity development and sense of belonging in employee resource groups to counter the positivist notion of “being too close to participants.” Specifically, I highlight the notions of comfort, support, and trust expressed by participants with whom I have ventured into “friendship as method.” I also encourage building familiarity and trust in geoscience education research projects using qualitative/mixed methods to support “in real life” engagement between researchers and their participants.