Best Laid Plans: Examining Contradictions between Intent and Outcome in a Feminist, Collaborative Research Project

Abstract

This article critically examines a feminist, collaborative research method that was intended to be political in standpoint, gendered in focus, reflexive in process, and transformative in outcome. By incorporating collaborative elements into a qualitative, three-step research design, the author hoped to challenge both what was known about nurses’ job displacement and how that knowledge was produced. This article explores the contradictions between the author’s best laid plans and the actual process of discovery. Recommendations for future research include considerations about the social and political context in which the research takes place, cautions about gender inclusivity in the research population and analytic frame-works, strategies for encouraging participants’ critical thinking, and a caveat with regard to transformative outcomes.