Metaphor As a Tool in Translating Qualitative Research Findings

Background and Purpose:  Although there is a substantial body of literature on the analysis of metaphor in qualitative research including narrative and discourse analysis, phenomenology, and ethnography, there is relatively little written about the use of metaphor in translating qualitative research findings to a public audience.  The purpose of this paper is to describe how metaphor was used in an ethnographic study of neighborhood relations to convey the dynamics of complex interactions among diverse groups of people who share a common place, but not the same attachment to that place nor the same sense of community.

Description of the Problem:  The study was situated in a residential neighborhood adjacent to a public university’s campus that has experienced a phenomenon known as “studentification,” a term coined by Darren Smith, a British geographer.  Among the problems that prompted the study are the following:  (1)  Deliberate zoning decision that have concentrated students in the campus-adjacent neighborhood; (2)  Exacerbation of problems such as trash, deteriorating properties, and behaviors linked to alcohol; (3) Older residents who are “aging in place” while the neighborhood has changed around them; (4)  Lifestyle conflicts resulting from intersecting diversities; (5)  Transience and a lack of neighborhood cohesion; and (6)  A string of violent crimes in a community with a relatively low crime rate.    

Methods:  A year-long ethnographic study was conducted that incorporated multiple data collection tools including participant observations; semi-structured interviews (N = 44); a series of three focus groups (N = 19); archival research in historical documents, census data, and tax records; Geographic Information Science (GIS) mapping; and photography including photos taken by the researcher and by the neighborhood residents in a small Photovoice Project (N = 8).  To enhance the study’s rigor and trustworthiness, the study incorporated an audit trail, a process of peer debriefing and self-reflexivity, a variety of case selection methods, and systematic data analysis. 

Findings:  The study’s findings clustered together in five categories, including two metaphorical themes:  “Life in a Company Town” and “Hosts and Guests.”  Both of the metaphorical themes grew inductively from the data and were suggested by study participants.  These particular metaphors have great meaning given the study’s geographic, social, and historic context, and for this reason, they seem to resonate with local audiences with whom the researcher has shared the study’s findings. 

Conclusions and Implications:  Although this researcher’s experience suggests that metaphor is a useful tool for translating complex research findings in terms that non-researchers can understand, their use may not be sufficient to prompt people to take action on those findings.  In hindsight, the researcher reflects on whether the choice of different metaphors might have yielded a different response by local policy makers.