Multiple Voices and Methods Listening to Women Who Are in….pdf

International Journal of Qualitative Methods 4 (4) December 2005 Multiple Voices and Methods: Listening to Women Who Are in Workplace Transition B. Nicole Balan B. Nicole Balan, M.Ed., Doctoral Student, York University, Toronto, Ontario Abstract: In this article, the author illustrates, through one participant’s transcripts, the two-part method used in research that sought a deeper understanding of the perceived learning of female profes- sionals during workplace transition. Five women participated in a 1-hour interview and a focus group. To give voice to each participant while also identifying common themes and learning experiences, the author used a two-step research method. The first step entailed individual interviews, which the author analyzed using a voice-centered relational method. The author chose the second step, the focus group, to facilitate women’s learning from each other’s experience. Keywords: adult learning, occupational transition, outplacement, females, career, women’s education Citation Balan, N. B. (2005). Multiple voices and methods: Listening to women who are in workplace transition. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 4(4), Article 5. Retrieved [date] from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/4_4/pdf/balan.pdf 2 Balan MULTIPLE VOICES AND METHODS Introduction In this article, I will develop the two-part method used in research that involved interviewing women who had been involuntarily displaced from their corporate workplaces (Balan, 2004). I will provide a brief background on the career literature with respect to adult learning, women’s careers, and women’s experiences in outplacement. I will also detail where this research addresses a gap, specifically, women’s experiences of learning during workplace transition. Next, I will explicate the feminist and adult learning theoretical frameworks employed, as well as providing in