A team-based approach to qualitative inquiry: the collaborative retreat

A team of researchers undertook a collaborative qualitative study to explore beginning dietitians' life experiences and the meaning ascribed to those experiences in the context of dietetic practice. Data were collected using Seidman's three-step in-depth phenomenological interviewing method with 12 beginning dietitians who were graduates of the three participating dietetic programs. We outline the collaborative research process and highlight a writing and data analysis technique described as the collaborative retreat, a face-to-face, two-day gathering that facilitated the researchers' collective decision-making and organization, discussion, and analysis of this complex qualitative data set. Use of a listening guide aided researchers' understanding and interpretation of participant voices. Researchers concluded that the overall collaborative qualitative research process was positive and self-fulfilling, and that it resulted in multiple benefits for them individually and the research project collectively. Researchers were able to work through methodological and theoretical issues as these arose, with the assistance of technology, writing, listening, and dialogue. Relationship building and relationship maintenance emerged as factors critical to the success of the research process. Collaborative research teams that are committed to listening, writing, and dialogue will find that the collaborative retreat can be a productive site of knowledge generation and mentorship.