Stimulated recall: problematising, challenging and extending conventional application

ABSTRACT

Stimulated recall is a qualitative research process which holds significant potential to develop understanding(s) of the ideological, philosophical, perceptual and emotional experiences that underpin observable social actions (e.g. coaching practice). Typically, video and/or audio footage is used to prompt participants to relive and elicit introspective accounts of situations, events and (inter)actions. Despite its potential to explicate concurrent thoughts, feelings and actions, as well as to generate critical reflections on (mal)alignments between beliefs and actual practice, stimulated recall research has most often followed long-standing positivist, univocal and temporally isolated conventions. The purpose of this paper, then, drawing from the authors’ longitudinal experience of using stimulated recall in their respective fieldwork, is two-fold. First, we critically examine and problematise some long-standing beliefs and uses of this method. Second, we tentatively map a progressive agenda for its future utility as a productive research method for scholars, students and practitioners.

KEYWORDS:

• Sport coaching
• research method
• critical incident
• decision making
• polyvocality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We also recognise that practical (i.e. time and availability of participants) issues clearly also play a role in balancing such decisions in the reality of research projects.

2. Although there is not room to engage in a fuller debate in this paper, readers may wish to engage with the literature on elicitation interviewing (e.g. Curry, 1986), phenomenological reflection (e.g. Ravn, 2017) and think aloud (e.g. Eccles & Arsal, 2017) to consider other methods and their potential to investigate sense making at various different time points. Some have argued that use of such methods is perhaps still shrouded in, or inevitably produces, post-hoc explanations that conform to maintaining social order (Garfinkel, 1967).