ABSTRACT
Research on homelessness is a field of study in social sciences with a long and solid history. Several pieces of research have let us understand the life experiences and trajectories of these individuals, the challenges that they have faced, and the interventions conducted with them to address this inequality. Nonetheless, the research methodologies in those studies prove short in a situation such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. If we, researchers, are to prioritize social impact, we cannot wait for the pandemic to be overcome to employ those methodologies to investigate homelessness. If so doing, we would meet the needs of homeless people too late. Because social impact is at the forefront, if those methodological resources are not sufficient, then it is necessary to introduce additional ones. This article presents how to address this challenge via the employment of the communicative methodology of research, with the example of a qualitative investigation on how homeless people were attended during the lockdown in Spain in March 2020. The researchers could not meet these individuals on the streets by that time, yet their experiences during the lockdown and how they were being transformed were examined via on-line interviews with individuals voluntarily serving homeless people during home confinement. This methodological innovation in qualitative research is at the service of social impact and can be helpful to researchers investigating vulnerable groups in difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Qualitative Methods is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying safety measures, including confinement, has meant an unprecedented challenge for the world population today. However, it has entailed additional difficulties for specific populations, including children and people with disabilities. Being out of school for months has reduced the learning opportunities for many children, such as those with less academic resources at home or with poorer technological connectivity. For students with disabilities, it has entailed losing the quality of the special attention they often need, in addition to a more limited understanding of the situation. In this context, a case study was conducted in a special education classroom of a secondary education school. This class started implementing Dialogic Literary Gatherings with their special education students before the COVID-19 confinement and continued online during the confinement. Qualitative data was collected after a period of implementation of the gatherings showing positive impacts on the participants. The case study shows that interactive learning environments such as the Dialogic Literary Gatherings can provide quality distance learning for students with disabilities, contributing to overcome some of the barriers that the pandemic context creates for the education of these students.