August 2025 Newsletter

Dear USF community,

Welcome to a new academic year—and a special warm welcome to all our new Bulls! Whether you’re just arriving on campus or returning, I wish you a successful, fulfilling, and inspiring year ahead.

If you’re curious about qualitative inquiry—what it is, how it’s evolving across disciplines, and where you can connect with others who care about it—SOQM invites you to learn with us. We aim to keep you current on the latest qualitative methods, support your research journey through a friendly, peer-led network, and cheer you on as you share your voice at qualitative conferences.

Across the year, look for our Webinar Series, community socials, and our Annual Qualitative Inquiry Symposium. This newsletter curates calls for proposals, conference opportunities, standout readings, and member highlights—so you can spot what’s relevant and take your next step with confidence. We’ll cheer you on as you share your ideas at qualitative conferences and connect with a wider scholarly community.

Join us for our first SOQM Social:

• Tuesday, September 9, 3–5 PM • TECO Hall, David C. Anchin Center
• Snacks provided—come meet peers and say hello! (RSVP on BullsConnect).

Want to stay in the loop? See the “We Want to Hear From You” section below to share your interests in our quick 2-minute survey and connect with us on BullsConnect, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

With warm wishes for a great start,

Turan Ahmadova

President, Student Organization for Qualitative Methodologies (SOQM)

University of South Florida | 2025–26

This student organization aims to provide academic support to USF students interested in exploring and/or using qualitative research methods. The interdisciplinary organization will foster a creative atmosphere to facilitate collaboration and provide students an outlet for exchange of ideas, resources, and knowledge. This student organization is based in the College of Education, but welcomes student voices from other disciplines and encourages interdisciplinary collaborations.

Join our BullsConnect, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages so you can stay updated about our future workshops, events, and the call for proposals for our annual symposium.

Please share our newsletter with your USF qualitative researchers, students, professors, and alumni. Thank you for your support!

Please join us for our fall social and first event of the 2025-2026 school year!

Come join us for snacks, networking, and to learn more about the Student Organization for Qualitative Methodologies. We invite all students and faculty members who are interested in qualitative research to attend our first social event of the 2025-2026 school year and bring a friend!

• Food provided.
• Date: September 9, 3-5 pm.
• Location: TECO Hall, College of Education David C. Anchin Center

Click here to view the event on Bulls Connect and register for free.

We want your input!

Please take 2 minutes to complete the following survey to share your availability, event format preferences, and topics of interest for our events. This will help us to plan events that are the most beneficial to our members.

• Fall 2025
  • EDF 7477: Qualitative Research in Education Part I, Dr. Lorien Jordan
  • EDF 7478: Qualitative Research in Education Part II, Dr. Janet Richards
  • EDG 7931: AI and Qualitative Research, Dr. Lorien Jordan
  • EDG 7931: Discourse Analysis, Dr. Michael Sherry
  • EDG 7931.900: Qualitative Methodologies for Literacy Research, Dr. Alexandra Panos
  • PHC 6193: Qualitative Methods in Community Health Research, Dr. Dina Martinez Tyson
• Spring 2026
  • EDG 7368: Visual Research Methods, Drs. Ilene and Michael Berson

We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Lorien Jordan as our faculty adviser this year. Thank you for being with us.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to former advisers, Dr. Jennifer Wolgemuth and Dr. Charles Vanover, for their continuing support and guidance

Also thank you to the 2024-2025 SOQM Executive Board: 

• Daria Smirnova, President
• Deborah Omontese, Vice President
• Turan Ahmadova, Treasurer & Secretary

Share your research and successes with us - we want to celebrate you!

• As we return to campus this fall, please consider entering a submission for our monthly newsletter. We are accepting submissions related to qualitative research for any of the following categories:
  • Book reviews
  • Blog posts/reflective pieces
  • Creative works - artwork, comics, poetry, photography, etc.
  • Op eds/open letters
  • Academic celebration shoutouts - awards, fellowships, publications, conference presentations
• All submissions should be a maximum of 500 words.
• Please include a short bio (name, college/department, position) with your submission. Submissions are welcome on a rolling basis as we publish a newsletter monthly.
• Please note that not all submissions will be published in the newsletter.

If you're looking for qualitative research articles, consider checking out the following peer-reviewed journals: 

• Qualitative Inquiry
• Qualitative Health Research Qualitative Research
• The Qualitative Report (TQR)
• International Review of Qualitative Research
• Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies
• International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education

How can we help you?

Suggestions?

Contact us: soqmusf@gmail.com