Qualitative Research

What we do

Our research work involves qualitative data collection and analysis, literature reviews, archival research, grant writing, and community-led projects. With over fifteen years of experience in northern research, lead consultant Kiri Staples completed her PhD in Ecological and Social Sustainability in 2022, focusing on co-governance and cumulative effects in the Yukon. She has also worked on collaborative research projects with the Yukon Research Centre, the University of Saskatchewan, the Council of Yukon First Nations, and the University of Waterloo. Building on this experience, NRCG offers expertise in multiple forms of data collection, such as interviews, surveys, and focus groups. We regularly work with large qualitative data sets and are passionate about ensuring research results are useful, understandable, and have creative outcomes.

Examples of past projects

Äshèyi Research Project

We worked with Champagne & Aishihik First Nation (CAFN) to explore the history of Äshèyi/Aishihik Lake. This involved archival research at Yukon Archives and CAFN archives, as well as collaboration with archival researchers based in Ottawa. We helped prepare research reports and related materials for CAFN leaders.

Survey of Community-Based Monitoring and Indigenous Knowledge in a Changing Arctic

We analyzed survey data for the Atlas of Community-Based Monitoring and Indigenous Knowledge in a Changing Arctic, a searchable, online inventory of community-based monitoring programs, projects, and initiatives in the Arctic. The project involved conducting qualitative and quantitative data analysis, creating compelling and concise data visualizations, and producing an accessible, usable summary report.

Yukon First Nations Emergency Response Research Project

Lead consultant Kiri Staples was a member of a research team that conducted Intra-Action Reviews (IAR) with Yukon First Nation governments and the Yukon Government. The IAR method, developed by the World Health Organization, was adapted and used to better understand lessons learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the experiences of First Nation governments and the interjurisdictional dynamics that played out during the pandemic response. The research team worked with the Council of Yukon First Nations to develop the proposal, collect and analyze data, and prepare various deliverables.

Read the report here.

Łingít Kusteeyí: Revitalizing Tlingit Law

We supported Taku River Tlingit (TRT) First Nation and T’akhu Â Tlèn Conservancy in conducting interviews with TRT citizens about Tlingit law. The interviews informed TRT's ongoing work on revitalizing their laws related to lands and wildlife.

Other projects of interest

Selkirk First Nation Cumulative Effects Study (ongoing study)
Regional Scan of Conservation and Planning Initiatives in Yukon South Beringia (report)
Yukon Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (grant proposal)
Yukon Hunter Effort Survey: Qualitative Data Summary (report)

Research in northern Canada has a long-standing colonial history. Understanding this history and its implications should be front and centre of the work done by settler researchers interested in the north today."

Kiri Staples, NRCG owner and operator