- Departments/Offices:
- Counseling and Educational Psychology
- Academic Programs:
- Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology
- Research Areas:
- Qualitative Research Methodologies/Methods; Critical Disability Studies; Cultural Studies; Discourse Studies
- Room:
- ED 4038
- Email:
- jnlester@indiana.edu
- Phone:
- (812) 856-8328
- Curriculum Vitae
About Me
Having been trained in cultural studies and qualitative research methodology, I take an interdisciplinary approach to much of my work, including both the methodological and substantive foci in my research program. In my methodological work, I publish in areas related to qualitative method/ology, with a particular focus on technical and pragmatic concerns in qualitative inquiry (e.g., establishing validity), discourse and conversation analysis methods, digital tools/spaces in qualitative research, and disability in critical qualitative inquiry. In much of my substantive research, I have sought to examine and illustrate how everyday and institutional language use makes visible what and who becomes positioned as normal and abnormal in relation to the oft taken-for-granted normality-abnormality binary. Most recently, I co-authored the book, Doing Qualitative Research in a Digital World (Sage, 2022), and co-edited the volume, Centering Diverse Bodyminds in Critical Qualitative Inquiry (Routledge, 2021). At Indiana University, I teach qualitative method/ology courses and mentor graduate students in qualitative inquiry from a range of disciplines.
My Books
![Doing Qualitative Research in a Digital World](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-doing-qualitative-research-in-a-digital-world.jpg)
Doing Qualitative Research in a Digital World
Trena M. Paulus, Jessica N. Lester
![Centering Diverse Bodyminds in Critical Qualitative Inquiry](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-centering-diverse-bodyminds-in-critical-qualitative-inquiry.jpg)
Centering Diverse Bodyminds in Critical Qualitative Inquiry
Jessica Nina Lester, Emily A. Nusbaum
![The Social, Cultural, and Political Discourses of Autism](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-the-social-cultural-and-political-discourses-of-autism.jpg)
The Social, Cultural, and Political Discourses of Autism
Jessica Nina Lester, Michelle O'Reilly
![Applied Conversation Analysis: Social Interaction in Institutional Settings](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-applied-conversation-analysis.jpg)
Applied Conversation Analysis: Social Interaction in Institutional Settings
Jessica N. Lester, Michelle O'Reilly
![Using Naturally Occurring Data in Qualitative Health Research: A Practical Guide](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-using-naturally-occurring-data-in-qualitative-health-research.jpg)
Using Naturally Occurring Data in Qualitative Health Research: A Practical Guide
Nikki Kiyimba, Jessica Nina Lester, Michelle O'Reilly
![An Introduction to Educational Research Connecting Methods to Practice](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-lochmiller-chad-an-introduction-to-educational-research.jpg)
An Introduction to Educational Research Connecting Methods to Practice
Chad R. Lochmiller, Jessica N. Lester
![Examining Mental Health through Social Constructionism The Language of Mental Health](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-examining-mental-health-through-social-constructionism.jpg)
Examining Mental Health through Social Constructionism The Language of Mental Health
Michelle O'Reilly, Jessica Nina Lester
![Digital Tools for Qualitative Research](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-digital-tools-for-qualitative-research.jpg)
Digital Tools for Qualitative Research
Trena M. Paulus, Jessica N. Lester, Paul G. Dempster
![Improving Communication in Mental Health Settings: Evidence-Based Recommendations from Practitioner-led Research](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-improving-communication-in-mental-health-settings.jpg)
Improving Communication in Mental Health Settings: Evidence-Based Recommendations from Practitioner-led Research
Michelle O'Reilly, Jessica Lester
![Discursive Psychology and Disability](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-discursive-psychology-and-disability.jpg)
Discursive Psychology and Disability
Jessica Nina Lester
![Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy and Implementation](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-discursive-perspectives-on-education-policy-and-implementation.jpg)
Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy and Implementation
Jessica Nina Lester, Chad R. Lochmiller, Rachael E. Gabriel
![A Practical Guide to Social Interaction Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-a-practical-guide-to-social-interaction-research-in-autism-spectrum-disorders.jpg)
A Practical Guide to Social Interaction Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Michelle O'Reilly, Jessica Nina Lester, Tom Muskett
![The Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental HealthThe Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental Health](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-palgrave-handbook-of-adult-mental-health.jpg)
The Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental HealthThe Palgrave Handbook of Adult Mental Health
Michelle O’Reilly, Jessica Nina Lester
![The Palgrave Handbook of Child Mental Health](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-palgrave-handbook-of-child-mental-health.jpg)
The Palgrave Handbook of Child Mental Health
Michelle O’Reilly, Jessica Nina Lester
![Performances of Research: Critical Issues in K-12 Education](../../../faculty/bookshelf/_img/lester-jessica-performances-of-research-critical-issues-in-K-12-education.jpg)
Performances of Research: Critical Issues in K-12 Education
Rachael Gabriel, Jessica Nina Lester