12 - Qualitative Research 1 & 2 Flashcards
Basic differences between quantitative and qualitative research
- Quantitative = objective, how many/ much of a phenomenon occurs, sample size is large and generalizable to the entire population, conclusive
- Qualitative = subjective, understand why a certain phenomenon occurs, sample size is small and not generalizable, exploratory
Goal of qualitative research
Generate in-depth accounts from individuals or groups
Types of qualitative research
- Ethnography
- Phenomenology
- Grounded theory
What is ethnography?
- Methodology that aims to understand the meanings and behaviours associated w/ membership of groups, teams, etc. through collection of observational and interview data
- Participant observation
What is phenomenology?
- Theoretical framework that focuses on exploring how individuals make sense of the world
- Aims to provide insightful accounts into the subjective experience of these individuals
- How the individuals subjective reality applied to make experiences meaningful
What is grounded theory?
- Methodology that uses iterative data collection (ex: interviews, observations) and analysis to build theories about social phenomena
- Emphasis on the development of a theory
- Theory is “grounded” in the data that is systematically collected and analyzed
- Generalizable theory – making comparisons across situations
How does qualitative research apply to drug therapies?
- Applications to drug use and abuse
- Can be used to understand micro and macro dimensions of drug use and distributions
- Can be used to more effectively design, monitor, and evaluate drug use-related interventions
- Can be used to address the politics of drug/drug program representation
Ethnography is rooted in _____
Anthropology
Phenomenology is rooted in ____
Philosophy
Grounded theory is rooted in _____
Social sciences
What is “formative” research?
- Either the collection of background data prior to intervention development
- Or the use of focus groups to pilot test instruments prior to their use in a population
How many stages of formative research are there?
8
Describe stage 1 of formative research
- Inform researchers about important aspects of drug use
- Involve users/ ex-users of drugs, supplies, community members, etc.
Describe stage 2 of formative research
Identify and define problems that need to be solved from the perspectives of individuals involved
Describe stage 3 of formative research
Generate a list of options for interventions at different levels (ex: community, clinic, etc.)
Describe stage 4 of formative research
Assess positives and negatives associated w/ possible interventions by considering feasibility and how different stakeholders will respond to each option
Describe stage 5 of formative research
Identify best way for conveying info and/or changing behaviour
Describe stage 6 of formative research
- Monitor responses in real time
- Can facilitate mid-course correction of interventions based on the response
- Any sources of resistance/ difficulties are documented
Describe stage 7 of formative research
Outcome evaluation
Describe stage 8 of formative research
Assess how the intervention and results are being presented to the public and scientific community
Give examples of tobacco ethnographies
- Spaces where smoking occurs
- Tobacco industry = vector promoting nicotine dependency and smoking-related disease
- Vector manipulates agent (nicotine delivery devices), host through social engineering (advertising), environment (maximizing accessibility legally and illegally)
What are the types of qualitative methods used for formative research?
- Participant observation
- Structured observations
- Key informant interviews
- Semi-structured open-ended interviews
- Card prompts
- Visual aids (photographic prompts)
- Narrative data (biological approach)
- Case following
- Focus groups
Describe participant observation
- Social scientist observes naturally occurring events (not a fly on the wall)
- Positioned and interacting w/ those being studied
Describe key informant interviews
- One cultivates a relationship so as to get a better handle on what is occurring in a particular local setting
- Develops over time
- Generally, cultivate a relationship w/ 2-3 people from each major group under study
Describe focus groups
- Used sometimes to designate a group discussion
- Carefully selected individuals that are recruited to facilitate an exchange of opinions on a carefully selected subject area
- Selected b/c common experience or similar characteristics
What are some qualitative research questions that can be posed during an RCT?
- What difference (apart from measured) exists between groups created through randomization?
- Any contextual changes occurred during study?
- How was the drug program implemented, and why?
- What happened to people assigned to different arms of the study between the pre and post periods?
- Why did changes occur or not occur between the pre and post period?
Define saturation
When new participants no longer elicit new trends or themes not already raised by previous participants
What are some examples of different sampling?
- Deviant case sampling
- Intensity sampling
- Heterogeneous sample
- Snowball sampling (informants identify others who know a lot about the issue)
What is a “thick description”?
Contextual info to provide readers w/ a sense of what it is like to have been in the research setting
What is triangulation?
Use of multiple methods or perspectives to help produce more comprehensive set of findings
What is reflexivity?
Recognition of the influence a researcher brings to the research process
Does qualitative research typically have a smaller or larger sample size?
Smaller b/c it involves more in-depth interviews, so generally only applicable to fewer px
