16th March

Question 1

What is positivist medical research?

Answer 1

Assumes objectivity - researchers seek to avoid their own presence, behaviour or attitude affecting the results
Positivist researchers critically examine their methods and conclusions for possible bias - ability to replicate study findings

Question 2

What is a qualitative approach?

Answer 2

Challenges objectivity of knowledge
Questions mind-body dichotomy
Insight into patient experience of illness
Concerned with why and how
Challenges dominance of certain groups in society

Question 3

Qualitative research and health inequalities

Answer 3

Can interrogate ‘taken for granted’ concepts
Challenging dominant world views
Can connect the wider social and political to the individual

Question 4

What is COREQ?

Answer 4

Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research

32 item checklist

Question 5

What is purposive sampling?

Answer 5

Selecting participants who have the potential to provide rich, relevant and diverse data relevant to research question

Question 6

What is maximum variability?

Answer 6

Wide range of experiences no preconceptions - exploratory studies

Question 7

What are deviant cases?

Answer 7

Incorporate into findings/ theory development to increase explanatory power

Question 8

What is convenience?

Answer 8

Pragmatic approach but may fail to capture important perspectives especially from socially excluded people

Question 9

What is theoretical recruitment?

Answer 9

Cases allow emerging theory to be explored/ refined

Question 10

What is participatory research?

Answer 10

Most ethical method of working with groups not represented in decision making
Avoids reproducing unequal social relations

Question 11

What is the setting?

Answer 11

Context in which data is collected

Presence of non-participants can affect opinions expressed

Question 12

What is thematic analysis?

Answer 12

Identification of the units of meaning
Systematic organisation of data split into themes
Coding process of themes
Explicit process - selecting significant sections from participant statements and identifying the theme
Use of software packages
Get feedback from participants on research findings - adds validity

Question 13

Strategies to increase trustworthiness

Answer 13

Prolonged engagement with and observation of informants
Triangulation (multiple sources of data)
Not prematurely foreclosing collection/ analysis of data

Question 14

Threats to trustworthiness + credibility

Answer 14

Large social and cultural distance
Stereotyping
Access issues - entry into private spaces
Misreading of data
Translation loses nuances
Taken for granted ways of being are harder to unearth