5. Qualitative research design Flashcards
Name strengths in qualitative research
”A source of well-grounded, rich descriptions and explanations of human processes” - Miles, Huberman, Saldana
1) Depth and richness of data – commitment to close scrutiny and detail
2) The participant perspective - understanding the meaning for participants in the study of events,
situations, experiences they are involved with or engaged in
3) The role of context - understanding the particular contexts within which participants act and the
influence these contexts have on their actions
4) Grasping processes - understanding the process by which events and actions take place ––
understanding chronological flow
5) Identifying unanticipated phenomena and influences – openness and flexibility in the design
When to do qualitative research?
Little knowledge of a phenomenon, context, group of people etc.
Theory building
Small sample size
Phenomena studied in context/natural setting
* Adjust methods to context/phenomenon
Weaknesses in qualitative research
Labour intensiveness and extensiveness
Time demanding
Frequent data overload
Too subjective?
* Researcher (self)reflexivity and integrity
Access and adequacy of sampling
Generalizability of findings
Credibility and quality of conclusions and their utility in the world
Name general things for qualitative research design
Can be open, emergent and flexible
Designing is not a discrete stage concluded early in the project, but an ongoing process
Calls for constant review of decisions and approaches
Continuous reflexivity and awareness
No excuse for rigorous planning
What is in the model for qualitative research design?
Goals –Why are you doing this study?
Conceptual Framework –What do you think is going on?
Research questions –What do you want to understand?
Methods - What will you actually do?
Validity – How might you be wrong?
- Maxwell
Ontology
What is the nature of existence?
* Do the phenomenawe study exist independent of our knowing or perceiving it? (Realism)
* Is what we take to be social reality a creation or projection of our senses? (Relativism)
Epistemology
What is the nature of knowledge?
* Is it possible to objectively or neutrally observe and describe the world? (Objectivism)
* The researcher plays an active part in the knowledge construction (Subjectivism)
Methodology
How to investigate?
* How do we use methods to eliminate researcher bias and create neutrality?
* How do we give voice to different research participants?
The conceptual framework
- A map of what you are investigating
- Explains the main things to be studied.
- Display of yourmain conceptual ideas, key factors
and constructs - How you think they are related
- Whenmultiple researchers are involved it helps focus
and agreement on terms, subject and object of study - Sensitizing concepts rather than definitive
- Central both as an outset for study and as an outcome
of the study. The map may change
Miles, Huberman & Saldana
Name approaches to qualitative research
Phenomenology
Narrative research
Ethography
Grounded theory
Case study
Action research
What is a case study?
- A research strategy that involves using one of more cases to create theoretical
constructs, propositions and or midr ange theory from case-based empirical
evidence (Eisenhardt & Graebner 2007: 25) - Rich empirical descriptions of particular instances of a phenomenon that are
typically based on a variety of data sources
What is a case?
A case is a ”specific One” – not a general topic (Stake 1995)
”Concretemanifestation of the abstraction” (Yin 2014)
A phenomenon of some sort occurring in a bounded context (Miles, Huberman, Saldaña 2014)
(person/group, organization, environment, community, episodes, event, period, process, culture,
nation)
What does a case study do?
Describe
* New phenomena
Explore
* New phenomena, new perspectives
Explain
* ”Operational links over time”
Test a theory?
* Falsify, refine
Tell compelling stories
* Puts you in the situation, have characters and relationships, stays with you
Why do a case study?
Accuracy (Context)
* Faithful to everyday realities – what is actually going on
Comprehensiveness
* Allows the researcher to maintain holistic and meaningful characteristics
Richness and Depth
* Relationships, Complexity (beyond monocausality)
Dynamics/Process
* Follow developments over time
When to do a case study?
- At the beginning of an inquiry into a phenomenon
- Requires little delimitation, flexible
- When new perspectives are needed
- Openness
- To understand processes
- Tracing events over time
- When context is important
- Flexible, many types of data can be used
Single case studies
Extreme or unique case
an unusual manifestation of a phenomenon. Rare, worth documenting
Typical case
informative about average person/organisation etc. Illustrate the recognizable
Critical case
confirm, challenge or extend existing theory. Demonstrate a point in a dramatic way
Revelatory case
previously inaccessible or not studied
Longtitudinal case
change over time
Should you choose one or multiple cases?
Depends on the goal of your project and your research question
It is not about the amount of cases but widen your understanding and stegthening your theory/explanation
* Showing that it applies in more than one case
* Show (expected) variation on dimensions or themes
* Show the boundaries of a theory (where it does not apply)
What is quality in qualitative research?
How you might be wrong
Think differently about validity in qualitative research
* Lack of standards and control (real life events)
* Researcher bias (sensitive instrument)
* Low N (deep rich insights, holistic data and analysis)
Quantitative validity
-Internal Validity
-Generalizability
-Reliability
-Replicability
Qualitative trustworthiness
-Credibility
-Transferability
-Dependability
-Confirmability
Quality criteria across paradigms
- Worthy topic
- Rich rigor
- Sincerity
- Credibility
- Resonance
- Significant contribution
- Ethics
- Meaningful coherence
Tracy 2010
Managing quality in qualitative research
- To plan and apply qualitative research in such a wat that it produces the best results as possible
- To continuously ask questions regarding quality and check back on how to improve the running of
projects and thus to increase the quality of procedures and outcomes - To present the research and its findings in a way that allows us to assess and recognize the quality
of what was done - To assess the quality of qualitative research while reading qualitative studies
- To assess the quality of qualitative research when using the results in practical contexts
What is transparency?
- An audit-trail
- Clearly lay out all the steps made
- Provide rationales for choices
- Accept and expose limitations
- Display your data
What is triangulation?
- Methods triangulation
- Include different methods to
study the same phenomenon - Data triangulation
- Provide multiple data for each
statement
How to check for representativeness (not statistical)
- Problem:
- Confirmation bias
- Am I making general statements based
specific instances? - Sampling: overlooking groups (e.g. difficult to
access groups)? - Over emphasising dramatic or easily
accesible events? - ”Solutions”
- Check against alternative accounts (seeking
disconfirmation, outliers, rival explanations) - Increase number of cases
- Look for contrasting cases
- Experiment with matrix displays
How to check for researcher effects
- Problem:
- How does the researcher influence the case?
- E.g. Hawthorne effect
- Does the case influence the researcher?
- E.g. Going native
- ”Solutions”
- Make intentions clear to participants
- Time: stay on-site as long as possible
- Use unobtrusive measures e.g. accessible
documents - Spread out your participants
- Spend time away from the site
- Keep thinking conceptually
External validity - Transferability
- Are your findings “transferable”?
- How?
- “Analytic generalization”
- Generalize to theory and not populations
- Replicating findings
- Multiple case studies
Ethics
Preparing study
- Sensitive data
- Explain purpose and storage of data
Collecting data
- Respect
- How will data be used and deleted
Analyzing data
- Inclusion/exclusion of voices
- Seek disconfirmation, include more perspectives
Reporting data
- Avoid exhibiting participants
- False evidence
- Anonymize
- Honest reporting
