Final Exam Flashcards
Quantitative Methods
Based on numbers and mathematical calculations (numerical)
Seeks to minimize differences between subjects
Deductive
Large sample sizes preferred
Qualitative methods
Based on written or spoken narratives (non-numerical)
Embraces the different perspectives of each participant
Inductive
Small sample sizes
Characteristics of Qualitative Research
Systematic, subjective approach
Flexible, elastic
Describes phenomena (lived experiences) and gives them meaning
Useful in understanding human experiences (pain
caring, powerlessness)
Holistic
Intense researcher
involvement
Similarities in both Qualitative and Quantitative
Select topic
State problem or question
Justify significance of study
Design study
Identify and gain access to data sources
Select study subjects/participants
Rigor in Qualitative research
How well does the identified meanings represent the perspectives of the participants?
Level of Evidence
Level 1: Meta-analysis or Systematic Reviews of Randomized Controlled Trials/Experimental Studies
Level II: At least one well designed RCT or experimental study
Level III: Quasi-experimental (well-designed controlled trials without randomization)
Level IV: Non-experimental studies
Level V: Qualitative studies, case reports
Level VI: Opinion of respected authorities and/or reports of expert committees
Type of sampling where participants are selected based on their knowledge, experience, or views related to phenomena of interest
Purposive sampling
Network sampling
Researchers- Participants relationships
Participants are treated as colleagues rather than subjects
Researcher must have the support and confidence of participants
Researcher must be open to the perceptions of participants
Data Collection
Interviews:
Semistructured
Unstructured (Open-ended)
Questions can change as researcher gains insights
Participants encouraged to raise issues not addressed by researcher
Focus groups:
Group dynamics can facilitate data collection
Observation:
Field notes
Text
Which of the following is not a common data collection method in qualitative research?
A. Examining written text
B. Interviewing participants
C. Observing participants
D. Obtaining written surveys
D
When does data collection stop?
Purpose of the study determines the sampling plan and initial sample size
Final number of participants is determined by
Saturation and verification
Data management
analysis is done concurrently with data collection
word-for-word transcripts
computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software
Data analysis
Dwelling with the data
Coding
Identifying themes
Interpretation
Data for qualitative studies are?
A. Based on words rather than numbers.
B. Easy and straightforward to interpret.
C. Gathered quickly from large numbers of people.
D. Precisely analyzed on a computer
Qualitative research approaches
Phenomenological
Grounded Theory
Ethnography
Exploratory-Descriptive
Case Study
Phenomenology
Focuses on the description and interpretation of people’s lived experiences
Descriptive Phenomenology:
Bracketing – setting aside biases and preconceptions
Interpretive Phenomenology
Ground Theory
Grounded – term comes from the theory having its roots in the data
Explores underlying social processes through symbols of language, religion, relationships, and clothing
Goal is to guide the development of theoretical frameworks with relational statements between concepts
Ethnography
Describes and interprets a culture and cultural behavior
Relies on extensive, labor-intensive fieldwork and a wide range of data sources
-Immersion is vital
Assumption: Cultures guide the way people structure their experiences
Seeks an emic perspective of the culture
Exploratory-descriptive qualitative research
Not a single type of research but are conducted for a specific purpose that doesn’t fit into any other category
Tend to be eclectic in their design
Useful for exploring a new topic or to describe a situation
Provides information and insight
Case study
Focus on an intense study of a single case or small number of cases
May be an individual, family, institution, community, or other social unit
Strength: great depth possible when a limited number is being investigated
Possible drawback: inability to generalize beyond that case
Steps to critiquing a qualitative research study
Step 1: Identify the components of the qualitative research process
Step 2: Determine the study strengths and weaknesses
Step 3: Evaluate the trustworthiness and meaning of the findings
Credibility
the confidence of the reader about how well the researcher’s results reflect the true views of the participants
(comparable to validity in quantitative studies)
Which of the following is true about qualitative research?
A. Categories are established for analysis purposes.
B. Data are usually collected in a laboratory setting.
C. Focus is on studying the “whole”.
D. Intuition and abstraction are suppressed
Mixed methods
Uses elements of both qualitative and quantitative methods
Triangulation: use of two or more theories, methods, data sources, investigators, or analysis methods in a study
Coding
the process of identifying themes in accounts by attaching codes (labels) to index them
Themes
themes of data in the article
Purpose sampling
researchers rely on their own judgement when choosing members (on purpose) of the population to participate in their surveys.
Network Sampling
members of the study recruit their peers to participate in the research.
snowball method
Advantages to Qualitative research
Allows a deeper understanding of people in a situation, especially with a small sample size
Rich description of lived experiences
Depth detail about attitudes feelings, behaviors
Set aside assumptions and prejudgments
Disadvantages to Qualitative research
Time consuming
Fewer people studied
Less ability to generalize
Highly dependent on the skills of the researcher
Saturation
the point at which all relevant concepts have been identified.
(no new information is being generated)
