Intro to Interpretive Inquiry Flashcards
what is the goal of qualitative research?
the development of concepts which
help us to understand social phenomena in natural
(rather than experimental) settings
what does qualitative studies give emphasis to?
meanings/ experiences, and perspectives of participants
why might we engage in qualitative research?
To explore complex phenomena not amenable to quantitative research
Precursor or as follow-up to quantitative research
Supplemental (triangulation) to quantitative dat
what is the difference between methods and methodology?
methodology outlines the overall approach and theoretical framework of the research, while methods detail the specific techniques and procedures used to implement that approach and collect/analyze data.
what are 6 common qualitative methodologies?
Grounded theory
Ethnography
Critical Discourse Analysis
Narrative Inquiry
Phenomenology
Case Study/Multiple Case Stud
what is grounded theory?
used to develop theories or explanations for phenomena based on systematically collected and analyzed data. It emphasizes the generation of theory directly from the data, allowing theories to emerge from the data rather than being imposed on it
what is ethnography?
used to study and understand people and cultures in their natural settings. It involves immersing oneself in the culture or community being studied, observing behaviors, interactions, and social practices, and documenting these observations in detail.
what is critical discourse analysis?
provides a framework for examining the role of language in social and political processes, uncovering hidden meanings, and challenging dominant discourses and power structures. It is often used in fields such as media studies, political science, education, and sociology to analyze texts and discourses in relation to broader social issues and power dynamics
what is narrative inquiry?
used to explore and understand people’s experiences, stories, and lived realities through the collection and analysis of narratives or stories.
what is phenomenology?
a framework for exploring and understanding the depth and richness of human experiences from the perspective of the individuals who live them.
what is case study?
focuses on the in-depth exploration of a single case or a small number of cases. It involves studying a specific individual, group, organization, event, or phenomenon in detail to gain insights into its complexities, dynamics, and contextual factors.
what are common qualitative data collection methods?
Interviews
Focus Groups
Observations
Documents/Visuals
when would you choose to do an interview method?
When you want in-depth exploration of a particular topic
When you want a flexible, iterative, responsive approach
When you want to access participants’ understandings,
attitudes, perceptions
how long does an interview typically last?
45-90 minutes or longer
what are different types of interviews?
structured
semistructured
non structured
what are focus groups?
6 to 12 (give or take) individuals interviewed together
Participants usually similar in some way; or otherwise
purposively chosen.
when would you choose to use a focus group method?
When the interaction amongst group members is desirable.
When the perspective of a group is desirable.
When group ‘consensus,’ or capturing divergent views, is
a goal.
what should you consider when choosing focus groups?
Dominant people may take over
Challenging to moderate
May fall victim to social desirability biases
what are observations?
Naturalistically observing people in their setting
Recording detailed descriptions, which become detailed
fieldnotes
Capture anecdotes, reflections, including geography of
space; relations among people and objects; atmosphere
or tone
when should you choose an observation method?
When you want to move beyond individual thinking, attitudes, perceptions and instead captures behaviours and actions
When you want to study the cultural and relational
aspects of social phenomena
When you want to build a thick description of a particular
context
what should you consider when choosing observations?
They do not capture cognitive processes, perceptions or
attitudes
Researcher meanings might be inconsistent with the
meanings participants ascribe to their experiences
Participant reactivity: researcher may impact participant
behaviour
Time consuming, often with little data; gatekeeper issues
what are documents/visuals?
Texts: could take the form of a policy
document, protocol/procedure, promotional materials, handout (online/hardcopy), photograph, video, art/creative output etc.
Some texts accessed through public domain (do not require ethics approval)
Some texts created by/co-created with participants (requires ethics approval)
when should you use documents/texts?
Methodology calls for it (ex. discourse analysis,
arts-based research, photovoice)
Informs interview guides/observations
Tool box approaches- often used with children
Topics that are hard to access through dialogue alone