Introduction to Qualitative research Flashcards
what is qualitative research?
a collection of methods and techniques used in the study of social phenomena or action
what does qualitative research aim to do?
an in depth approach to understanding social action, focuses on the ‘insider perspective’, studies phenomena in its natural setting, seeks to describe and understand human behavior
what does qualitative research focus on?
the ‘insider perspective’
how/where does qualitative research study phenomena?
studies phenomena in its natural setting
what does qualitative research seek to do?
seeks to describe and understand human behavior
why is qualitative research important?
important in studying new areas that have not yet been explored - areas where variables are unknown or where little is known/understood about a phenomenon
what informs the choice of qualitative research method used?
informed by the paradigm or perspective from which the research is approached
what are research paradigms?
all-encompassing systems of interrelated practice and thinking that define for researchers the nature of their enquiry along three dimensions: ontology, epistemology and methodology
what are the dimensions of research paradigms?
ontology, epistemology and methodology
what does ontology refer to?
specifies the nature of reality that is to be studied and what can be known about it
what does epistemology refer to?
specifies the nature of the relationship between the researcher and what can be known
what does methodology refer to?
specifies how researchers may go about practically studying whatever they believe can be known
what are examples of research paradigms?
interpretive, social constructivist
what is the interpretive paradigm?
the researcher believes what is to be studied consists of people’s subjective experiences of the external world
what is the social-constructivist paradigm?
researcher believes that reality consists of fluid and variable sets of social constructs
what is the ontology for the interpretive paradigm?
internal reality of subjective experience
what is the epistemology of the internal paradigm?
empathetic, observer subjectivity
what is the methodology of the internal paradigm?
interactional, interpretation, qualitative
what is the ontology for the social-constructivist paradigm?
socially constructed reality, discourse, power
what is the epistemology for the social-constructivist paradigm?
suspicious, political, observer constructing versions
what is the methodology for the social-constructivist paradigm?
deconstruction, textual analysis, discourse analysis
when is the interpretive paradigm used?
when the researcher believes that what is to be studied consists of people’s subjective experiences of the external world
when is the constructionist paradigm used?
when the researcher believes that reality consists or a fluid and variable set of social constructions
what does the interpretive paradigm/perspective involve regarding ontology?
taking people’s subjective experiences seriously as the essence of what is real to them
what does the interpretive paradigm/perspective involve regarding epistemology?
making sense of people’s experiences by interacting with them and listening to their stories
what does the interpretive paradigm/perspective involve regarding methodology?
making use of qualitative research techniques to collect and analyze information
what does interpretive research rely on?
first-hand accounts, describes what it sees in detail, and presents findings in engaging language
what are the key principles for interpretive research?
understanding in context, positions the researcher as the primary instrument through which information is collected and analysed
what does ‘understanding in context’ in interpretive research refer to?
understanding what the author meant, and understanding the context of the information written
what does ‘understanding in context’ involve?
recontextualization - placing the text back into its context (understanding phenomena from the perspective of the subject)
what does ‘the self as an instrument’ refer to in the interpretive research paradigm?
interacting with people in an empathetic manner in everyday naturalistic settings
what skills does the interpretive research paradigm require?
listening, the ability for researchers to describe and interpret their own presence appropriately in a research project
what does the constructionist paradigm seek to do?
analyze how signs and images have powers to create particular representations of people and objects
what are/what goes into constructionist methods?
qualitative, interpretative and concerned with meaning
what does the constructionist research paradigm focus on?
show how interpretive understandings and experiences are derived from larger discourses
what is the difference between constructionist paradigm and interpretive paradigm?
social constructivist approaches treat people as though their thoughts, feelings and experiences were the products of systems of meaning that exist at a social rather than individual level
what do interpretive and constructionist research paradigms have in common?
both constructionist and interpretive approaches draw on qualitative research methods
how does the social-constructionist approach use language?
takes language seriously, considers the human life-world as constituted through language and language itself as the object of study - language is seen as constructing reality
what is constructionism concerned with?
broader patterns of social meaning encoded in language
what do social-constructivist researchers focus on?
language - the language used to tell stories, the actual stories that are told, the discursive strategies that are used to communicate certain messages
what does social-constructionism aim for?
interpreting the social world as a kind of language, our actions are structured by the way in which the world is constructed
what is social-constructionism?
an attempt to introduce an explicitly critical element to social science research
what is idealism relating to constructionism?
the tendency for constructionist work to reduce everything language and therefore the world of ideas
what is relativism relating to constructionism?
the idea that there are many truths, prompted by the social-constructionist assertion that all descriptions of reality are merely accounts and constructions
