L11: Qualitative & Mixed-Methods Research Flashcards
Sources of qualitative data
- case studies
- extreme case sampling
- ‘experimental phenomenology’
- focus groups
- naturalistic observations e.g. Types of interactions b/w parents & children
- public documents e.g. Media items
When to use qualitative methods
- exploratory: unsure what to measure, new area of research (background for scale development)
- how is a construct understood by stakeholders
- to capture phenomenology
- understand experience (e.g. Refugee)
- exploring cultural diffs
Open-ended questions
- interviews, semi-structured interviews
- qualitative component of questionnaires (e.g. Mix of quant & qual items)
Interviews
Structured - interview protocol - instructions & Q's to be asked Semi-structured: - probes: sub-questions used to gain further info - allows clarification & elaboration Interviews & idiographic approach - when interested in the individual rather than the group. E.g. 'Life story' interview (McAdams, 2012)
Content & thematic analysis
Systematic categorization data
- data: words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs
- coding: variables that emerge in the data
• open coding: the process of selecting & naming categories from the analysis of the data
• axial coding: identifying themes (patterns) within the data
• attempting to plot the interactions b/w these variables
Grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)
- analysis of the data w/o preconceived hypothesis
- examining the rship b/w concepts
- generating theory from data
- data saturation: gathering data until no new information
- generating thematic maps
Reporting qualitative research: Doctors’ experience of euthanasia
Data analysis:
- all disc were taped. When available, the exact test of the vid or audio recording was transcribed. The data were reported anonymously. Two experienced qualitative researchers analysed the transcripts, using content analysis within a coding frame of 3 themes (1) emotional exp; (2) coping (dealing with & managing the event) & (3) role of physician
Results
- emotional experience: impact of the first occasion. Many older doctors described problematic, & sometimes even traumatic experiences, such as loneliness, mixed feelings, & contradictory emotions
Advantages & disadvantages of qualitative research
- rich description of data
- need fewer Ss
- coding/categorization: more diff than statistical analysis
- very time consuming
- subjectivity? Biases?
- increasing objectivity: blind raters (I.e. double-blind), inter-rater comparison, mixed methods approach
Mixed-method approaches
- both quantitative & qualitative
- triangulation: using more than one method to study the same RQ, combination of qualitative & quantitative methods
Why use mixed-methods?
- Complementarity: develop deeper understanding of a RQ
- development: results from one study help develop or inform the other method
- initiation: clarifying contradictions in findings
- expansion: to extend the breadth and range of a study
QUAL/QUANT comparison
Comparing/contrasting qualitative & quantitative (complementarity): Ward & Boag, 2009
- eval of lifeline
- quantitative phone survey
- caring, accepting, helpful, supportive
- qualitative semi-structured interview
- findings: multi-dimensional meaning
qual-QUANT
Qualitative study first but secondary to the study’s primary goals (development)
- e.g. Exploratory qualitative study used as a basis for major quantitative study
quant-QUAL
Quantitative study first but secondary to the study’s primary goals (development)
- e.g. Quantitative screen study used to identify Ss for large-scale qualitative study
QUANT-qual
Primary quantitative study first with secondary follow-up qualitative study (initiation)
- Exploring aspects of a quantitative study with qualitative research
QUAL-quant
Primary qualitative study first w secondary follow-up quantitative study (expansion)
- e.g. Testing whether qualitative findings transfer to other pops
