Lecture 13: Qualitative Study Designs Flashcards
when are interviews useful?
when you want detailed information about an individuals thoughts or behaviors
- understanding the experiences of participants, and then meanings they make of these experiences
when are one-on-one interviews conducted?
- with a single person
- useful for personal or sensitive topics, living in different geographical areas, groups are uncomfortable
when are group interviews conducted?
focus groups, sharing/taking circles
- group interaction may have more information-rich and dynamic discussion
what should always be considered during interviews?
the relational nature of interviews
- researchers and participant working together to generate data
what will help to make communication easier in a research study?
- establish rapport
- need a close or harmonious relationship between researchers and participants
- better understand the others’ ideas and feelings
- create an environment were participants feel respected
what are the three main phases of interviews?
- introduction
- questioning
- closing
what is gross rate?
the amount of material that has no particular use to you as a researcher
which type of interview has the highest gross rate?
unstructured
- however, generates the richest data
what is an interview guide?
lists the questions or topics to be explored in the interview
what is the benefit of an interview guide?
it allows you to ask same or similar questions to multiple participants
what are group interviews led by?
a trained moderator
when are group interviews useful?
when:
- looking for a range of ideas or feelings from people
- trying to understand differences between groups or categories of people
- information is needed to help design a quantitative study
- trying to clarify data already collected from a quantitative study
when do we use observational studies?
when we want to go into the field/natural setting to try to better understand the phenomenon or topic of study
- this is used in most strategies of inquiry
when are observational studies ideal?
when individuals cannot express themselves in interviews, when they are unable or unwilling to be interviewed and when the qualitative inquirer can actually visit the site where the central phenomenon is being expressed or talked about
What did Gold identify in 1958?
four types of observer involvement in the field
- complete participant
- participant as observer
- observer as participant
- complete observer
- each approach offers a different level of involvement and can impact the data collected based on the researchers relationship with the participants
what is the complete participant observational study?
- researcher becomes a participant
- useful in developing rapport
what is the participant as observer observational study?
the researcher engages as both a participant and a researcher
- the role as researcher is more obvious because active participation is combined with time taken to record observations
what is the observer as participant observational study?
researcher participates in the activity with participants, but participation is of secondary importance to recording observations
- participants are aware that the researcher is present
what is the complete observer observational study?
involves researchers observing without participating, using the ‘fly on the wall’ approach
- researcher can be hidden from view while observing
what is a disadvantage of the complete observer study?
lack information from the insiders point of view
out of the four types of observational studies, which is the most ethical?
the observer as participant
why is participant as observer more difficult than observing as participant?
because it requires that the field notes be written at a later time, after the activity has concluded
what does Whitings metaphor illustrate?
“true understanding often requires more than just observation; it necessitates of the experience being part
what is an observational protocol?
templates that are used to guide the researchers field notes
when should field notes be recorded?
when in the field
what is in an observational protocol?
- header
- descriptive notes
- reflective notes
- visual sketch
what is a descriptive note?
summarize and describe activities of phenomenon
- descriptions are typically reported in chronological order, with specific times recorded
what is a reflective note?
- column beside the descriptive notes
- a space for the researcher to describe personal feelings, reflections, or brief interpretations of the activities or phenomenon
when are written documents used?
in addition to other forms of data generation, such as interviews
- also serve as the primary source of data generation
visual data can _______________________________ of the findings.
enhance depth and richness
what is the evocative power of visual data?
- potential to inspire participants to reflect on their experiences in unique ways
- this can lead to richer discussions and deeper insights during the research process
