Lecture 3 - IPA and Grounded Theory Flashcards
What is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)?
A qualitative approach informed by phenomenology which looks at how participants make sense of their experiences
Focuses on individual’s view of an event or state rather than looking for objective data
A key concept is that interpretation and the research process is dynamic – the researcher is active in conducting the research and also in interpreting the participant’s responses:
How to collect high quality data for IPA?
Use purposive sampling with a small, homogeneous group (typically 6–8 participants).
Conduct semi-structured interviews to explore personal experiences.
Suspend preconceptions and focus on the participant’s perspective.
What research questions are best suited to IPA?
Questions about subjective lived experiences (e.g., “How do students experience starting psychology at university?”).
What are some key advantages and disadvantages of IPA?
Key Advantages:
Deep exploration of individual perspectives.
Allows for nuanced understanding of personal experiences.
Key Limitations:
Limited generalizability due to small sample size.
Time-intensive data collection and analysis.
What is the definition of Grounded Theory?
A method for theory generation grounded in systematic analysis of data. It seeks to identify patterns and interactions and often develops a model to illustrate relationships between categories.
What is meant by a double hermeneutic in the context of IPA?
It’s also a way of interpreting something through multiple perspectives.
IPA emphasizes a double hermeneutic: participants interpret their experiences, and researchers interpret participants’ interpretations.
“The participants are trying to make sense of their world, the researcher is trying to make sense of the participants trying to make sense of their world.” (Smith & Osborne, 2003: 51)
How is IPA done?
Data Collection: Semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling.
Small, homogeneous samples (ideal size: 6-8 participants).
Data Immersion: Read and re-read data to note initial observations, focusing on content, language, and context.
Identify Themes: Create connections between codes to develop emergent themes, using psychological terminology when applicable.
Structure Themes: Group related themes into clusters (superordinate themes) and produce a summary table with extracts.
Integration of Cases: Identify shared experiences and generate master themes across cases.
How is GT done?
Data Collection and Coding:
Initial coding: Analyze data line-by-line to identify categories.
Focused coding: Group frequent/significant codes into tentative categories.
Memo Writing:
Capture exploratory ideas and connections.
Ensure an iterative process of reflection and analysis.
Theoretical Sampling:
Select participants based on emerging categories.
Continue sampling until data saturation (when no new insights emerge).
Theory Building:
Use models and diagrams to depict relationships between categories.
What research questions are best suited to Grounded Theory?
Questions addressing processes, patterns, or interactions (e.g., “What factors influence adaptation to chronic illness?”).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Grounded Theory?
Advantages:
Generates theories directly from data.
Iterative design ensures depth and rigor.
Limitations:
Requires significant time and resources.
Potential for researcher bias.
What are the main differences between IPA and GT?
Purpose:
IPA - Understanding lived experiences
GT - Developing theory from data
Sample Size:
IPA - Small, homogenous
GT - Varied Theoretical sampling
Analysis Focus:
IPA - Idiographic (case-by-case)
GT - Iterative, comparative analysis
Flexibility:
IPA - Less flexible in approach
GT - More flexible in data handling
Generalizability:
IPA - Limited
GT - Potentially broader
Compare Thematic Analysis with Grounded Theory
TA:
Identifies patterns/themes in data.
Flexible but can overlap with IPA.
Lacks IPA’s focus on idiography and depth.
Content Analysis:
Quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyzing content frequency.
Focuses more on what is said than on experiential meaning or theory-building.
Less depth compared to IPA and GT.
What did O’Connor & Joffe, 2020 say about the role of a qualitative researcher?
The role of the qualitative researcher is not to reveal universal objective facts but to apply their theoretical expertise to interpret and communicate the diversity of perspectives on a given topic (O’Connor, & Joffe, 2020)
What is intercoder reliability?
Intercoder reliability is not just about getting a good numerical score at the end of the day, it’s part of the reflective process that I previously discussed – working to make sure that the codes you have highlighted do actually capture the data you’re presenting.
What is the process of ensuring intercoder reliability?
O’Connor, & Joffe (2020)
Code the data yourself (or as a research team) and create a coding scheme (this can be iterative)
Find a second coder – preferably outside the research team
Conceptualise what a ‘data unit’ means for your study
Select a percentage of data units (10-25%) to be double coded
Begin the double coding process by examining each data units and outline how many codes are present in each data unit.
Record these numbers in an analytical software and run the appropriate significance test
