Lesson 1 Flashcards
Characteristics of qualitative method
- Reality is socially constructed and subjective to the person involved
- It uses inductive reasoning (mostly)
- Developes theories and hypothesis from the analysis of natural conditions
-The focus is on words and pictures
Characteristics of quantitative method
- Reality is objective
- It uses mostly deductive reasoning
- Test hypothesis and theories through experiments, controlled conditions and fixed procedures
- Focus on data that is measurable
How is the research process structured in qualitative research?
Starts with the observation of reality, moves on collecting data, makes hypothesis and finally creates or confirm a theory.
Which methods are used in qualitative methods to collect data?
qualitative interviews, expert intervies, participatory monitoring, focus groups, biographical methods (e.g. narrative interviews), thematic analysis, qualitative content analysis and coding according to Miles, Huberman and Sadana.
What is the purpose of qualitative research?
Understanding people and their behaviour, how they interract and the context in which they live. As Geertz suggested, it is the “microscopic” details of social and cultural aspects of individual life.
What is participatory monitoring?
The regular collection of data undertaken by local residents of the monitoring area, who rely on local resources and thus have more knowledge of those resources.
What is thematic analysis?
It’s a method for organizing qualitative data into a series of patterns and themes.
What is qualitative content analysis?
It’s a method for assessing the caliber of pubblished content, be it text, video, photo, or any other type of content.
What is coding according to Miles, Huberman and Saldana?
It’s a labelling method that assigns symbolic meaning to the descriptive or inferential information compiled during a study.
What are the characteristics of a good research question?
-be clearly formulated
-be researchable
-connect with established theory and research
-have the potentiall to make contribution to knowledge
- be neither too broad or too narrow
Questions can be considered as a navigating tool that helps the researcher to map possible directions but also inquire about the unexpected.
What are qualitative methods?
They are a collection technique that do not requires formulas, mathematicak models, statistics or big amount of data, They sprang from sociology and question a single aspect or case, trying to gather as many information as possible. Usually it is inductive, constructionist and interpretive (tries to find the deeper meaning)
What could be the purposes behind a study?
exploratory, explanatory, emancipatory and descriptive.
What are sub-questions?
They are question stemming from overarching question. They can be issue or procedural (Creswell). They help the researcher develop a variety of protocols, from personal and group diaries to interviews, to collect the data that would reveal the actors’ perspective.
Which are the four representative aspects of qualitative research?
- an inductive view
- interpretivist epistemological position
- constructionist ontological position
- emphasis on naturalism
Why researchers find it difficult to define qualitative research?
1) It subsumes different research methods (ethnography/participant observation, qualitative interviewing, focus groups, language based approaches, collection of data)
2) ambiguos connection between theory and research
What are Blumer’s concepts?
Blumer in 1954 coined the terms definitive and sesitizing concepts.
A definitive concept is a concept that once developed, becomes fixed through the elaboration of indicator. Blumer finds this restrictive and for this reason reccomends sensitizing concept (general sense of guidance in approaching empirical instances).
What is External reliability? (LeCompte and Goetz)
the degree to which a study can be replicated. This is a difficult criterion to meet in qualitative research, since, as LeCompte and Goetz recognize, it is impossible to ‘freeze’ a social setting and the circumstances of an initial study to make it replicable in the sense in which the term is usually used
What is Internal reliability? (LeCompte and Goetz)
when there is more than one observer, do members of the research team agree about what they see and hear?
What is Internal validity? (LeCompte and Goetz)
is there a good match between researchers’ observations and the theoretical ideas they develop? Lecompte and Goetz argue that internal validity tends to be a strength of qualitative research, particularly ethnographic research, because pro- longed participation in the social life of a group over a long period of time allows the researcher to ensure a high level of congruence between concepts and observations.
What is Internal validity? (LeCompte and Goetz)
which refers to the degree to which findings can be generalized across social settings. Lecompte and Goetz argue that, unlike internal validity, external validity represents a problem for qualitative researchers because of their tendency to use case studies and small samples.
