Overviewing qualitative research and interview methods Flashcards
What does quantitative research try to do?
Quantitative research tries to identify the relationship between variables - with the aim of generalising the results to a wider population.
What does qualitative research try to do?
Qualitative research tries to understand a topic or idea. With the aim of their results contributing to more general understandings.
What are the differences between qualitative and quantitative?
differences between qualitative and quantitative research is:
- qualitative research is words and quantitative research is numbers.
- quantitative research test theories and qualitative research generates theories.
- quantitative research tries to identify the relationship between variables but qualitative research tries to understand a topic/concept more.
- quantitative research can be generalised to a wider population but qualitative research cannot be generalised
- quantitative research can be done quickly but qualitative research takes a long time.
- quantitative research is objective. But qualitative research is subjective and has reflexivity
How would you describe qualitative research in two words?
Qualitative research is subjective and has reflexivity.
How would you describe quantitative research in 1 word?
qualitative research is objective.
Definition of ontology.
Ontology is the nature of reality.
What is on the ontological continuum
realism = all reality is objective.
critical realism = reality can be objective but it is distorted by humans.
relativism = all reality is relative.
What does quantitative research believe?
Quantitative research believes in realism so all reality is objective.
What does qualitative research believe?
Qualitative research believes in relativism which means all reality is relative.
Definition of epistemology
Epistemology is the nature of knowledge.
What is on the epistemology continuum?
Positivism = all knowledge is objective. contextualism = knowledge is context sensitive. Constructionism = all knowledge is constructed.
What does qualitative research believe?
Qualitative research believes in contextualism and constructionism.
What does quantitative research believe?
Quantitative research believes in positivism.
how is qualitative research subjective?
Qualitative research treats knowledge and reality as subjective.
What are the two types of reflexivity?
reflexivity acts as quality control as it reflects on knowledge produced. there are two forms of reflexivity including functional reflexivity and personal reflexivity.
personal reflexivity = the impact researcher has on their own research.
functional reflexivity = the impact research methods have on research.
What does qualitative research require?
qualitative research requires a research questions.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research in terms of samples?
The difference between qualitative and quantitative research in terms of samples is that qualitative research has a more strategic sample (purposive). But, quantitative research has a more random sample.
Definition of interview.
Interview is a conversation with a purpose.
What are the different types of interviews?
There are different types of interviews including structured interviews, semi-structured interviews and unstructured interviews.
What is qualitative research sample like?
qualitative research sample is purposive/strategic.
What is quantitative research sample like?
Quantitative research sample is random.
Describe structured interview.
structured interview has a fixed set of questions. structured interview uses open or closed questions. The advantage of structured interview is that it is reliable but it is not very valid because it does not accurately reflect a person’s experiences.
What type of questions do structured interview use?
Structured interview contains a fixed set of questions. Structured interview uses both open and closed questions.
What is the problem with structured interviews?
The problem with structured interview is the it is not very valid because the questions do not accurately reflect a person’s experiences. the other problem with unstructured interview is that it does not allow for room for elaboration.
What is the advantage of structured interview?
the advantage of structured interview is that it is reliable.
What type of questions does unstructured interview use?
In an unstructured interview, there are one or two broad open-ended questions. The conversation is left to develop naturalistically and is led by participant.
What is the advantage of unstructured interview?
The advantage of unstructured interview is that it is useful for naturalistic data and it is very open. Another advantage of an unstructured interview is that it accurately reflects a participant’s experience.
What is the disadvantage of unstructured interview?
the disadvantage of unstructured interview is that the researcher has little control.
What is used in semi-structured interview?
In semi-structured interviews, prompts and probs are given in order for participants to elaborate so it is more flexible than unstructured interview.
What is the questions like in semi-structured interview?
in semi-structured interview, everyone is given a small number of broad questions so it allows for comparisons. in a semi-structured interview, a interview guide is used.
What is the advantage of semi-structured interview?
The advantage of semi-structured interview is that it is allows for comparison as everyone is given a few fixed questions
What is important when designing interview guide for semi-structured interview?
when designing interview guide for semi-structured interview you need to think of question order and wording of questions.
What types of questions to avoid when doing a semi-structured interview?
You should avoid using overly-long questions, yes/no questions, leading questions and double-barrelled questions in semi-structured interviews.
What do you need to consider when creating sample in qualitative research?
When creating a sample for qualitative research you need to consider:
- either interviewing strangers or friends.
- power differences
- demographic differences of interviewer and interviewee e.g. gender.
- vulnerable groups.
What are things you need to consider in qualitative research but u don’t need to consider in quantitative research?
in qualitative research you need to consider:
- wording of question.
- order of question.
sample considerations:
- vulnerable groups
- power differences
- interviewing friends vs strangers
- demographic differences between interviewer and interviewee.
What can interviews suffer from?
interviews can be biased by social desirability which is when participants respond in a socially acceptable way and a way they think the interviewers wants them to respond in.
Social desirability is a type of bias and it is the tendency to respond in a socially acceptable way.
What you need to consider before conducting interview?
before conducting interview you need to consider:
- you need to practise.
- think of location of interview.
- safety considerations.
- how would you record interview e.g. note taking, audio, video.
What is the sequence of the interview?
- Beginning of interview -
includes introductions, explanation of interview, ethical issues e.g. informed consent. - Set the tone -
build trust and rapport, body language and tone of voice are important. - Main body of interview
- End of interview -
ask them if they have any questions.
What are potential difficulties for interviewer?
- anxiety about interview.
- dealing with participant distress.
- dealing with participants who talk too much or too little.
What are the advantages of interview?
the advantages of interview include:
- generates detailed account of a person’s experiences.
- only requires small amount of participants.
- flexible.
What are the disadvantages of interview?
the disadvantages of interview include:
- time consuming for participants.
- time consuming for researcher.
- lack of breadth as only includes small sample.
definition of virtual interview.
Interviews that are not face to face e.g. Email interviews, telephone interview, zoom.
What are the advantages of virtual interviews?
Advantages of virtual interviews include it is more convenient and empowering, more accessible and useful for sensitive topics.
What are the disadvantages of virtual interviews?
Disadvantages of virtual interviews is that it is less convenient for some and less accessible for some, data security and wifi issues.
