Qualitative Approaches To Research

Question 1

Why do researchers do qualitative research?

Answer 1

Rich detailed description of human phenomena
Interest in sense making
Can generate new theories (focus on inductive method)
Meaning of experience/behaviour in social construct
Accepts complexity and variability

Question 2

What are features of qualitative research?

Answer 2

Lots of description and understanding
Inductive methods
Often uses language or observation as data

Question 3

What does qualitative research aim to study?

Answer 3

Thoughts, feelings, or use of language in depth and detail
Public discourse through documents and social media
Behaviour (verbal and non verbal)

Question 4

What do you avoid when writing qualitative research questions?

Answer 4

It is not a hypothesis

Don’t make causal statements

Avoid predictions

Question 5

What is methodology?

Answer 5

Relates to describing, explaining, justifying methods but is not the actual methods themselves

Question 6

What is a method?

Answer 6

It focuses on the way that you collect and analyses your data

Question 7

What is methodological coherence?

Answer 7

It is a fit between research approach and methodology, needs to be thought through carefully

Question 8

What are features of ethnography?

Answer 8

It is an observation
Data collection often relatively unstructured
Data gathering from a range of sources
Small scale, intense, often data gathered over extended period of time
Use of field notes
Data analysis

Question 9

What is thick description?

Answer 9

In depth information that tells not only what is present, but how and why it is there, what accompanies it and what meanings and emotions are attached to it

Question 10

What is thin description?

Answer 10

Superficial information that contains limited detail and very little explanation or detail about behavioural context

Question 11

What is ethnography?

Answer 11

The scientific description of people and their cultures with their customs, habits, and mutual differences

Question 12

What are features of the grounded theory?

Answer 12

Developed by Glaser and Strauss
Inductive method: open and flexible data collection, and iterative refinement of research questions
Often considered both a method and a theory
Methods usually interview based using open ended questions
Use of constant comparative analysis

Question 13

Features of the grounded theory continued

Answer 13

Uses theoretical sampling
Move from descriptive thinking to analytical/ abstract
There are different versions of grounded theory
Draws on notion of data saturation

Question 14

What are features of phenomenology?

Answer 14

Focus on “lived experience” as meaning making
Social context of experience viewed as important
Often focuses on narrative data, collected via interviews

Question 15

What are some features of individual interviews?

Answer 15

Can be structured/semi structured/unstructured
Single or multiple interviews
Purposive sampling
Piloting

Question 16

What are potential advantages of group interviews over individual interviews?

Answer 16

Efficiency
Closer to everyday conversation
Generates data that includes interaction between participants on topic of interest (debate, discussion, disagreement)
Useful for sensitive subjects

Question 17

What are features of observations?

Answer 17

Useful when collecting behaviour instead of what participants say they do
Uses field notes with other data

Question 18

What are some limitations/considerations of observations?

Answer 18

Gaining access to the setting can be a challenge
How will you gain consent?
How do you record what is important?

Question 19

What are features of qualitative approaches to research in psychology?

Answer 19

Interest in meaning and social context
Inductive methods 
Reflexivity
Reject atomistic approach to understanding behaviour
Think rather than thin description