What type of paradigm is often associated with the qualitative research process?
Interpretive paradigm
Name the steps in the data collection process in an interpretive study:
- Choose a sampling method
- Select a sample or cases
- Choose the data collection method
- Determine what data will be collected and design any questions
- Conduct a pilot study and modify methods as necessary
- Collect the research data
Methods for a non-random sampling in an interpretivist study:
Networking Snowball sampling Judgemental/purposive Piggyback sampling Screening Convenience sampling
Describe snowball sampling
Describe judgemental sampling
Name the two different interview methods under un interpretivist paradigm
Unstructured
Semi-structured
Describe the semi-structured interview method
Discuss any problems regarding the interpretivist study approach
Name the data collection methods for an interpretivist study and discuss these
- critical incident technique
- interviews
- focus groups
- protocol analysis
- diaries
- observation
Describe contextualisation
Qualitative data need to be understood within context, therefore you need to collect some background information first.
Ex. Time, location, social & economic influences.
Name different type of interview questions and which should be used when
o Open questions (tell me what happened when..)
o Closed questions (Who did you consult?)
o Multiple questions (more than one in a sentence)
o Probes (..What happened next?)
o Hypothetical question (What might happen that could change your opinion)
o Comparison questions (e.g do you prefer weekly or daily meetings?)
Key elements in analysing the qualitative data analysis process
- Comprehending – Acquiring a full understanding of the setting, culture and study topic before the research starts. (Ongoing discussion regarding how much knowledge the researcher should have)
- Synthesising – Drawing together different themes and concepts from the research and forming them into new patterns. Items of data are reduced and sifted to give a general explanation.
- Theorising – The constant development and manipulation of theoretical schemes until the best theoretical scheme is found.
- Recontextualising – Through the process of generalisation, so that the theory can be applied to other settings and population.
Discuss the three simultaneous flows of activity in a general analytical procedure:
- data reduction
- data display
- conclusions & verification
Describe how you would use a general analytical procedure
- Add labels/codes to words, phrases, paragraphs and label them as examples of a particular thing
- Make reflections and comments
- Connect codes to each other throughout the material
- Group codes into broader themes to help focus further data collecting
- Analyse patterns
Describe the content analysis
It is method by which selected items of qualitative data are systematically converted to numerical data for analysis.
(Usually associated with a positivist paradigm but also qualitative data such as open-ended material)
Describe the discourse analysis:
Refers to a number of approaches to analysing the use of language in a social-psychological context.
Define the 4 variables for evaluating the analysis:
- Credibility – If the research was conducted in a manner that the subject of the inquiry was correctly identified and described
- Transferability – Whether the findings can be applied to another situation that is sufficiently similar to permit generalisation
- Dependability – whether the research processes are systematic, rigorous and well documented.
- Confirmability – Whether the research process has been described fully and it is possible to assess whether the findings frow flow the data.
Define the different ways of analysing qualitative data
- Content analysis
- Discourse analysis
- Grounded theory
- Thematic analysis
- Cognitive mapping
Describe the key characteristics for the Grounded Theory
- Iteration
- Purpose and theoretical sampling
- Coding
- Theorizing
- Making comparisons
- Theoretical density
Process of grounded theory:
- Coding: three levels
o Open coding – Take your text and break in up in different parts, then you create codes
o Axial coding – Draw connections between the codes you developed in open coding. Group codes into categories
o Selective coding – Connect all you axial (category) codes into a core category - Theorizing
Explain step-by-step the general analytical procedure of qualitative research
Explain the use of interviews and observations for collecting qualitative data.
Additionally, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these data collection
methods?
Critically reflect upon the learning from your research proposal in connection to the
different steps from the research process.
Explain why certain issues turned out well, and
discuss the difficulties you have faced during your research proposal, how you would do
some issues differently and for which reason.
In your answer, integrate specific examples,
deep reflections and specific conclusions.
Critically discuss two different interview approaches of your choice and explain suitable
research settings for each of them.
