Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Flashcards
List:
FOUR key ‘tools‘/types of methods to consider in your research.
- Sampling methods.
- Data collection methods.
- Data analysis methods.
- Methods of communicating results.
List:
Up to TEN examples of qualitative data collection methods.
Try to remember as many as you can!
- Media analysis.
- Direct observation.
- Ethnographic observation.
- Open-ended surveys.
- Diaries.
- Story completion.
- Arts-based methods.
- Interviews.
- Focus groups.
- Oral history.
What are considered the TWO ‘traditional’ methods of qualitative data collection?
Interviews
&
Focus groups.
What is the most common method of qualitative data collection?
Interviews
Interviews often give ____ & ____ - ____ accounts.
rich & in-depth
Identify:
The THREE main styles of an interview.
- Structured (set of questions).
- Semi-structured (follow-ups, spontaneity).
- Unstructured (no pre-decided questions).
List:
FOUR examples of components for a ‘good interview’.
- Open-ended questions.
- Connection with participants.
- Respect.
- Quality time spent overall.
Define:
A focus group
Multiple participants being interviewed simultaneously.
This tends to be groups of 6-8, but may be smaller/larger.
List:
THREE key ways focus groups are unique to traditional interviews.
- Researcher/Facilitator(s) have more of a ‘backseat role’.
- Participants encouraged to ‘bounce-off’ each other.
- More complicated transcriptions.
Overall, it shifts the power dynamic between researcher and participants.
List:
THREE advantages of an interview compared to focus groups.
- Anonymity.
- Increased likelihood of getting better detail from each individual participant.
- Easier transcriptions.
List:
FOUR advantages of a focus group compared to an interview.
- Shifts power dynamic of researcher and participants.
- Increased comfort for some people.
- Potentially increased variety/diversity in answers.
- Saving time.
What are the TWO main types of transcription?
Naturalised
&
Denaturalised
Note: These are more like two ends of a spectrum though.
Define:
Naturalised transcription
Conversion of verbal discourses into written form in a way that aims to retain as much original detail as possible.
This means keeping im pauses, utterances, grammatical errors, etc.
Define:
Denaturalised transcription
Conversion of verbal discourses into written form in a way that aims to adapt it to ‘textual norms’.
Note: This does NOT mean changing what was actually said, but may involve excluding excessive utterances or pauses, etc.
What were the TWO prior types of sample size guidelines in qualitative research?
- Arbitrary numbers (e.g. 4-6, 12).
- Data saturation.
People now base sample size on pragmatism.
Define:
Data saturation
The point at which no new information is yielded from further data collection.
Nowadays, this concept is highly scrutinised in the field of qualitative psychological research, as humans are unqiue individuals, and so reaching such a definitive saturation point is essentially impossible.
List:
TWO reasons why data saturation is NOT applicable to qualitative psychological research.
- Each individual is unique to another.
- People change over time.
What recent approach is more popular now in deciding sample size for qualitative research?
A pragmatic approach.
This means time and resource constraints essentially set the upper-limit of data collection.
Define:
Naturally occurring data.
‘Data that would have occurred, regardless of researcher presence’.
Define:
Ethnography
Observing or collecting data from participants in their natural settings.
This often involves researchers immersing themselves in certain communities or contexts.
What is ONE potential issue with observational studies?
(When using naturally occurring data)
Ambiguous or no consent.
What are TWO benefits of surveys in conducting qualitative research?
Although, this can apply to mixed methods/quantitative surveys too!
- Anonymity (especially for sensitive topics).
- Less resource intensive.
Although, the anonymity can be a ‘double-edged sword’ if it leads to people being more inauthentic or not giving genuine answers.
Describe:
The vignette technique for qualitative research.
Participants are given stories or hypothetical scenarios and asked to respond to them.
How does the story completion technique differ to the vignette technique in qualitative research?
Story completion involves presenting participants stories or hypothetical scenarios and asking them to ‘finish’ it.
Vignettes are already complete, and simply require a response.
What is ONE particular benefit of the vignette/story completion techniques in qualitative research?
It can be less confronting to participants, as it is not asking them directly about their personal experiences.
What is the main benefit/purpose of using diary entries in qualitative research?
It assists in finding individuals’ patterns/trends over the course of a longitudinal study.
Note: It is often paired with other methods as well.
State:
The ONE key advantage and ONE key disadvantage of using media in qualitative research.
(Media could be newspapers, radio call-ins, magazines, online posts, discussion forums, etc.)
- Readily accessible and wide variety of data.
- Ambiguous or no consent.
List:
FIVE examples of visual or arts-based methods of data collection.
(In qualitative research)
- Autophotography
- Photo Elicitation
- Body Mapping
- Story Walking
- Poetry
Ultimately, creativity is your limit!
Define:
Body mapping
(Qualitative research)
Using bodies to visually represent emotions, experiences, or individual contexts.
This is a particularly poignant tool for people who find it difficult to verbally/textually express themselves.
Define:
Story Walking
(Qualitative research)
Researcher goes on a walk with the participant whilst conducting an interview or getting them to share experiences.
Believed to be a far more ‘human’/peronanle approach, with roots in ethnography and anthropology.
What are the SEVEN main methods of qualitative data analysis?
- Narrative Analysis
- Content Analysis
- Discourse Analysis
- Conversation Analysis
- Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis
- Grounded Theory
- Thematic Analysis
Thematic analysis was covered during the lectures by Gloria Fraser.
Define:
Content analysis
Reduction of text to more manageable bits of data.
It is more based on the systematic classification of data components (eg. words, images, phrases, etc.), and so differs to thematic analysis - which focuses on trends in themes.
Define:
Thematic analysis
Identification of common themes or patterns of meaning across datasets.
This often incorporates aspects of content analysis initially (i.e. coding) in order to piece together overarching themes.
Define:
Interpretive phenomenological analysis
Analysis of how individuals make sense of their experiences and contexts.
