Qualitative Lecture III Flashcards
What are structured interviews?
The interviewer asks a set of pre-determined questions in a specific order. The interviewer goes into the interview with a set of questions, asks those questions in that order, and then leaves.
What are Semi-structured interviews?
The interviewer has a set of questions, but they can also ask follow-up questions based on the participant’s responses.
What are unstructured interviews?
The interviewer has a topic in mind but does not use a set of questions. The interview is led by the participant and the questions are open-ended.
What questions can be used to assess and interpret data?
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What surprising information did you not expect to find?
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What information is interesting?
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What information is unusual?
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What are the dominant interpretations?
What is trustworthiness/rigour?
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Trustworthiness and rigour are important in qualitative research to ensure that findings are credible, reliable, and not just a reflection of the researcher’s own biases.
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Researchers bring subjectivity to qualitative research, and participants also have their own realities and viewpoints.
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Steps must be taken to ensure the final interpretation and analysis of the data is trustworthy.
What steps can be taken to ensure trustworthiness/rigour?
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Member checking
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Peer debriefing
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Triangulation
What is Member Checking?
The researcher sends interview/focus group transcripts back to participants to verify accuracy and allow them to add or remove information.
What is Peer Debriefing?
The researcher discusses their analysis with other researchers or independent researchers to get feedback and identify potential biases. Discussion continues until any disagreements are resolved.
What is triangulation?
The researcher uses multiple sources of data to confirm findings, which can involve collecting both qualitative and quantitative data.
What is data representation?
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Data representation is presenting qualitative research findings clearly, concisely, and understandably.
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The researcher must consider their research question, the information they want to portray to readers, and the best way for readers to understand the data.
What are the different types of data representation?
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Hierarchical trees
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Summary tables
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Causal networks
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Text and quotations
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Narratives
How do hierarchical trees represent data?
Organise data and visually represent the variables of interest and how they influence other variables.
How do summary tables present data?
Offer a clear overview of data with lots of variables, numbers, or percentages.
How do causal networks represent data?
Visually represent how one variable might affect another, providing an explanatory representation.
How do text and quotations represent data?
Illuminate phenomena by including participant words and providing context for hierarchical trees and causal networks.
How to Narratives represent data?
Portray how participants understand and respond to each other in conversations, focusing on interaction sequences.
What is mixed methods design?
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Mixed methods design combines qualitative and quantitative data for a more comprehensive understanding of a research problem.
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The research question should be considered to determine if a mixed method approach is necessary or if a qualitative approach is sufficient.
What are the rationales for using mixed methods designs?
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Triangulation
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Expansion
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Exploration
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Completeness
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Offset Weakness
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Different research questions
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Different research illustration
What is triangulation? (mixed methods design)
Using qualitative and quantitative data to confirm findings.
What is expansion? (mixed methods design)
Using qualitative data to explore/explain quantitative findings, or vice versa.
What is exploration? (mixed methods design)
Using qualitative data to explore a topic before conducting a quantitative study, such as designing a new questionnaire.
What is completeness? (mixed methods design)
Using qualitative and quantitative data for a more complete understanding.
What is Offset Weakness? (mixed methods design)
Using one data type to offset the weaknesses of the other.
What is the purpose of different research questions? (mixed methods design)
Different questions may be answered by different data types.
What is the purpose of different research illustration? (mixed methods design)
Using both data types to illustrate a research problem.
What are the four types of mixed methods design?
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Convergent Design
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Explanatory Sequential Design
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Exploratory Sequential Design
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Embedded Intervention Design
What is a convergent design?
Qualitative and quantitative data are collected and analyzed simultaneously for triangulation.
What is an Explanatory Sequential Design?
Quantitative data is collected first, analyzed, and then followed by qualitative data to explain quantitative findings.
What is an Exploratory Sequential Design?
Qualitative data is collected first, analyzed, and then followed by quantitative data to explore a research topic and develop questionnaires.
What is an Embedded Intervention Design?
Qualitative data is collected before, during, and/or after an intervention to evaluate its effectiveness.
What are divergent findings?
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Divergent findings occur when qualitative and quantitative data don’t match up, potentially due to question phrasing, measures used, or participant perception.
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Divergent findings are not wrong and can be an opportunity for deeper understanding and new theories.
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