Qualitative Research Flashcards
What is qualitative research?
The process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data such as language and other NONUMERICAL information.
What does qualitative research seek to understand?
The meaning of an experience for the participants
What are other names for qualitative research?
- Naturalistic
- Interpretive
- Grounded Theory
- Phenomenological
- Ethnographic
- Participant Observational Research
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning research focus?
Qualitative: quality (nature, essence)
Quantitative: quantity (how much/many)
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning associated phrases?
Qualitative: fieldwork, naturalistic, subjective
Quantitative: experimental, empirical (based on data), statistical
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning goals?
Qualitative: understanding, description, hypothesis gathering, discovery
Quantitative: prediction, control, description, hypothesis testing
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning design characteristics?
Qualitative: flexible, evolving
Quantitative: predetermined, structured
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning setting?
Qualitative: natural, familiar
Quantitative: unfamiliar, artificial
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning sample?
Qualitative: small, non-random, purposive (gives the most info)
Quantitative: large, random, representative
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning data collection?
Qualitative: researcher is the primary instrument, observation
Quantitative: inanimate objects collect data
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning mode of analysis?
Qualitative: inductive by researcher
Quantitative: deductive by statistical methods
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research concerning findings?
Qualitative: comprehensive, expansive
Quantitative: precise, narrow
What does inductive mean?
Specific to general
What does deductive mean?
General to specific
What are the procedures in qualitative research?
- Define the problem
- Formulate questions and theoretical framework
- Collect data
What is important when collecting data?
- Training the researcher and piloting the questions
- Selecting purposive subjects
- Entering the setting
What are the three major methods of data collection?
- Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Observation
Describe interviews.
- Most common
- Can be highly structured or open-ended
- Must have practice (pilot study)
- Must appear nonjudgmental
- Should be video recorded
Describe focus groups.
- The group must be homogenous
- Can be less intimidating unless the topic is controversial
- You are not trying to reach a consensus
- Should be video recorded
Describe observations
Usually fieldwork
How do you analyze data?
- Data Reduction
- Sorting, analyzing, and categorizing
- Interpreting the data
What is involved in data reduction?
- Transcribing
- Confirm for accuracy
What are you looking for when sorting, analyzing, and categorizing
Looking for themes and common words
Instead of validity and reliability, what is used in qualitative research?
Trustworthiness
What is trustworthiness?
It is used to describe the overall quality of the results
What is Credibility?
When the participants and setting are accurately described
What is transferability?
Results can be transferred to other settings
What is confirmability?
If readers feel the results are reliable
What methods help show trustworthiness?
- Prolonged engagement
- Audit Trail
- Rich, Thick Description
- Clarification of Research Bias
- Triangulation
- Negative Case Check
- Member Check
- Peer Debriefing
What is prolonged engagement?
Showing there was enough time spent with participants to form an in-depth understanding
What is an audit trial?
Changes that were made during the study and how they influenced the study
What is a rich, thick description?
This is used to help readers understand the study and to make sure there is enough information for a study
What is clarification of research bias?
The research acknowledges their biases and how they work to control them
What is triagulation?
Using multiple sources of evidence to support a conclusion
What is negative case check?
If the results of the research are as persuasive as the researcher thought (are the results because they are there or because they want to see them)
What is member check?
The researcher shares the conclusions with participants to see if they agree with the results
What is peer debriefing?
another person who has been trained on what you are studying looks at your conclusions and challenges them
