Qualitative Research Flashcards
resistant view of qualitative research
- unscientific
- soft science
- subjective
- criticism and not theory
why is there resistance to qualitative research?
truth is often only seen as being defined by “neutral, objective, apolitical”
Interpretivism’s main claim
human action is inherently meaningful
- actions contain within them meaning or intention
- actions can be understood within a system of meanings to which they belong
The three theorisations of interpretivism
- empathic identification
- phenomenological sociology
- language games
Empathic identification
- aims to understand subjective unconsciousness
- believe psychological re-enactment can be accomplished through an objectivist approach
- does this through application of methods that allow them to become an observer
psychological re-enactment
- getting inside someone’s head to understand their beliefs, motives, thoughts
- also called intentionalism or conservative hermeneutics
Phenomenological Sociology
-ask: how do we make human action meaningful?
two concepts that are central to making meaning for phenomenological sociology
- indexicality: the meaning of words is dependent on the context
- reflexivity: words are not only about something but they also do things
Language games
- popularised by Ludwig Wittgenstein and later Peter Winch
- we do many things with language and in doing so we play games
- language games have rules and criteria that form a system of meaning that give meaning to language games (include cultural conventions, beliefs, practices)
shared features of traditional interpretivism (three theorisations)
- human action is meaningful
- show an ethical commitment in the form of respect for everyday experiences
- they share a neo-Kantian emphasis on the contribution of human subjectivity to knowledge without sacrificing objective knowledge
qualitative interviewing
- studying individuals in a more naturalistic manner
- interviews are used to find out how people really feel about, understand or experience particular things
types of interviews qualitative uses
-semi-structured
-unstructured
NOT highly structured
semi-structured interviews
- most common form of interview
- focussed but flexible
- prepare an interview schedule which is used as a guide
- discussion
unstructured interviews
- little structure, more flexible
- aim to understand participant’s world-view
- interviewer introduces broad topic
- discussion develops on its own
semi-structured interview advantages
- maintain focus
- obtain specific info
- less time
- less experience/training needed
semi-structured interview disadvantages
- limiting meaning
- controlled
- finding answers already known
unstructured interview advantages
- greater flexibility
- unanticipated findings
- new meanings/theory development
- participants take back power
unstructured interview disadvantages
- less control
- more skill/ experience needed
- more time required
- data analysis more complex
before the interview: interview schedule
- decide on what questions to ask
- think about phrasing of your questions
- decide on sequence of your questions
- include follow-up questions
- balance is nb
during the interview: skills and rapport
- build trust
- establish rapport
- active listener
- be empathic
- facilitate conversation
- consider effects of social identities of interviewees and your own (race, class, gender, age)
who developed focus groups?
Robert Merton and colleagues in 1940s
what is a focus group?
a research technique that collects data through group interaction on a topic determined by the researcher