Research Methods - Qual Flashcards

1
Q

what is purposeful sampling

A
  • selecting ‘useful, information rich’ cases

- involves sampling of events, concepts, time, processes & place

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2
Q

what’re the characteristics of qualitative research (x6)

A
  • ethnography
  • phenomenology
  • case study
  • critical
  • grounded theory
  • mixed methods
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3
Q

Ontological position typically adapted by qualitative researchers?

A

considering reality between concepts, categories & multiple realities

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4
Q

Epistemological position typically adapted by qualitative researchers?

A

knowledge is co-constructed between researcher & researched

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5
Q

Axiological position typically adapted by qualitative researchers?

A

individual values honoured, negotiated among individuals

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6
Q

Methodological position typically adapted by qualitative researchers?

A

inductive methods most common, understanding & interpretation

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7
Q

Ethnography is one tradition within qualitative research. Identify two distinguishing characteristics.

A
  • being within the group & learning the culture

- living through research & gathering data as it happens/gaining some experiences

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8
Q

Phenomenology is one tradition within qualitative research. Identify two distinguishing characteristics.

A
  • looking at the nature of events/meanings instead of just what they are
  • study of phenomena and how they’re consciously perceived
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9
Q

Grounded theory is one tradition within qualitative research. Identify two distinguishing characteristics.

A
  • has 6 pointers for creating ‘optimal conditions’

- flexible methodology for collecting & analysing qualitative data to construct theories

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10
Q

Critically/openly ideological research is one tradition within qualitative research. Identify two distinguishing characteristics.

A
  • provides knowledge which engages prevailing social structures
  • challenges those, seen by critical researchers, as oppressive in nature
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11
Q

Life history & narrative (biographical method) is one tradition within qualitative research. Identify two distinguishing characteristics.

A
  • focuses on the generation analysis & presentation of the data of a life history, life story, personal experiences
  • data generated from interviews & personal documents
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12
Q

strengths of semi-structured interviews (x3)

A
  • greater control to participants than structured
  • allows participants degree of flexibility to express opinions/feelings/attitudes/ideas
  • reveal more about meanings they attach experiences to
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13
Q

limitations of semi-structured interviews (x4)

A
  • barriers between interviewer & participant = experiences not shared
  • difficult to conduct
  • risks losing complexity of people’s lives
  • more difficult to analyse than structured
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14
Q

strengths of unstructured interviews (x4)

A
  • good at eliciting & inviting stories/meanings
  • useful for exploring a topic in broad terms
  • often allows for more spontaneous dialogue
  • allows for unanticipated ideas/phenomena/affects to emerge
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15
Q

limitations of unstructured interviews (x4)

A
  • data is more difficult to analyse & to compare
  • time consuming
  • (can) produce large amounts of data not useful to study
  • need experienced researcher to conduct
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16
Q

strengths of focus groups (x3)

A
  • good for exploratory studies (spontaneous views)
  • allows dynamic dialogue (social interactions examined)
  • participants have high degree of control over direction & content of discussions
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17
Q

limitations of focus groups (x5)

A
  • people might not share intimate details with groups
  • one individual may dominate discussions
  • getting people together may be difficult
  • difficult to transcribe
  • maintaining anonymity of those involved difficult
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18
Q

what are the four roles available to a researcher when conducting observations in the field?

A
  1. complete observer
    - researcher does not actively participate but observes what occurs & how
  2. observer as a participant
    - researcher mostly observes but may have a minor role in participating in the field
  3. participant as observer
    - researcher participates in the daily activities of the social group whilst still observing
  4. complete participant
    - researcher immerses fully into the culture of the social group & observes whilst fully participating
19
Q

ways in which visual data can be generated in qualitative research (x4)

A
  • timelining
  • meaningful objects
  • media articles
  • blogs
20
Q

list ways qualitative data can be analysed (analytical approaches) (x4)

A
  • content analysis
  • thematic analysis
  • narrative analysis
  • discourse analysis
21
Q

describe one strength & one limitation of member reflections

A
Strengths
-generate additional data/insights
-helps improve efficacy of data
Limitations
-risk of causing harm to participant (the interpretations) as looking back on experiences could be traumatic
22
Q

strength & limitation of complete observer (one of the roles available to researcher in observations)

A

Strength
-no impact on behaviour
Limitations
-too far out, not involved therefore miss important data

23
Q

strength & limitation of participant as observer (one of the roles available to researcher in observations)

A

Strength
-(over time) become ignored therefore increases depth of analysis
Limitation
-can change the behaviour of those being observed (influence conversations for example)

24
Q

strength & limitation of complete participant (one of the roles available to researcher in observations)

A

Strength
-embedded totally within field therefore improving insights into behaviour
Limitation
-too close (due to embedding in culture), become friends and miss things
-ethical considerations

25
Q

How diaires used to collect qualitative data + strengths & limitations of this method (x2 each)

A

Participants asked to record thoughts, feeling & ideas about personal experiences/observations
Strengths
-deeper insight into experiences
-reduced retrospective recall
Limitations
-participant doing data collection too often = burden
-might have to prompt to remind to complete

26
Q

How timelining used to collect qualitative data + strengths of this method (x2)

A

Graphical elicitation plotting critical incidents of experiences that visually represents how participants make sense of experiences over time
Strengths
-helps build rapport during interviews/facilitates sense of comfort
-helps engage through reflections on life events

27
Q

How visual methods used to collect qualitative data + strengths & limitations of this method (x3 each)

A

Utilise photos, paintings, drawings etc. that the participant interprets & communicates knowledge
Strengths
-easily accessible (out there to be studied)
-engaging for participants/cultures/children
-alternative for dominant language-based research
Limitations
-assumes access to equipment e.g phones/cameras
-assumes ability to draw e.g. disabilities
-consent for photos, difficult to get EVERYONE

28
Q

How digital methods (the internet) used to collect qualitative data + strengths & limitations of this method (x3 & 1)

A

Unique (re)presentation of an individual/group’s self as it is lived through & reconstructed by people
Strengths
-easily accessible (out there to be studied)
-archived, worldwide
-instantaneously provide substantial amounts of data
Limitations
-ethics… people may post photos/blogs but don’t want these analysed (are they public or in closed groups)

29
Q

(Analytical Approaches) What is Grounded theory + the 3 steps? (with a small description of each)

A

Is the process of analysis building up to create & test a theory
Step 1: Open Coding
-intense line-by-line coding (each line), link similar codes together
Step 2: Axial Coding
-‘put back together’ data into categories, relate to a core category
Step 3: Selective Coding (Theoretical Integration)
-links all categories to the core category so theoretical proposition achieved

30
Q

Limitations of Grounded Theory (x4)

A
  • very time consuming
  • open coding not easily learnt
  • can lose ‘whole picture’ of research if data too fragmented
  • problems explaining lived experience
31
Q

(Analytical Approaches) What is Discourse Analysis + the 3 steps? (with a small description of each)

A

Analysis of language/meanings that are achieved through methods such as posters in relation to culture
Step 1: describe the context of the text
-focus on vocab/wording/grammar etc (written) or clothing, groupings, contexts, camera shots etc (visual)
Step 2: engage in intertextual analysis
-examine how/when/where people use/respond to the text/images
Step 3: connect findings to ideology
-such as healthism, sexism etc

32
Q

Strengths (x1) & limitations (x2) of Discourse Analysis

A

Strength
-useful for how power works in society/what effects for certain people
Limitations
-predominant negative focus, rarely social action reconstructed in positive way
-knows researchers interpretations but not reflective on everyone

33
Q

(Analytical Approaches) The 6 phases with Thematic Analysis? (with a small description of each)

A

Phase 1: Immersion
-transcribing & looking for potential themes
Phase 2: Generating initial codes
-code across entire data in systematic fashion, producing long list of codes
Phase 3: Searching for & identifying (developing) themes
-organising coded data into candidate themes
Phase 4: Reviewing themes
-two levels: 1) check if themes work in relation to coded extracts & 2) code across data set any additional themes potential missed
Phase 5: Defining & narrowing themes
-identify what each theme is about & determine what aspects of data each theme capture
Phase 6: Writing the report
-refine analysis (last chance) & report enough data extracts to demonstrate prevalence of themes

34
Q

(Analytical Approaches) What is narrative analysis?

A
  • Examines content, structure, performance or contexts of entire stories (no breaking down/coding)
  • e.g. ‘exercise as restitution’ or ‘exercise as medicine’
35
Q

Approaches when preparing for qualitative analysis… differences between deductive & inductive analysis?

A

Deductive
-start with a theory being researched
-look for codes/data that matches/supports the theory
Inductive
-not imposing theory onto data
-construct themes, then try relate to a theory
-match then develop theories

36
Q

(Tracy, 2010) Criteria for excellent qualitative research with short description (x8)

A

Worthy Topic
-relevant, timely, significant, interesting
Rich Rigor
-sufficient & complex theoretical constructs
Sincerity
-self-reflexivity about subjective values/biases
Credibility
-thick description, triangulation, member reflections
Resonance
-Transferable findings
Significant Contribution
-conceptually/theoretically/morally/methodologically etc
Ethical
-procedural, cultural, relational etc
Meaningful Coherence
-achieves purpose, methods/procedures fit goals

37
Q

Methods of Reflexivity

A
  • critical self-reflection
  • reflect on how the researcher’s age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and/or (dis)ability may have affect analysis
  • how it may influence interactions/observations
  • ‘critical distance’ to observe/question practices
38
Q

Characteristics of the Parallel Perspective/Criteria

A

-set of criteria for judging trustworthiness (credibility, transferability, dependability & confirmability)
-these are parallel to validity, reliability, objectivity & (statistical) generalizability
-recognises qualitative & quantitative research differ, thus different criteria needed to judge
-suggest technique to achieve goal of credibility
(Limitation)
-PP not suitable for judging qualitative inquiry as its philosophically contradictory

39
Q

Characteristics of Letting Go Perspective (relativist approach)

A
  • judgements should be made based upon list of criteria that are appropriate to form of inquiry
  • criteria not universal or static in nature
  • list of characterising traits can change over time/in different contexts
  • studies guided by a relativist approach (rather than realist) should draw upon appropriate criteria to judge the quality of their research
40
Q

How is reliability ensured within qualitative research?

A
  • acknowledged that qualitative research doesn’t fit normal assumptions of reliability
  • therefore, an audit trail included
  • this is giving detailed descriptions of the path of their research
41
Q

Methods of generalising data (Smith, 2017) (x5)

A

Statistical-probabilistic generalisability
Naturalistic generalisability
-findings resonate with reader’s personal engagement
Transferability
-transferable to other settings
Analytical generalisability
-concept/theory makes sense over different contexts
Intersectional generalisability
-historically oppressed communities

42
Q

Characteristics of autoethnography

A
  • highly personal, revealing writing where researcher focuses on own lived experiences
  • provide insights into cultural and/or political through grounding the personal
  • often destabilises culturally dominant stories or assumptions
43
Q

Strategies for enhancing trustworthiness of research (x8)

A
  • reflective diary
  • prolonged researcher engagement
  • reciprocal engagement with participants
  • rich detail & information (thick description)
  • triangulation
  • audit trail
  • purposive sampling
  • peer/stakeholder/public debrief or review