RM Qual 1 Flashcards
Qualitative Research
Goals
- Concerned with meaning. Interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how
people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world (Merriam, 2009) - Aims to understand ‘what it is like’ to have a particular experience particular conditions (e.g. what it means
and how it feels to live with chronic illness or to be unemployed) and how people manage certain situations
(e.g. how people negotiate family life or relations with work colleagues). - Focussed on describing and possibly explaining or interpreting
- Studies people in within naturally occurring settings (such as the home, schools, hospitals, the street) to understand how experience and meaning is shaped by context
* asks questions about processes, such as ‘What do people do when they form groups?’, ‘How do people
manage change in the workplace?’ or ‘How do people live with chronic pain?
Realism:
there is a single reality that exists independently of the researcher that can be uncovered
Relativism
: reality is
constructed through
interpretation so the social
world is comprised of
multiple realities and
perspectives, each one as
relevant as any other
Subtle Realism:
acknowledges the
existence of an independent reality, a
world that has an existence independent of
our perception of it, but denies that there
can be direct access to that reality
Ontology
…concerned with the nature of reality. What can we
know? What exists?
Epistemology
How is knowledge created?
Positivist:
Genuine knowledge is objective, observable, law-like, value free and can be uncovered through scientific methods
Interpretivist/
Constructionist:
All
knowledge is socially
constructed, an
interpretation, not
value free
Is this RQ Qualitative or Quantitative?
How do students make sense of community within a
large University setting?
Why?
Qualitative because
-Exploratory
-Identifies a specific context
-Identidfies a specific group
-Focus on individual meaning and understanding
Unobtrusive methods of qualitative data collection
- published narratives
-Archival documents
-simple observation
-images, films, adverts
-audio
-self report/reflective diary
structured interview
Same questions, same order, same setting
* May have suggested response options
* Answers can be coded and quantified for statistical
analysis
* Interviewee has a passive role
positives of a structured interview
- Standardised approach for consistency and
low bias - Reliable and replicable
- Quick and doesn’t require strong interview
skills
negatives of a structured interview
NOT qualitative – more like a spoken
questionnaire
* Closes off theoretical avenues
* Limited range of responses
* Difficult to capture complexity
Semi-structured interview
Interviewer uses the schedule flexibly, following up on
interviewee responses and adapting the order of
questions to fit the ideas introduced by the interviewee
* A form of guided conversation. Sometimes called a
‘focussed interview’
* Questions are mostly open ended but can use closed
questions too
* Important to build rapport at the start of the
interview
positives of semi-structured interview
- Flexibility generates richer detail and allows deeper
understanding of the interviewees experiences - Some standardisation possible
- Captures complexities and inconsistencies Provides
insight into respondents’ views and experiences - Useful for exploring sensitive topics
- Gives voice to/empowers participants
negatives of semi-structured interview
- Non-natural conversation
Unstructured interview
Interviewer has topic guide but allows the interviewee
to lead the interview
* Interviewer acknowledges they do not know in
advance all issues or relevant questions
* Instead they develop and adapt questions and
follow-up probes appropriate to situation and
interviewee
positives of Unstructured interview
- Being respondent-led empowers interviewees
to define and focus on what is important to
them - Useful when little is known about a research
topic and when target group is hard to reach - Gives voice to/empowers interviewees
- Rich, detailed, complex data
negatives of Unstructured interview
- Requires good interview skills
- Little standardisation and reliability
- Complex to analyse
- Potential for bias
Focus group
Moderator has topic guide but participants interact
with each other, as well as the moderator so can
challenge / extend / develop, undermine / qualify
statements
* Group dynamics integral to the process of data
generation(Willig, 2008)
* Meanings are jointly constructed
* Groups can be homogenous or heterogenous
* Often video recorded
* Requires a very skilled moderator
positives of focus group
Discourse can have higher ecological validity than
individual interviews, more naturalistic
* Different perspectives on topic
* Collect large amount of data in a short time
* Relatively inexpensive
negatives of focus group
- Not always suitable for sensitive topics (disclosure not
enhanced in a group; Willig, 2008) - Video recording can reduce quality of group interaction
- ‘Social desirability’ bias
- Group dynamics – power issues
- Ethical issues
Good interview schedule should include:
- start by building rapport
-Have a logical order e.g. start broad, go specific experiences - Group the related questions
-Use mostly open questions
-Include probes to encourage rich and detailed descriptions
-save questions for sensitive topics for later in the interview
-use language that is accessible, easy to understand
How to facilitate good interviews
plan to :
- create safe environment
-address ethical issues: consents, confidentiality, post-interview support
-care for the interviewees wellbeing
-Be flexible and self-aware
How to facilitate good interviews
be aware of non-verbal communication e.g.
convey interest and openness while maintaining appropriate boundaries
avoid conveying judgements
How to facilitate good interviews
verbal communication
- positive encouragers
- probes + prompts
- silences - give floor back to interviewee
- Avoid premature closure “ anything you’d like to add?”
