Scott Qualitative Research Flashcards
What is qualitative research?
- Based on smaller more focussed inquiry rather than large random samples
- A systematic approach to gathering non-numerical data to study social reality of individuals, groups and cultures.
- It is concerned with the meaning not the frequency of a phenomenon.
- It investigates people’s beliefs, values, experiences and contextual circumstances and can be described as ‘interpretive’.
- The researcher is the primary instrument for data collection and analysis.
- Most important is CREDIBILITY (others should be content with. interpretations and findings)
- QR approaches people not as individual entities who exist in a vacuum but explore their world within the whole of their life context. Human experiences cannot be free from time and location or the mind of the human actor.
- Need OBJECTIVITY idea of a neutral observer is problemativ need the observer’s belief’s to be embraced (reflexivity taking the. researcher’s position in the setting and situation)
What can we use for qualitative research?
What is ontology? (postivism vs constructivism)
- What is out there to know?
- Positivists believe that there is a single reality, which can be measured and known. Reality is something tangible that can be objectively measured with the help of observational and experimental methods.
- Constructivists question the assumptions of the positivist paradigm and believe that there is no single reality or truth, and therefore reality needs to be interpreted. Reality is in the eye of the beholder; multiple, relative dimensions of reality can be captured only partially. Constructivism suggests a critical reflection on our truths.
What is epistemology?
- What and how can we know about it?
- How do you know something?
- Deals with the way of obtaining VALID KNOWLEDGE
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e.g. different people will obtain in different ways:
- Natural scientists from experiments
- Theologists from religeous books
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e.g. different people will obtain in different ways:
Comparison between qualitative and quantitative research
What are the methods for qualitative research methods?
- Interviews (important break down hierarchies and have a conversation with purpose, can be very structured to not structured at all)
- People often think what they do is ‘normal’ try and get them to talk about their normal
- Focus groups
- Interview with relevent people (4-8)
- Discussion guided by a moderator
- Rather want interaction between the group rather than simply responding to questions
- Observations
- A first hand account phenomenon rather than an interview
- Observation of people in their ‘natural settings’
- Document analysis
What is ethnography?
- A long-term in-depth fieldwork with a group of people, an institution, a setting - in order to
understand the native’s point of view. Constructing a shared social world.
What are the ethical considerations with qualitative research?
- Power relations (gender, class, race, profession, etc).
- Consent
- Possible repercussions of participation.
- Anonymity of informants
Critical reading method? - steps?
- Title – does it matter? Does it help you or your patients?
- Abstract – can you understand the paper in 2 minutes?
- References – are they relevant? Do they capture the most up to date thinking?
- Method – is it appropriate to answer the question?
- Results – is the main finding clear and match the title and aim?
- Conclusion – so what?
Also questions to ask:
- Are the results of the study valid?
- What are the results?
- Will the results help locally?
What is critical thinking?
- The importance of asking and answering questions
- Critical thinkers look for evidence before believing something to be true
- The common questions used: what, who, where, when, how, and why
- Followed by: what if, what next, and so what
IMPORTANT
- DESCRIBE (what is being discussed)
- ANALYSE (explain)
- EVALUATE (judge success/failure)
What is critical appraisal?
- “Critical Appraisal is the process of assessing and interpreting evidence, by systematically considering its validity, results and relevance to your own context” Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP 2020 - used to help signpost areas to coonsider when reaading a paper e.g. cohort studies, randomised control studies, systematic reviews, qualitative studies)
- Systematic assessment of the trustworthiness, relevance and results of published papers
- Used to develop informed decisions about the quality of the research evidence
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of studies
- Reduce the potential for harm and wasted resource
- Critical appraisal key to evidence-based medicine
What is critical writing?
- Involves making a judgement on the quality of something
- Views something from many different angles, or questions something in order to understand value
- Outlines implications and solutions
- Makes conclusions and recommendations
- Develop answers to questions (what, who, where, when, how, why, what if, what next, so what) in a written assignment by reference to academic texts. This would help in building an ‘argument’ – e.g. to justify your view
CRITICAL WRITING TECHNIQUES:
- Structured ‘think tank’
- Critical questions
What are the types of data?
How can we quantify location and variation?
What is normal distribution?
Is average the same as normal?
Explain parameters & errors & bars
What is Simpson’s Paradox?
Simpson’s paradox, which also goes by several other names, is a phenomenon in probability and statistics, in which a trend appears in several different groups of data but disappears or reverses when these groups are combined.
- Hence be aware of dichotomisation (small/large - not always obvious)
What are the principles of experimental design?
Explain hypothesis testing & the outcomes
- Important Questions – easy to ask – difficult to answer
- Trivial Questions – easy to ask – easy to answer
- Need a HYPOTHESIS (latrine question)
- Need a NULL hypothesis (NOT present)
- Ho = ‘presumption of innocence’
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Need an ALTERNATE hypothesis (present)
- H1 = ‘beyond resonable doubt’
- Need a NULL hypothesis (NOT present)
What makes a good hypothesis test?
Red = bad
Green = good
What is α?
– Probability of convicting a defendant who is REALLY innocent
– Probability of concluding there is a partition, when there is NO partition
What is β?
– Probability of acquitting a defendant who is REALLY guilty
– Probability of concluding there is NO partition, when there is!
What is the P value?
What is a t-test and what is t?
What is a t test?
- A 2 sample (unpaired) t test compares the means of 2 independent samples
t has degrees of freedom (v) & can 2 (most common 2 tailed!)or 1 tailed
P values vs standard error of mean vs confidence intervals
SEM = SD/square root of n (thus increasing n = SEM will get smaller)
