topic 7: qualitative methods Flashcards
why do interpretivists prefer qualitative methods?
Interpretivist sociologists strongly prefer qualitative methods as they support this method for a variety of reasons
This includes Verstehen, meanings and experiences, subjectivity and rapport.
explain what unstructured interviews are?
A guided conversation, where the talk is informal but the interviewer plays an active role in that he or she manages the questions to ensure the participant keeps to the subject of the research.
explain what semi-structured interviews are?
Involves an interview schedule of main questions, with the option open for the researcher to ask any follow up questions they feel appropriate
Explain focus group interviews?
In focus group interviews, participants are encouraged to talk to one another
Focus group interviews usually involve people getting together to discuss an issue, rather than giving an answer to a question
Explain what observations are?
Observations are when the sociologist watches and interprets the behaviours of others.
Interpretivist sociologists say observation is the best ethnographic way of understanding why people behave the way they do as they have first handed insight
Types of observations: non-participant observation
Usually involves researcher sitting and observing an activity
Usually this type of observation is structured in that it normally uses a code of observation schedule that directs what is to be observed
Types of observation: participant observation
Involves sociologist immersing himself or herself in the lifestyle of the group he/ she wishes to study. The aim of participant observation is to understand what is happening from the point of view of those involved
Types of observation: what are two things participant observation focus on?
Focus on ‘looking and listening’ and going with the flow of social life
Maintains a balance between being an insider (establishing rapport), and being an outsider (detached observer)
what is the difference between overt and covert observations?
overt - where the researcher join in the activities of a group and the group knows that the researcher is a sociologist and is actively observing them
covert - there researcher inserts him/ herself into a group and he/ she pretends to be an authentic number of a group
Disadvantages of observations: explain the hawthorne effect
Refers to the alteration of behaviour by the subjects of study due to their awareness of being observed.
Explain ethnography?
Means writing about they way of life, or culture, of social groups
Involves the researcher inserting him/ herself into the natural setting of the social group being studied and participating in and observing their daily activities
Qualitative methods: Overall advantages - validity - rapport
The trusting relationship generated by face to face nature of much qualitative research can really aid validity. If participants feel at ease in an interview/ observation situation they will more likely to open up and say what they really mean
Qualitative methods: advantages - validity - verstehen
Brethren is related to the idea of empathy where the researchers place themselves in the position of those being studied to understand why members of the group act the way they do and try understand how these people would see the world
Qualitative methods: Advantages: validity - participant control over content
Respondents are able to express their own viewpoints. An unstructured interview offers greater oppurtunity for respondents to take control, to define priorities and to direct the interview into area which they see as interesting and significant
Qualitative methods: Advantages: validity - meanings, values, attitudes, opinions, beliefs
As researcher is free to explore the issues without being restricted by clear cut questions, the meanings and attitudes can be further uncovered
Weber (1968) argued we could only understand social action by by interpreting the meanings that lie beneath it
Qualitative methods: Advantages: validity - reflexivity
A form of self evaluation, where researchers are constantly thinking about how far their decisions and presence in the research may influence the quality of the data collected
Qualitative methods: Advantages: validity - respondent validation
This is where the researcher checks the validity of the data
They can do by this by giving the interview transcripts/field notes back to the participants, using an additional method, asking a colleague to check notes
qualitative methods: Advantages: validity - potentially ethical
Sociologists argue qualitative research is, by its nature, an ethical endeavour
Interpretivists notions of rapport and verstehen highlight the importance of the feelings of the individual who is being researched
The experience of the qualitative method for the participant, should leave the participant feeling positive and important
Qualitative methods: Disadvantages: reliability - Unstandardised procedures
In qualitative methods the procedures from interview to interview or observation to observation often change
This is because researchers often change questions or alter what they’re looking for in an observation based on he situation presented to them
Qualitative methods: Disadvantages: reliability - vague operationalisation
Interpretivists are likely to operationalise key terms in a partial and subjective way and impose their values on the research, particularly when they write it up
If concepts are not vaguely operationalised, this makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the same study and obtain similar results
qualitative methods: Disadvantages: reliability - the social characteristics of the research
In qualitative methods, the identity of the researcher is likely to impact the research
Each researcher will interpret the opinions, thoughts, feelings of participants in interviews differently based on the researchers’ own views and experiences
Qualitative methods: disadvantages: representativeness & generalisability - un representative and ungeneralisable
Due to depth and detail needed to understand motives and meanings, interpretivist research is carried out on small samples (less than 100 people)
Because research is based on low numbers of participants, it can become less representative of the research population. Therefore, it is still difficult
Qualitative methods: disadvantages: additional weakness - researcher bias
Interpretivists can select data they feel is important, these making the findings biased.
The researcher may end up consciously or unconsciously selecting material that supports his or her views. The material might be biased
Qualitative methods: disadvantages: additional weaknesses - lack of control
The researcher has little control over direction of the interview and respondent may wonder into areas that prove irrelevant to the research topic. This makes comparisons between data from different interviews difficult
This means generalisations should be treated with caution
