Unit 4: Ch. 16

Question 1

what are the challenges with qualitative analysis? (4)

Answer 1

1. no rules
   - ex: no rules w/ sampling techniques
2. lots of narrative data
   - tons of data to transcribe after data collection
3. need for strong inductive powers, creativity, and sensitivity
   - inductive powers: qualitative researchers need to be able to observe lots of little things and make sense of it
4. condensing rich data to fit into concise reports
   - have to be very concise in reports (fitting lots of data into small space)
   - have to boil everything down and describe it

Question 2

inductive powers

Answer 2

qualitative researchers need to be able to observe lots of little things and make sense of it

Question 3

qualitative data is all about?

Answer 3

categories and themes

Question 4

what are the basic steps in qualitative data management and organization? (4)

Answer 4

1. transcribing the data: take all interviews, contextual info and transcribe it into written form
2. developing a category scheme: developed as researchers reading through data –> looking for themes, conceptual categories –> examine and compare various categories for similarities and differences –> try to find meaning in the phenomena that’s studied
3. coding the data: have to give meaningful names to emerging categories/themes that capture whatever is in the data
   - coding may require several readings of the data; coding process is iterative rather than linear (“swimming in the data”)
4. organizing the data
   - computerized methods of organization using CAQDAS (computer assisted qualitative data analysis software)
   - -> a lot of researchers use computerized methods
   - manual methods of organization (conceptual files)

Question 5

general analytic overview (6)

Answer 5

1. identify themes or broad categories
2. search for patterns among themes, researchers look for variations in the data
3. develop charting devices and timelines that help them understand what’s happening in the data
4. validate themes and patterns that they discover
5. in some cases, calculate quasi-statistics
   - quasi-statistics: frequencies
6. integrate thematic pieces
   - taking all the data apart, looking at all the pieces, putting it all back together and give it meaning

Question 6

quasi-statistics

Answer 6

frequencies (descriptive statistics); used to validate truth embedded in the data

pretty rare in qualitative studies

Question 7

what does a theme represent in qualitative research?

a. the actual written report
b. the operational definition of the study’s conceptual framework
c. the labeling of similar ideas shared by the study participants
d. the relationship between the hypotheses and the research question

Answer 7

c. the labeling of similar ideas shared by the study participants

Question 8

commonalities of content analysis (3)

Answer 8

1. break down data into smaller units
   - collect data from various people, ask lots of questions and make lots of observations, break data down into smaller units
2. code and name units according to content
3. group coded material based on shared content
   - putting it back together

Question 9

ethnographic analysis: Spradley’s 12 step method

Answer 9

1. locating an informant
2. interviewing an informant
3. making an ethnographic record
4. asking descriptive questions
5. analyzing ethnographic interviews
6. making a domain analysis (first level of analysis)
   - once you’ve done the first 5 steps, you start categorizing things into domains
7. asking structural questions
8. making a taxonomic analysis (2nd level)
9. asking contrast questions
10. making a component analysis (3rd level)
11. discovering cultural themes, theme analysis (4th level)
    - starting to pull out cultural uniquenesses w/in any one culture
12. writing the ethnography
    - done in preparation for reporting

Question 10

domain

Answer 10

unit of cultural knowledge

unit of cultural knowledge may be anything (depends on the culture)

Question 11

structural questions

Answer 11

researchers trying to get at what the meaning of things are to the participants themselves; what things in the culture mean to the people

Question 12

taxonomy

Answer 12

system of classifying and organizing terms that are found in the domains; looking at relationships within each domain
-taxonomy developed within each domain

Question 13

contrast questions

Answer 13

look for details to compare and contrast meanings and relationships

Question 14

component analysis

Answer 14

looking for relationships among the domains (look w/in a domain and look between the domains)

Question 15

what are the 3 broad schools of phenomenology?

Answer 15

1. Duquesne school (descriptive phenomenology)
2. Utrecht school (descriptive and interpretive phenomenology)
3. Heideggerian hermeneutics (interpretive)
   - seen a lot in qualitative studies

how to remember: …it spells DUH

Question 16

which school of phenomenology goes with descriptive phenomenology?

Answer 16

Duquesne school

Question 17

which school of phenomenology goes with descriptive and interpretive phenomenology?

Answer 17

Utrecht school

Question 18

which school of phenomenology goes with interpretive phenomenology?

Answer 18

Heideggerian hermeneutics

Question 19

phenomenology is all about…?

Answer 19

lived experiences

Question 20

T/F: there are 5 broad schools of phenomenological analysis?

Answer 20

false

-there are only 3 broad schools of phenomenological analysis

Question 21

grounded theory analysis

Answer 21

uses constant comparative method of analysis
-comparing different elements present in the data

2 competing grounded theory strategies:

• Glaser and Strauss (Glaserian)
• Strauss and Corbin (Straussian)
• have different approaches/philosophies behind them
• each philosophy is a paradigm of its own –> can’t take one paradigm and lay it over another paradigm

Question 22

constant comparison

Answer 22

looking at each part of the data and at the same time thinking about that data compared to every other piece of data
-“constantly comparing everything to everything”

Question 23

fit

Answer 23

how well the emerging concept fits with the incidents that they represent
-another way of validating your findings; does the data fit w/ what’s really going on?

Question 24

what’s the purpose of grounded theory?

Answer 24

to develop a theory

used a lot in businesses

Question 25

T/F: grounded theory analysis involves the use of a constant comparative method

Answer 25

true
-rationale: grounded theory analysis uses a constant comparative method analysis, a method that involves comparing elements present in one data source with those in another

Question 26

grounded theory coding terms (4)

Answer 26

1. substantive codes (aka “coding”)
   - open coding
   - selective coding
   - axial coding
2. theoretical codes
3. initial codes
4. focused coding

Question 27

substantive codes (aka “coding”)

Answer 27

1. Open Coding: when the data are broken into parts, and similarities are compared and differences are contrasted
2. Selective Coding: researcher discovers a core category (something unique to that social process)
3. Axial Coding: systematic process of condensing the core categories
   - as core categories are discovered they’re connected w/ each other to each other and the relationships are validated

Question 28

core category

Answer 28

basic social processes

Question 29

theoretical codes

Answer 29

provide insights into how the various codes relate to each other
-more about how the researcher stitches things back together after looking at the social processes to make sense of it

Question 30

initial coding

Answer 30

when the data are studied to learn what the participants view as problematic
-another way of validating the data

Question 31

focused coding

Answer 31

identification of the most significant initial code and then theoretical code
-prioritizing things

Question 32

coding

Answer 32

the process of creating a code