Unit 4: Ch. 16 Flashcards
what are the challenges with qualitative analysis? (4)
- no rules
- ex: no rules w/ sampling techniques - lots of narrative data
- tons of data to transcribe after data collection - 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 - 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
inductive powers
qualitative researchers need to be able to observe lots of little things and make sense of it
qualitative data is all about?
categories and themes
what are the basic steps in qualitative data management and organization? (4)
- transcribing the data: take all interviews, contextual info and transcribe it into written form
- 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
- 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”) - 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)
general analytic overview (6)
- identify themes or broad categories
- search for patterns among themes, researchers look for variations in the data
- develop charting devices and timelines that help them understand what’s happening in the data
- validate themes and patterns that they discover
- in some cases, calculate quasi-statistics
- quasi-statistics: frequencies - integrate thematic pieces
- taking all the data apart, looking at all the pieces, putting it all back together and give it meaning
quasi-statistics
frequencies (descriptive statistics); used to validate truth embedded in the data
pretty rare in qualitative studies
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
c. the labeling of similar ideas shared by the study participants
commonalities of content analysis (3)
- 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 - code and name units according to content
- group coded material based on shared content
- putting it back together
ethnographic analysis: Spradley’s 12 step method
- locating an informant
- interviewing an informant
- making an ethnographic record
- asking descriptive questions
- analyzing ethnographic interviews
- making a domain analysis (first level of analysis)
- once you’ve done the first 5 steps, you start categorizing things into domains - asking structural questions
- making a taxonomic analysis (2nd level)
- asking contrast questions
- making a component analysis (3rd level)
- discovering cultural themes, theme analysis (4th level)
- starting to pull out cultural uniquenesses w/in any one culture - writing the ethnography
- done in preparation for reporting
domain
unit of cultural knowledge
unit of cultural knowledge may be anything (depends on the culture)
structural questions
researchers trying to get at what the meaning of things are to the participants themselves; what things in the culture mean to the people
taxonomy
system of classifying and organizing terms that are found in the domains; looking at relationships within each domain
-taxonomy developed within each domain
contrast questions
look for details to compare and contrast meanings and relationships
component analysis
looking for relationships among the domains (look w/in a domain and look between the domains)
what are the 3 broad schools of phenomenology?
- Duquesne school (descriptive phenomenology)
- Utrecht school (descriptive and interpretive phenomenology)
- Heideggerian hermeneutics (interpretive)
- seen a lot in qualitative studies
how to remember: …it spells DUH
which school of phenomenology goes with descriptive phenomenology?
Duquesne school
which school of phenomenology goes with descriptive and interpretive phenomenology?
Utrecht school
which school of phenomenology goes with interpretive phenomenology?
Heideggerian hermeneutics
phenomenology is all about…?
lived experiences
T/F: there are 5 broad schools of phenomenological analysis?
false
-there are only 3 broad schools of phenomenological analysis
grounded theory analysis
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
constant comparison
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”
fit
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?
what’s the purpose of grounded theory?
to develop a theory
used a lot in businesses
T/F: grounded theory analysis involves the use of a constant comparative method
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
grounded theory coding terms (4)
- substantive codes (aka “coding”)
- open coding
- selective coding
- axial coding - theoretical codes
- initial codes
- focused coding
substantive codes (aka “coding”)
- Open Coding: when the data are broken into parts, and similarities are compared and differences are contrasted
- Selective Coding: researcher discovers a core category (something unique to that social process)
- 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
core category
basic social processes
theoretical codes
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
initial coding
when the data are studied to learn what the participants view as problematic
-another way of validating the data
focused coding
identification of the most significant initial code and then theoretical code
-prioritizing things
coding
the process of creating a code
