W1: Merriam Ch. 1 - What is Qualitative Research Flashcards
Evaluation studies
Type of research
Has different types of questions asked
Collects data or evidence on the worth of value of a program/process/technique
Wants to make judgements about the program, improve program effectiveness and/or inform decisions about future programming
Action & Appreciate research
To address a specific problem in a practice based setting (classroom, workplace)
Used in organizational settings to tell stories of what is positive or appreciated and effective in those organizations, to facilitate innovation rather than focusing on problems
Qualitative research
To understand how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences
Where does qualitative research come from?
Origins through anthropologists and sociologists but the trend of qualitative research really started to emerge in 1970s and 80s
Today, qualitative researched has developed into
Numerous books, journals and conferences dedicated to qualitative research
Various paradigms, strategies and analysis methods for researchers to choose from
But: abundance of choices can be overwhelming for researchers now
Types of research through philosophy
Positivist/post-positivist
Interpretive/constructivist
Critical
Postmodern/poststructural
Positivist/post-positivist:
Purpose/types/reality
Purpose: predict, control, generalize
Types: experimental, survey, quasi experimental
Reality: objective, external, out there
Interpretive/constructivist: Purpose/types/reality
Purpose: describe, understand, interpret
Types: phenomenology, ethnography, hermeneutic, grounded theory, naturalistic/qualitative
Reality: multiple realities, context bound
Critical: Purpose/types/reality
Purpose: change, emancipate, empower
Types: neo-Marxist, feminist, participatory action research (PAR), crucial race theory, critical ethnography
Reality: multiple realities, situated in political, social, cultural contexts (one reality is privileged)
Postmodern/poststructural: Purpose/types/reality
Purpose: deconstruct, problematize, question, interrupt
Types: postcolonial, poststructural, postmodern, queer theory
Reality: questions assumption that there is a place where reality resides “is there a there there”
Positivist orientation
Assumes relative is observable, stable and measurable
Knowledge is scientific and objective
Post-positivism acknowledges relative knowledge based on empirical evidence
Interpretive research
Assumes reality is socially constructed, with multiple interpretations
Researchers construct knowledge rather than finding it
Includes constructivism, phenomenology, and symbolic interactionism
Postmodern perspective
Celebrating diversity → allowing many perspectives, both qual and quant
We now reject 1 single ‘truth’ and favor experimental, creative approaches
Focus of research: Qual/Quant
Qual: quality (nature, essence)
Quant: quantity (how much, how many)
Philosophical roots: Qual/Quant
Qual: phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, constructivism
Quant: positivism, logical empiricism, realism
Associated phrases: Qual/Quant
Qual: fieldwork, ethnographic, naturalistic, grounded, constructivist
Quant: experimental, empirical, statistical
Goal of investigation: Qual/Quant
Qual: understanding, description, discovery, meaning, hypothesis generating
Quant: prediction, control, description, confirmation, hypothesis testing
Design characteristics: Qual/Quant
Qual: flexible, evolving, emergent
Quant: predetermined, structured
Sample: Qual/Quant
Qual: small, nonrandom, purposeful, theoretical
Quant: large, random, representative
Data collection: Qual/Quant
Qual: researcher as primary instrument, interviews, observations, documents
Quant: inanimate instruments (scales, tests, surveys, questionnaires, computers)
Primary mode of analysis: Qual/Quant
Qual: inductive, constant comparative method
Quant: deductive, statistical
Findings: Qual/Quant
Qual: comprehensive, holistic, expansive, richly descriptive
Quant: precise, numerical
