W11: Qual Flashcards
What is ontology?
Assumptions we HAVE about the nature of the world and phenomena within it
What is epistemology?
Assumptions about HOW we can learn about the world, investigate issues, gain knowledge
* Theory of knowledge
Why does ontology and epistemology matter on our research approach (3 assumptions)?
They rest on a set of assumptions about
1. how the world works
2. how people think
3. relationship between people and the world
What 3 things do our assumptions shape?
- How we know what’s claimed to be true is true
- How we judge between competing claims about truth
- How knowledge is produced
What are some examples of ontology?
- There is a real world
- World constructed by a set of meanings / is a shared understanding
Under epistemology, what is positivism?
There is a a true world
* objectively investigated (factual information)
* independent of researcher
Under epistemology, the position of critical realism provides an example of social constructivism.
What do they mean?
- Knowledge is subjective
- Critical realism: no absolute truth, knowledge is constructed between investigator and objects of the world
- Social constructivism: findings are constructed /shaped historically, socially, and culturally
Under epistemology, the position of phenomenology provides an example of subjectivism.
What do they mean?
- Phenomenology: knowledge is created by observer, INDEPENDENT of objects in the world (individual experiences)
- Subjectivism: Knowledge is a shared understanding of experiences
Qualitative research is concerned (to some degree) with ____ understandings of phenomena
subjective
Qualitative research argues nature of social world is not wholly amenable to _______
quantification
What are the 2 main assumptions/positions of qualitative research?
- Critical realism: there IS a fixed reality, open to subjective interpretation
- Constructionism: there IS NOT a fixed reality, it’s all subjective
What are the 2 common qualitative approaches and what positions do they have?
- Reflexive thematic analysis (critical realism)
Real world, open to subjective interpretation - Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (phenomenology)
Reality is given meaning through individual experiences
Which research approach does this research question use?
Do competent drivers have less accidents on rainy days
Quantitative
Which research approach does this research question use?
How does rain impact drivers?
Qualitative
Sampling in qualitative research are often..
Non-probability sampling, can’t be generalized to broader population
Is sampling in qual research on the basis of competence or representativeness?
Competence: represents ISSUES under investigation, not representativeness of population
What are 4 types of sampling strategies in qualitative research?
- Opportunistic / convenience
- Snowball / network
- Purposive (based on sampling criteria)
- Theoretical (informed by data analysis e.g new info from interviews)
Is random sampling possible in qualitative research?
No
Most of the time, sample size is decided by ____ factors and nature of RQ
Pragmatic: time, money, deadlines
What are 3 types of qualitative data sources?
- Pre-existing: documents, social media posts, videos
- Collected: open-ended surveys, interviews, focus groups
- Observational
What are 3 types of interviews?
Structured, open, semi-structured (can change qs across interviews)
Active listening (pause silence), probe for detail, cautious of non-verbal behaviour, reflexivity, reciprocity, empathy are skills of what research approach?
Interviews
What are focus groups used for?
Gather information on collective views from people with similar backgrounds.
Explores variety and diversity in responses
Providing space for all voices, active listening, mindful of power hierarchies within groups, guiding discussion are skills for what research approach?
Focus groups
What are 2 things open-ended surveys used for?
- As add on to quant surveys
- To provide more context to RQs
What are 3 benefits and 1 disadvantage of open-ended surveys?
Benefits:
1. More participants
2. More breadth (not depth)
3. Identify topics for further qual / quant work
Disadvantage:
1. Hard to know what people mean
What are mixed methods?
Use of qual and quant approaches for data that SPEAK to each other
In mixed methods, what does corroboration assess?
If results from different methods support each other
In mixed methods, what does expansion mean?
Using different methods to add to gained understanding
In mixed methods, what does initiation mean?
Using different methods to spark new ideas/direction for your research
In mixed methods, what does triangulation mean?
Using different methods to CONVERGE on 1 aspect
Expand on the following guiding ethical principles:
Informed consent, Participation, Protection of participants, laws
- Fully informed and free from influence consent
- Voluntary participation
- Protect through confidentiality, anonymity, redaction/remove sensitive info in transcripts, respect for small communities
- Compliance with the law
Qual research uses ____ and ____ instead of reliability and validity
rigour (establish trust/confidence in research) and trustworthiness
For reflexive thematic analysis, what is 1 way to establish trustworthiness?
Maintain reflexivity: keep research journal to uncover biases
- Aided with triangulation and close communication with supervisors
What are 4 elements of trustworthiness and what can be done to achieve them?
- Credibility: confidence in “truth” of findings
- Triangulation, member checking, prolonged engagement - Transferability: applicability in other contexts
- Dependability: consistent and repeatable findings
- Auditing (examined by independent researcher)
- Subsequent studies - Confirmability: degree of neutrality
- Triangulation, auditing, reflexivity
Dual coding is a way to establish ______
Rigour
Is positivism approach appropriate for dual coding?
Yes, because it assumed an objective truth
Is critical realism approach appropriate for dual coding?
No, assumed knowledge is completely subjective
What kind of approach is thematic analysis and is dual coding applicable?
Critical realism, subjective element = not appropriate for dual coding
Contrast Comparative method comes from a positivist approach. Is dual coding appropriate?
Yes, positivism assumes objective truth exists
The most common method approach in qual is..
Category-based approach
*Coding: assign symbolic attribute, which are then clustered together as category / theme
Reflexive thematic analysis analyze and develop patterns ___ a qualitative dataset
across
How is reflexive thematic analysis different from IPA?
IPA focuses on individual cases (e.g interviews) rather than collectively
How many phases does reflexive thematic analysis have?
6
What is phase 1 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Familiarize yourself with data
- Reflexive journalling, re-reading data, underline key phrases
What is phase 2 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Coding
- Identify relevant/interesting segments
- Assign code word that accurately describe meaning of text
Under phase 2 (coding) of thematic analysis, what are semantic and latent data?
Semantic: surface level, explicit meaning
Latent: conceptual, implicit meaning
Under phase 2 (coding) of thematic analysis, what are inductive and deductive approaches?
Inductive: data driven (whatever comes up)
Deductive: theory driven (using specific theory to analyze research)
What is phase 3 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Generating initial (overarching) themes
- Collate codes into clusters that share common concept
What is phase 4 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Developing and reviewing themes
- Aim: 5-7 themes
- Look for opposing voices, asses initial fit of candidate themes
- Discuss with others about your themes
What is phase 5 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Refining, defining, naming themes
- Name each theme and write synopsis
- Prepare to completely change thinking + data (reflexivity)
- Each theme built around strong core concept
What is phase 6 of reflexive thematic analysis?
Writing up
- Weave analytic narrative + data extracts
- Get input from others (ppts, researchers)
Key element of qual research is…
Defensibility: able to describe what you did and why
What is convergent / parallel design?
Using quant and qual together
Interpret similarities and differences
What is explanatory sequential design?
Quant 1st, qual 2nd
- If unexpected / unexplainable in quant results, use qual data to understand better
- Often unplanned
What is exploratory sequential design?
Qual 1st, quant 2nd
- E.g to create scale for specific construct
- Use qual to understand construct, then used to make scales
- More likely planned
For focus groups, what is the principle of saturation?
When no new themes / ideas arise with additional focus groups
- Saturation expected at 3-6 groups
