WEEK 1 - THE CONTEXT FOR QUAL RESEARCH

Question 1

WHAT IS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?

Answer 1

method of social inquiry focusing on the way individuals interpret the world and make sense of their experiences. It’s an Umbrella term covering a range of methods aimed at understanding the social reality of individuals, groups, and cultures.

Question 2

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANT AND QUAL RESEARCH(ERS)?

Answer 2

Qualitative:
• Collecting, analysing, and interpreting on-numerical data, such as language.
• Begins with a less focused research question, collecting large amounts of relatively unstructured data from a small number of individuals and describe their data using nonstatistical techniques.

Quantitative:
• Start with a focused research question or hypothesis, collecting a small amount of data from a large number of ppts and describe the resulting data using statistical techniques, and drawing general conclusions (generalisations) about a larger population

Question 3

WHO WAS WUNDT (1832-1920) INFLUENCED BY?

Answer 3

FECHNER

Question 4

WHO WAS WUNDT?

• WHAT DID HE DO?
• WHAT WAS HE KNWON AS?
• WHAT WERE HIS VIEWS?

Answer 4

• Established first psychology lab at Uni of Leipzig in 1879
• ‘Founding Father’ of experimental psychology
• Viewed qualitative research as equally important to lab research in the science of psychology (Wertz 2014)

Question 5

WHO WAS KOHLBERG (1927-1987)?

• WHO WAS HE?
• WHAT DID HE DO?
• HIS STUDY?

Answer 5

• American psychologist
• Created new field in psychology called ‘moral development’
• Heinz’s dilemma
• Used Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas

Question 5

WHO WAS KOHLBERG (1927-1987)?

• WHO WAS HE?
• WHAT DID HE DO?
• HIS STUDY?

Answer 5

• American psychologist
• Created new field in psychology called ‘moral development’
• Heinz’s dilemma
• Used Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas

Question 6

WHO WAS MASLOW (1908-1970)?

• WHAT WAS HE KNOWN FOR?
• WHAT DID HE DO?
• PROBLEMS?

Answer 6

• American psychologist known for creating his hierarchy of needs
• Defined self-actualisation as achieving the fullest use of one’ talent
• Hesitated to publish his work as he viewed it as purely personal inquiry rather than scientific work

Question 7

WHO WAS FLANAGHAN (1906-1996)?

- WHAT DID HE COME UP WITH?

Answer 7

• American psychologist
• Devised the Critical Incident Technique
• First qualitative research method (Wertz 2014)

Question 8

WHO DEVIDE THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE?

Answer 8

FLANAGHAN

Question 9

WHAT IS THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE (CIT)?

Answer 9

• Critical Incident Technique (CIT) is a research method that relies on a set of procedures to collect, analyse, and classify observations of human behaviour.
• Critical Incident Technique (collection and inductive analysis of detailed descriptions of human behaviour obtained from groups or individuals through written means or interviews. The CIT offers the application of qualitative methods to real life situations and is used in the development of the ethical principles and standards for psychologists).

Question 10

WHO DISCOVERED GROUNDED THEORY?

Answer 10

GLASER AND STRAUSS, 1967

Question 11

WHAT METHODS ARE INVOLVED IN THE RISE OF QUALITATIVE METHODS IN THE LATE 1960S TO 1980S?

Answer 11

GROUNDED THEORY
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
NARRATIVE ENQUIRY

Question 12

WHAT IS ONTOLOGY?

Answer 12

‘TO BE’
CONCERNED WITH THE NATURE OF THE WORLD
WHAT WE BELIEVE EXISTS AND WHAT WE BELIEVE THERE IS TO KNOW

Question 13

WHAT 3 THINGS DOES EPISTEMOLOGY CONCERN?

Answer 13

OBJECTIVISM
CONSTRUCTIVISM
SUBJECTIVISM

Question 14

WHAT IS EPISTEMOLOGY?

Answer 14

CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT IS REAL

Question 15

WHAT IS OBJECTIVISM

Answer 15

STABLE ‘LAWS’ THAT EXIST
REALITY EXISTS INDEPENDENTLY OF CONSCIOUSNESS - IT IS AN ABSOLUTE.

INCLUDES POSITIVISM

Question 16

WHAT IS POSITIVISM?

Answer 16

(reality consists of what is available to the senses - inquiry should be based upon scientific observation - objective, value-free discovery - dominant approach in psychology)

Question 17

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIONISM?

Answer 17

SUBJECTIVE MEANING

humans generate knowledge and meaning from their interactions with the world

INVOLVES INTERPRETIVISM

Question 18

WHAT IS INTERPRETIVISM?

Answer 18

meanings exist in our interpretations of the world - knowledge is interpretation - importance of the researcher’s perspective and the interpretative nature of social reality

Question 19

WHAT ARE THE CRITICISMS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD (POSITIVISM)?

Answer 19

• Quantitative research involves designs that disengage researcher from ppts (little/no contact with people or field settings)
• Quantitative research excludes outliers
• How do we generate new theories if we are always testing someone else’s theory
• The pursuit of measurable phenomena means that difficult concepts like criminality or intelligence are untreated unproblematically

Question 20

WHAT 2 THINGS ARE OPPOSING IN EPISTEMOLOGY?

Answer 20

OBJECTIVISM VS CONSTUCTIVISM

Question 21

WHAT 2 THINGS ARE OPPOSING IN PARADIGM?

Answer 21

POSITIVISM VS INTERPRETIVISM

Question 22

WHAT 2 THINGS ARE OPPOSING IN METHODOLOGY?

Answer 22

QUANTITATIVE VS QUALITATIVE

Question 23

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?

Answer 23

• Preference for qualitative data - analysis of words and images rather than numbers
• Preference for naturally occurring data - observation rather than experiment
• Preference for meanings rather than behaviour
• Rejection of natural science as a model
• Preference for inductive, hypothesis-generating research rather than hypothesis testing

Question 24

WHAT QUESTIONS CAN’T QUALITATIVE METHODS ANSWER?

Answer 24

Qualitative methods cannot answer questions like:
• How many?
• What are the causes?
• What is the strength of the relationship between variables?

Question 25

WHAT QUESTIONS CAN QUALITATIVE METHODS ANSWER?

Answer 25

QUESTIONS LIKE:

What is the experience of identifying as LGBTQ in the foster care system?