Week 14-15: Understanding data and ways to systematically collect data Flashcards
what researchers are searching for. They are subjected to analysis, statistical procedures, and interpretation so that inferences, principles and generalizations are drawn.
data
basically a research plan similar to a blue print which serves as a guide in conducting a study. Some describe it as the overall strategy that a researcher chooses to incorporate the different components his/her study. It is written in a coherent and logical way to ensure that the research problem will effectively be addressed
research design
Five Approaches of Qualitative Research Design according to Creswell:
- Narrative Research
- Phenomenological Research
- Grounded Theory Research
- Ethnographic Research
- Action Research
The procedures for implementing this research consist of focusing on studying one or two individuals, gathering data through the collection of their stories, reporting individual experiences, and chronologically ordering the meaning of those experiences.
Narrative research
Types of Narratives:
- Biographical study
- Autoethnography
- life history
- oral history
when the researcher writes and records the experiences of another person’s life
Biographical study
written and recorded by the individuals who are subject of the study (Ellis; Muncey, in Creswell, 2013). It contains the personal story of the author as well as the larger cultural meaning for the individual’s story.
Autoethnography
portrays an individual’s entire life, while a personal experience story is a narrative study of an individual’s personal experience found in single or multiple episodes, private situations, or communal folklore
life history
consists of gathering personal reflections of events and their causes and effects from one individual to several individuals
oral history
It describes a common meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon. The researcher then collects data from the persons who have experienced the phenomenon (i.e. insomnia, anger, undergoing organ transplant), and develops a composite description of the essence of the experience for all the individuals.
Phenomenological Research
Its intention is to move beyond description and to generate or discover a theory, a “unified theoretical explanation” (Corbin & Strauss, in Creswell, 2013) for a process or an action. The researcher generates a general explanation (a theory) of a process, and action, or an interaction shaped by the views of a large number of participants.
Grounded Theory Research
An ethnography focuses on an entire culture-sharing group. Typically, it involves many people who interact over time (such as teachers in an entire school or a community social work group).
Ethnographic Research
It seeks action to improve practice and study the effects of the action that was taken (Streubert & Carpenter, in Nieswiadomy, 2008). Solutions are sought to address problems in a particular setting.
Action Research
a representative of the population, that is, the characteristics of the sample are characteristics of the population.
sample
the entire group of elements that you would like to study.
study population
a list of all elements in a study population
sampling frame
the thing (person, place, event, etc.) that is selected for inclusion in the study.
sampling unit
The researcher records the events that he/she has seen. He/She focuses on respondents to capture a particular aspect of their behavior. He/She may or may not directly participate in the activities of the research investigation. He/She may or may not have any background
Observation
Data Collection Procedure in Qualitative Research
- Observation
- Interview
- Documentary Analysis
- Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
- Visual Data
The researcher asks a set of well-constructed questions and may even make follow up questions to gather the necessary data. He/She establishes rapport in a face-to-face interview to yield highest response rate. He/She resorts to telephone interview when less time and less expenses are being considered
Interview
The researcher uses existing or available information such as health records or reports and other documents of organization or institution
Documentary Analysis
The researcher obtains in-depth information on concepts, perceptions, and ideas of a group. He/She facilitates the group members discussing the topic among themselves
Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
They refer to the recording, analysis and communication of social life through photographs, films, and videos (Harper, in Boeije, 2010). The choice of this method is most useful when observing spaces, places, the environment, and objects. The same applies when photography or video is used to collect data, for example everyday life of community members, like video-taping a playground in a school for the deaf to learn about hearing-impaired culture (Alexander, in Boeije, 2010)
Visual data
Four Broad Types of Qualitative Analytic Approaches:
- Iterative/hermeneutic approach
- Subjective approach
- Investigative semiotic approach
- Enumerative approach
involves seeking meaning and developing interpretive explanation through the process of feedback.
Iterative/hermeneutic approach
focused on the researcher, and what takes place within his/her own thoughts and actions in specified context.
Subjective approach
involves the uncovering information relating to languages within cultural contexts.
Investigative semiotic approach
involves listing or classifying of items by percentages, frequencies, ranked order, or whatever is useful to the research question.
Enumerative approach
Stages of Interview/ Observational Data for Analysis:
- Transcription of data
- Preliminary data analysis
- Face sheets
It involves getting the dialogue or narrative of the devices on which the researcher has recorded it and into a document so there is a clear researcher defined column for notes, as seen below
Transcription of data
It is an ongoing process that is undertaken every time data is collected. It involves a simple process of checking and tracking the data to see what is coming out of it, identifying areas that require follow up and actively questioning where the information collected is leading/ should lead the researcher.
Preliminary data analysis
This is a cover sheet that is attached to the front of the data transcription and identifies the study question, time and place of interview/observation and summarizes the main outcomes for the preliminary analysis.
face sheets
