Week 2 - Process Flashcards
Naturalistic Approach
A method in qualitative research that focuses on studying phenomena in their natural settings.
Interpretive Approach
A qualitative research method that seeks to understand the meanings and interpretations individuals give to social phenomena.
Reflexivity
The process in qualitative research where the researcher acknowledges their influence on the study and how their perspectives shape the findings.
Ethnography
A qualitative research method involving close observation and immersion in a culture or social group.
Positivism
A scientific approach that emphasizes objective knowledge and the use of the scientific method.
What is Qualitative Research (QLR)?
Qualitative research is a situated activity that uses interpretive and material practices to make the world visible through field notes, interviews, and other methods. It involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to understanding social phenomena.
Where did QLR originate?
quantitative methods dominated the social sciences, influenced by modernism and positivism. Early qualitative research mimicked physical sciences and adopted similar rigid methods.
How has QLR evolved over time?
QLR began with traditional ethnographies in the early 20th century, following rigid scientific methods. However, social turmoil and new theoretical understandings from the 1950s-1970s helped formalize the method. Today, there is renewed appreciation for QLR.
What are the features of QLR?
uses rich, thick descriptions, works with small samples, and provides depth through direct quotations and detailed descriptions of events and interactions.
How does QLR approach data analysis?
employs open analysis, allowing themes and patterns to emerge naturally from the data. No variables are eliminated at the outset, making it a flexible, creative process.
Why has QLR faced resistance?
criticized as unscientific and subjective, reflecting political struggles. It challenges traditional positivist and post-positivist approaches that prioritize reason and objective truth.
What are some of the goals of QLR?
seeks to understand social issues, explores subjective and multiple perspectives, and focuses on how meaning is embedded in objects, experiences, and interactions.
Inductive Reasoning
A research approach that starts with specific observations and develops broader generalizations or theories based on those observations.
Deductive Reasoning
A research approach that starts with a theory or hypothesis and tests it through data collection and analysis.
Symbolic Interactionism
A theoretical approach that suggests meanings are socially constructed through interactions between individuals.
Verstehen (Sympathetic Understanding)
A qualitative research principle where researchers try to understand participants’ perspectives by putting themselves in their shoes.
Ethnomethodology
The study of everyday practices and how people produce social order by following implicit, often unspoken rules.
Two-Eyed Seeing
A research approach that integrates Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science for mutual benefit.
Operationalization
The process of putting a theoretical concept into a measurable and testable form in quantitative research.
Theoretical Saturation
The point in qualitative research when no new themes or insights are emerging from data collection, signaling that the research can conclude.
What is the basic assumption of qualitative research?
Qualitative research assumes that human lived reality is complex, meaning is key, and social settings influence outcomes. It uses inductive reasoning to understand these complexities.
What is the definition of a situation in qualitative research?
In qualitative research, if individuals define a situation as real, it has real consequences. People act according to their definitions of the situation, reinforcing those definitions.
How do qualitative and quantitative methods differ in terms of knowledge and participant roles?
Qualitative methods often start with little or no advance knowledge and let participants guide the study, while quantitative methods rely on advance knowledge, with limited participant input.
What are the main characteristics of symbolic interactionism?
suggests that individuals create meaning through interactions, meaning evolves based on shared understandings, and our self-concepts are shaped by how others perceive us.
