Week 3 Flashcards
A research method involving a thorough, in-depth analysis of an individual, group, institution, or other social unit.
case study
A procedure often used in a grounded theory analysis wherein newly collected data are compared in an ongoing fashion with data obtained earlier, to refine theoretically relevant categories.
constant comparison
A criterion for evaluating the quality of qualitative research, referring to the objectivity or neutrality of the data or the analysis and interpretation.
confirmability
The extent to which findings can be transferred to other settings or groups—often used in qualitative research and analogous to generalizability in quantitative research.
transferability
The degree of confidence qualitative researchers have in their data, assessed using the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
trustworthiness
A criterion for evaluating data quality in qualitative studies, referring to confidence in the truth of the data.
credibility
A criterion for evaluating data quality in qualitative data, referring to the stability of data over time and over conditions
dependability
A method of validating the credibility of qualitative data through debriefings and discussions with informants
member check
The collection of data in a qualitative study to the point at which a sense of closure is attained because new data yield redundant information.
data saturation
The degree to which the research methods justify the inference that the findings are true for a broader group than study participants; in particular, the inference that the findings can be generalized from the sample to the population.
generalizability
A design that unfolds in the course of a qualitative study as the researcher makes ongoing design decisions reflecting what has already been learned.
emergent design
The process of transforming raw data into standardized form for data processing and analysis; in quantitative research, the process of attaching numbers to categories; in qualitative research, the process of identifying recurring words, themes, or concepts within the data.
coding
A branch of human inquiry, associated with the field of anthropology, that focuses on the culture of a group of people, with an effort to understand the worldview of those under study.
ethnography
The process of organizing and integrating narrative, qualitative information according to emerging themes and concepts.
content analysis
A non-probability sampling method in which the researcher selects participants based on personal judgment about which ones will be most representative or informative
Purposive (purposeful) sampling
The selection of participants through referrals from earlier participants
snowball sampling
In qualitative studies, the selection of sample members based on emerging findings as the study progresses to ensure adequate representation of important themes.
theoretical sampling
A sampling approach used by qualitative researchers involving the purposeful selection of cases with a wide range of variation.
maximum variation sampling
A rich and thorough description of the research context in a qualitative study.
thick description
An approach to collecting and analyzing qualitative data that aims to develop theories and theoretical propositions grounded in real-world observations.
grounded theory
A qualitative research tradition, with roots in philosophy and psychology, that focuses on the lived experience of humans
Phenomenology
A type of phenomenology, developed by Husserl, that emphasizes the careful description of ordinary conscious experience of everyday life
Descriptive phenomenology
An approach to phenomenology in which interpreting and understanding—and not just describing— human experience is stressed; also called hermeneutics.
interpretative phenomenology
In phenomenological inquiries, the process of identifying and holding in abeyance any preconceived beliefs and opinions about the phenomena under study.
Bracketing
An oral self-report in which the researcher asks a respondent questions without having a predetermined plan regarding the content or flow of information to be gathered.
unstructured interview
An interview in which the researcher has listed topics to cover rather than specific questions to ask.
semi-structured interview
An interview with a group of individuals assembled to answer questions on a given topic.
focus groups
An interview stimulated and guided by photographic images.
photo elicitation
relies on in-depth exploration to describe the dimensions, variations, and importance of phenomena.
qualitative description
The process of making sense of the results of a study and examining their implications
Interpretive description
The use of multiple methods to collect and interpret data about a phenomenon so as to converge on an accurate representation of reality.
Triangulation
The use of multiple data sources for the purpose of validating conclusions.
data triangulation
The use of two or more researchers to analyze and interpret a data set to enhance the validity of the findings.
investigator triangulation
The use of multiple methods of data collection about the same phenomenon to enhance the validity of the findings.
method triangulation
The collection of data on the same phenomenon or about the same people at different points in time to enhance the validity of the findings.
time triangulation
