week 9: qualitative research Flashcards
qualitative research basic what is it
- ways of finding out what people do, know, think, and feel by observing them, interviewing them, and analyzing documents
- depends on descriptions, categories, and words instead of numbers
- –study in natural environment
- useful for understanding differences in individuals
what is the purpose of qualitative research
describe, explore, or generate ideas and hypotheses which can often then be tested quantitatively
inductive reasoning
gather data, examine info, identify trends, the formulate a theory
*qualitative research uses
deductive reasoning
formulate theory, then collect data to support or refute the theory
*this is what quantitative research uses
is research strictly qualitative or quantitative
no is usually some combo of the two that leans in one way
7 steps to qualitative research
1) observe events or ask questions with open-ended answers
2) record what is observed, said, done
3) interpret the data
4) return to further observe and ask questions
5) repeat steps 2-4 as many times as needed
6) develop formal theories to explain the data obtained
7) formulate conclusions generate hypothesis
what are the 10 general assumptions of qualitative research
- naturalistic inquiry= focus on persons, etc in their natural setting’
- inductive analysis= begin with specific examples or facts, formulate questions, and end with principles and theories
- holistic perspective= the whole picture is important through analyzing different parts
- thick description= gather detailed info and triangulate data from multiple sources
- personal contact and insight= personal biases are unavoidable and must be acknowledged
- dynamic systems= everything is subject to constant change during research
- unique case orientation= researchers assume each case is unique/special and deserves and in depth study
- content sensitivity= appreciate context could influence phenomenon of interest
- empathic neutrality= researchers remain neutral observers and are nonjudgmental
- design flexibility= because of the nature of qualitative research, new questions are often generated during the course of the study
three important things for qualitative research methods to specify
- role of the researcher
- stages of research
- methods of data analysis
ethnography
- the study of an entire culture including groups of people as well as organizations
- –researchers assume insider or outsider role
- —–most commonly is participant observation where the researcher is immersed in to the culture
- can include interviews, focus groups, document analysis, multimedia analysis
- data validation
- –triangulation
- –lamination
lamination
researcher interpretation, then verifying conclusions by wising other researchers to interpret data and see how much they match
—no clear endpoint
field research
observation of phenomena in the natural state or context
*integral to ethnography
phenomenology
focuses on individual experiences, perspectives, and unique interpretations of the world
- –seeks to understand how the world appears to others (philosophical)
- –helps better understand situations people go through in their lives
- verbal descriptions and in depth interviews
grounded theory
- aims to develop theories about phenomena that are grounded in observation
- –recurring data collection
- –create qs
- –verify
- –no specific ending point
- theories and hypothesis are created after a number of cycles or observation and verification
6 common qualitative research designs
- case study
- discourse analysis
- kinesic analysis
- direct observation
- participant observation
- unstructured in-depth interview
case study
intensive observations of a person, location, or event
- types:
- –intrinsic which seeks to gather specific info about a person, place, or thing
- instrumental case study= seeks to understand issues or specific phenomena, generate theories, or modify theories
- collective case study= combine several case studies
- very flexible and effective when combo with quantitative and qualitative
discourse analysis
refers to a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken, and signed language
- -method of systematically describing and analyzing conversation
- –word frequency counts
- applied to many different conversational interaction with many different convo partner pairings
kinesic analysis
the study of communication through body movements, expressions, and gestures
- usually combines with other qualitative methods to triangulate data
- especially difficult for several reasons and its credibility is sometimes questionable
direct observation
- detailed systematic observation of people, locations, events, or topic of interest without researchers intrusion or participation
- –this minimizes bias
- –observations done remotely
- note taking or video recording and often triangulated with other info from credible sources
data vs investigator, vs theory, vs methodological triangulation
- data= using multiple data sources
- investigator= using multiple researchers or evaluators
- theory = using multiple perspective to interpret data
- methodological= using multiple methods to study a single problem
participant observation
in opposition to direct observation, participant observation requires the researcher to become a participant in the culture or the context being studies
—much more demanding because the researcher must become an accepted member of the culture or context he/she is studying
unstructured in-depth interview
- has
- –open ended questions
- –no formal structure
- –repeated process of questions and answers that generate further questions
- focus on broad topics and concepts and well suited for exploring sensitive, emotional, and personal issues
focus group interviews
derivation of the unstructured interview which involves small groups of people who focus on specific topics
- particularly useful for marketing
- free-flowing and unstructured, researcher moderate and must follow a preplanned manuscript to reach goals
can the term validity be used on qualitative research
no, but can use terms like trustworthy, plausible, or credible
three issues that could arise with qualitative research and must be addressed
1) researcher bias- being selective in what you see, do, or hear
2) descriptive adequacy= provide an accurate actual account
3) interpretive adequacy= how well researcher captures and conveyed the meaning of an experience
