Workshop 2 - Research methods

Question 1

What measures does qualitative research identify?

Answer 1

Nature
Quality
- this can be of something happening without intervention, the quality of an intervention, or the reasoning behind a lack of engagement with an intervention (e.g. non-compliance)

Question 2

What measures does quantitative research identify?

Answer 2

Magnitude
Occurrence
Association

Question 3

What questions does qualitative research ask?

Answer 3

Who?
What?
When?
Why?
How?

Question 4

What questions does quantitative research ask?

Answer 4

How much?
- and then the magnitude and association e.g. prevalence/incidence of a disease and a relationship/association with other factors

Question 5

Does qualitative/quantitative research always start with a hypothesis/a priori assumption?

Answer 5

Quantitative usually does - answerable research question + hypothesis

Qualitative usually doesn’t - open question which enables exploration of what’s going on, sometimes have a hypothesis, when appropriate

Question 6

What is a good example of a qualitative research method?

Answer 6

Unstructured interviews which generate qualitative data through the use of open questions
- allows respondent to talk in some depth, choosing their own words

Question 7

Is qualitative research only limited to words? What can it be?

Answer 7

No it isn’t

• can be photos, videos, sound recordings, social media content and so on
• all can be considered and analysed as qualitative data

Question 8

What are 4 quantitative research techniques?

Answer 8

Surveys or questionnaires
Observation or counting
Document screening/extraction
Experiments

Question 9

What are 6 qualitative research techniques?

Answer 9

Free text surveys
Interviews
Focus groups
Observations
Document analysis
Oral history or life stories