Ch 10 Methodology
Qualitative Research
• Definition
An inquiry process of understanding a social or human
problem based on building complex, holistic picture, formed
with words reporting detailed views of informants and
conducted in a natural setting
Qualitative Research (Continued 1)
• Major characteristics of qualitative research
1. Natural inquiry
Studying real-world situations as they unfold naturally;
nonmanipulative, unobtrusive, and noncontrolling;
openness to whatever emerges-lack of predetermined
constraints on outcomes
2. Inductive analysis
Immersion in the details and specifics of the data to
discover important categories, dimensions, and
interrelationships; begin by exploring genuinely open
questions rather than testing theoretically derived
(deductive) hypotheses
Qualitative Research (Continued 2)
3. Holistic perspective
The whole phenomenon under study is understood as a
complex system that is more than the sum of its parts;
focus on complex interdependencies not meaningfully
reduced to a few discrete variables and linear, cause-effect
relationships.
4. Qualitative data
Detailed, thick description; inquiry in depth; direct
quotations capturing people’s personal perspectives and
experiences.
Qualitative Research (Continued 3)
5. Personal contact and insight
The researcher has direct contact with and gets close to the
people, situation, and phenomenon under study;
researcher’s personal experiences and insights are an
important part of the inquiry and critical to unstinting the
phenomenon.
6. Dynamic system
Attention to process; assumes change is constant and
ongoing whether the focus is on an individual or an entire
culture.
Qualitative Research (Continued 4)
7. Unique case orientation
Assumes each case is special and unique; the first level of
inquiry is being true to, respecting, and capturing the
details of the individual cases being studied; cross-case
analysis follows from and depends on the quality of the
individual case studies.
8. Context sensitivity
Places findings in a social, historical, and temporal context;
dubious of the possibility or meaningfulness of
generalizations across time and space.
Qualitative Research (Continued 5)
9. Empathic neutrality
Complete objectivity is impossible; pure subjectivity
undermines credibility; the researcher’s passion is
understanding the world in all its complexity- not proving
something, not advocating, not advancing personal
agendas, but understanding; the researcher includes
personal experience and empathic insight as part of the
relevant data, while taking a neutral nonjudgmental stance
toward whatever content may emerge.
Qualitative Research (Continued 6)
10. Design flexibility
Open to adapting inquiry as understanding deepens and/or
situation change; avoids getting locked into rigid design
that eliminate responsiveness; pursues new paths of
discovery as they emerge.
Steps in Qualitative Research
• Identification of the phenomenon, problem, or question to be
studied (what do you want to know, answered, want to have a
better understanding, or is the study needed).
• Identification of the participants
• Generation of a hypothesis
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Drawing conclusions
Qualitative Research Designs
• Case Studies
1. Purpose
--- To examine a single case in depth in order to understand the person or
phenomenon
2. Process
--- Studies are bounded in the cases themselves
--- The study focuses on the natural context of the individual
3. Data Collection
--- Interactive field work
--- Formal and informal interviews
--- Observations
--- Data gathering
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 1)
4. Data analysis
--- Interpretational-search for themes
--- Structural-search for patterns in discourse
--- Reflective-rich portrayal of participant’s views
5. Communicating the findings
--- Analytical: an objective narrative
--- Reflective: a literary narrative
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 2)
• Ethnography
1. Purpose
--- To understand the relationship between behavior and
culture
--- Why do people react the way they do
2. Process
--- Study participants in their own environment
--- Focuses on naturally occurring processes or change
3. Data collection
--- Participant observations
--- Open ended interviews with informants and participants
--- Study artifacts and document collections
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 3)
4. Data analysis
--- Event oriented
--- Structured indexing (coding)
--- Constant comparative method (differing points of view)
a. A portrait of the participant’s view of their culture, social group
b. The researcher’s point of view based of the participant's life in the
culture or social group as determined through observations,
interviews, and data gathering.
5. Communicating the results
--- Holistic description of the participant’s every day events
--- Analytical vignettes
--- Assertions of conversations
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 4)
• Phenomenology
1. Purpose
--- To describe an experience from the participant’s point of view
--- To describe a participant’s experience to an event, relationship
--- To reconstruct a participant’s experience to generate meaning and
understanding from their point of view
2. Process
--- Studies individuals
--- Focuses on lived experiences
--- Non structured
--- In depth
--- Arrive at the heart of the matter
--- Participants need to have experienced the experience
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 5)
3. Data collection
--- In depth-unstructured interviews
--- Purposeful sampling of 12 or less participants
4. Data analysis
--- Special meanings of the participants
--- Search for common themes and patterns across the participants
--- Open, non-structured, tentative (could change from one interview to
the other), intuitive
5. Communicate the findings
--- Thematic narratives
--- Creativity in use of film, literature, poetry, art, etc.
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 6)
• Grounded Theory
1. Purpose
--- To derive a theory that links participant’s perspective to general
social science theories
--- How a phenomenon operates and why it operates the way it does
--- The literature review (construct validity)
2. Process
--- Studies processes in multiple stages refining the instrument as the
process develops
--- Focuses on interactions between two or more variables (literature vs.
research variables)
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 7)
3. Data collection
--- Draws on data gathering e.g. Historical records, literature, interviews,
observations
--- Data collection based on comparisons of variables and multi units e.g.
specifics of the study, purpose, focus, problem, situation participants,
researcher, etc.
4. Data analysis
--- Concept oriented based on theories
--- Selective coding based on themes associated with the theories being
studies
--- Constant comparative methods based on breaking down categories or
making connections with your research and the theories
5. Communicating the findings
--- Use descriptions of the relationships between categories or
connections
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 8)
• Historical Research
1. Definition
A systematic collection and evaluation of data to describe, explain, and
thereby understand actions or events that occurred sometime in the
past and how it might effect the present and / or the future.
2. Purpose
--- To make people aware of what happened in the past so they learn
from past failures and successes
--- To learn how things were done in the past to see if they might be
applicable to present day problems and concerns
--- To assist in prediction
--- To test hypotheses concerning relationships or trends
--- To understand present practices and policies more fully
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 9)
• Steps involved in Historical Research
Define the problem
Locate relevant sources
Consider primary vs. secondary sources
Summarize sources as to its relevance
Evaluate
External criticism-genuineness of the documents
Internal criticism-checking the contents for accuracy
Determine independent variable-historical phenomenon
Determine dependent variables
Events that took place based on the historical phenomenon
Establish a working hypothesis
What do you want to find out
Data analysis
Qualitative Research Designs (Continued 10)
3. Data analysis
--- Establish coding
--- Establish common themes
--- Establish common patterns
4. Reporting the results
--- Discussion of the implications of the study
--- Discussion of the effects of the study