Research Committee Module #5
1 CNE Available
Created by Joni Walton, RN PhD ACNS BC
There is no conflict of interest in the creation of this education program.
Learner Objectives
1. Describe 2 basic guiding philosophic
principles of qualitative research.
2. Identify 2 different types of established
qualitative research methodologies.
3. Discuss 2 concerns with generic
qualitative research.
4. List components of qualitative rigor.
A Need For
Qualitative Research
It therefore is time for nurses to assert
their autonomy and use qualitative
criteria
to
evaluate
qualitative
paradigm, without this position, we
will continue to have noncredible,
inaccurate, and questionable findings
for qualitative research studies. It is
time to change practices!
M. Leininger (1994)
Characteristics of
Qualitative Research
1. Belief in multiple realities
 Individuals create meaning
 Multiple ways of understanding
 Multiple truths
(Caelli, Ray & Mill, 2003)
Characteristics of
Qualitative Research
2. Commitment to gain understanding
from the participants viewpoint.
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Find meaning of the experience
Identify basic social problems
Within context of the experience
Find similarities and differences
(Caelli, Ray & Mill, 2003)
Characteristics of
Qualitative Research
3. Acknowledged participation of
the researcher in the research
 Researcher is co-participant in the
discovery and understanding
 All research is conducted with a
subjective bias
 Objectivity - documents rigor from
participant’s viewpoint
(Caelli, Ray & Mill, 2003)
Characteristics of
Qualitative Research
4. Minimize disturbance of the
natural context of the phenomena
 Do not disturb the natural context
of the phenomena
 Little intrusion as possible
(Caelli, Ray & Mill, 2003)
Types of Established
Qualitative Methodologies
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ethnography—Anthropology
Grounded Theory—Sociology
Phenomenology—Philosophy
Focus groups—Business
Naturalistic Inquiry—Education
Narrative Inquiry—Education & others
Ethnography Analysis
Values, beliefs, practices of cultural groups
Types of analysis
 Thematic analysis
 Grounded theory analysis
Grounded Theory Analysis
Grounded Theory (GT) developed by two
sociologists to discover problems or
meaning
Analysis:
 Classic GT (Glaser & Strauss)
 Non classic (Strauss and Corbin)
Bias Theoretical Positioning
All qualitative studies value the identification
of the researcher’s bias and the analytic lens
of analysis
Examples
 Did the researcher have a parent with renal
failure?
 What are the researcher’s beliefs related to
the phenomenon being studied?
Focus Groups
 A specific technique used by trained
group moderators to identify likes,
dislikes, or problems
 Used in business to test new products
 Used by hospitals to find how to bring
in customers, way finding, satisfaction
 Analysis: Content analysis
Credibility of
Generic Qualitative Research
1. Theoretical positioning of the
researcher
2. Congruence between methodology
and method
3. Strategies to establish rigor
4. Analytic lens of data analysis
(Caelli, Ray, & Mill, 2003)
Rigor
Each of the established qualitative
methods have guidelines for rigor
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Member checks (participant validates findings)
Fit
Trustworthiness
Credibility
Follow assumptions of method
Follow analysis recommended for method
Non Established Qualitative
Methodologies-Generic
There is a major explosion of
research studies that do not
follow a specific guiding
methodology or analysis. They
are descriptive in nature, and
not necessarily rigorous.
Research Abstract
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Title
Purpose or research question
Sample and setting
Method
Analysis
Results
Implications
Title of the Study
 The title may sound non scholarly
 The title may be in the participant’s
own words
 Do not overlook a study because of
a weird title
Purpose or Research Question
 The purpose must be clearly identified
 Qualitative research is great to:
– Study a new phenomenon
– Study a phenomenon or problem that has
not been studied
– To discover meaning
– To understanding the experience
Purposeful Sample
 Sample size in qualitative research is
small
 It is not appropriate for large samples
(over 40)
 Not appropriate for a random sample
 Select each participant on purpose
– Participants or key informants have the
problem that is being studied
Study Participants
 In qualitative research the study
volunteers are not called
“SUBJECTS”
 Key informants or participants
Saturation - Sample Size
 Saturation is a term that is used when
the data is complete or redundant and
there are no new findings
 Saturation occurs when each additional
interview or observation brings the
same information
 Saturation is the exhaustive exploration
and completion of data
Setting
 A description of where the study took place
 Important in ethnographic studies
• Culture, environment
 In-depth interviews often take place in a
mutually agreed upon private place
• Home or office
Data Collection
What data was collected?
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Demographic data (age, economic, other)
In-depth interviews (audio or videotaped)
Participant observations
Field work
Historical documents
Artifacts, journals, photos, other
Data Analysis
Each of the established qualitative methods
has its own specific type of data analysis,
except for generic qualitative methods.
For example:
- Phenomenology
- Colaizzi’s analysis
- Parse’s analysis
- Giorgi’s analysis
- Van Kaam’s analysis
Results of Analysis
The hallmark of qualitative research are
the results:
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Themes
Categories, subcategories
Concepts
Theory, theoretical models
Hypothesis for future research
ING-Gerund
 Most themes and categories are from
the words of participants
 Usually end in ING implying a process
- Enduring
- Coping
- Seeking
- Finding
- Developing
- Discovering
- Managing
- Facing mortality
Evaluating an Article Using
a Check List for Guidance
 A check list can be a guide
 Often used in research courses
Nursing Implications
A good research article will have
a summery of implications for
future research and implications
for nursing.
References
 Caelli, K., Ray, L., & Mill, J. (2003). ‘Clear as mud’:
Toward greater clarity in generic qualitative research.
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(2).
Article 1. Retrieved from
http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/pdf/caellietal
.pdf.
 Leininger, M. (1994). Evaluation criteria and critique
of qualitative research. In Critical Issues in
Qualitative Research Methods. Morse, J. M. (ed).
Newberry Park, CA: Sage.
 Law, M. et al (1998). Guidelines for critical review
form – qualitative studies. Retrieved from
http://www.usc.edu/hsc/ebnet/res/Guidelines.pdf.
References
 Lincoln, Y. S. & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic
inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
 Aamodt, A. (1983). Problems in doing nursing
research: Developing criteria for evaluating
qualitative critique. Western Journal of Nursing
Research (5)4, 399.
 Morse, J. M. (1991). Strategies for sampling. In J.
Morse (Ed.), Qualitative nursing research: A
contemporary dialogue (Rev. Ed.). (pp. 117-131).
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
References
 Morse, J. M. (1999). Myth #93: Reliability and validity are
not relevant to qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Health
Research, 9, 717.
 Morse, J. M., Barrett, M., Mayan, M., Olson, K., & Spiers,
J. (2002). Verification strategies for establishing reliability
and validity in qualitative research. International Journal
of Qualitative Methods 1 (2), Article 2. Retrieved from
http://www.ualberta.ca/~ijqm/.
 Sandelowski, M. (1993). Rigor or rigor mortis: The
problem of rigor in qualitative research revisited.
Advances in Nursing Science, 16 (2), 1-8.