Helle Neergaard
iCARE
Aarhus University
INNOVATIVE
QUALITATIVE METHODS
OVERVIEW
AN INTRODUCTION TO
INNOVATIVE
QUALITATIVE METHODS
FOR RESEARCHING
GENDER AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Traditional approaches
• Interviews
• Semi-structured
• Narratives
• Life (his)stories
• Observation/participant observation
• Texts (newspaper, magazines, books)
• Discourses
• Focus groups
Innovative methods
• Creative interviewing
• Creative interviews are usually treated for
analytical purposes as ethnographic encounters,
in the sense that the researcher is interested in,
and participates in, as well as observes - the
interactions involved, the situational dynamics,
the surroundings and the physical and non-verbal
elements.
• Involves participants engaging in creative
activities like
• drawing
• collages
• creating diagrams
• taking pictures
Innovative methods
• On-line data sources – text and picture analysis
http://www.mydummy.co.uk/AboutUs.aspx
• Co-creation/co-production
• Social innovation (and entrepreneurship?)
• Participatory design – collective creativity
• Visualization
• http://www.thesheepmarket.com/
• Videography
• audiovisual cultural data
• It produces its research representation in a unique form: as an edited film
• Self-reports
• Reflective logs/ video logs from training sessions or teaching situations
How can we use these methods in researching
gender and entrepreneurship?
• How are we doing the research?
• New methods
• Who are we researching?
• New ‘groups’ of women
• With whom are we doing the research?
• New collaborations
• Where are we doing the research?
• New settings?
References
• Bagnoli, A (2009) 'Beyond the standard interview: the use of
graphic elicitation and arts-based methods' Qualitative
Research, special issue on qualitative research and
methodological innovation, Vol 9, No 5, 547-570.