Forms of Qualitative Research

Planning an Applied Research Project Chapter 6 – Forms of Qualitative Research© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Learning ObjectivesExplain the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methodsDescribe the reasons to use qualitative researchList the nine types of qualitative research designsDistinguish between primary and secondary dataUse triangulation in a research design© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Key TermsAdvocacyBiographyCase studyContent analysisData SpiralEthnographical studiesGrounded theoryPattern analysisPhenomenologyPrimary dataProgram evaluationQualitative methodsQuantitative methodsSecondary dataTriangulation© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative ResearchBoth validBoth use serious research techniques, although differentBoth contribute to new information and perspectivesBoth are rigorousThey fall on a continuum with mixed methods in betweenQualitative---------------------------------------------QuantitativeQualitative-----------------Mixed--------------------Quantitative© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research (cont’d)QualitativeQuantitativeWords more important and numbers count alsoMany variables and few casesPurpose is to explore, investigate, discoverWriting the results countsAnalysis is complicatedNumbers more important and words countFew variables and many casesPurpose is to test, verifyAnalyzing the numbers countsAnalysis is pretty standardized© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Purposes of Qualitative ResearchA Advocate for a cause, situationV Verify informationI Investigate or interpret events and actionsD Describe a situation, eventE Evaluate programs, actions, organizationsO Open a field of inquiryThe movie© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Purposes of Qualitative Research (cont’d)Characteristics of Qualitative ResearchFocus on words not numbers but often includes numbersEmphasis on meanings in wordsNon standard data collectionUse of conceptualization to analyze dataFew cases and many variablesConceptual approachesExamination of patterns in the dataPossibility of correlations© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Purposes of Qualitative Research (cont’d)Characteristics of Qualitative Research (cont’d)Studies phenomena in the real worldUses you as a critical research element sometimesBroadens your ways of seeing what is happening in the worldBrings rigorous methods to the analysis of what we see, observe, noticeStarts with open-ended questions and develops the design along with the study© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Types of Qualitative ResearchAdvocacyBiographies or historical studiesCase studiesConceptual Overviews or Reports of the FieldContent analysisEthnographical StudiesGrounded theoryPhenomenologyProgram evaluation© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Biographies and HistoriesStudy of a person, event, program, company or institutionUse of primary and secondary data and documents and often interviewsChallenges involve locating documents, and interpreting them, and sorting major and minor events or forces© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Case StudiesAnalysis of a program, action, or companyCan be individual case or comparison of several casesChallenge involves immersion in an organization, defining researcher’s role, and sorting a interpreting a mass of inchoate data © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Conceptual Overviews or Reports of the FieldCareful analysis of wide range of literature analyzed in depthModels often suggested from these overviewsChallenges involve being comprehensive and critical (requires knowledge of the topic) and suggesting new research topics© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Content AnalysisSpecific analysis of words, phrases, or images in selected documents and videos or filmsManual task (coding system and manual) but software can do the analysis also Challenges involve careful coding, remaining objective and detached, and interpreting findings© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Ethnographical StudiesExamination of the behavior and mores of a group or tribe-like collection of peopleRequires several perspectives to understand and describe group norms, patterns, and cultural factorsChallenges involve objective observations, focus on patterns not individuals, and detached interpretation of the group© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Grounded TheoryImmersion in field data, development of a hypothesis or hypotheses which is testing again on the participants in the fieldExtensive and intensive process which takes a long time to completeChallenges involve remaining true to the original data and not bring preconceptions to the work© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.PhenomenologyExamination of what it is like to participate in or be involved in an event, activity, or programRelies on participants’ perceptions and sometimes researcher observation and involvementChallenges involve remaining objective and careful in describing the experience© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Program EvaluationsAnalysis of the operation of a program in terms of its original goalsRequires careful plan for collecting appropriate data and analyzing it carefullyChallenges involve remaining objective, interpreting interviews, questionnaire responses, and other data© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Advocacy Paper or Feasibility StudyArgument for a program, policy, event, activity or different way of making something happenRequires careful analysis of contradictory data and clarity of purpose and focusChallenge involves combining logical argument with sufficient data and rationale to convince the readers© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Analyzing Information in Qualitative ResearchFormResearch DesignCase studyIntensive analysis of XContent analysisAnalysis of documents and communicationEthnographyAnalysis and immersion in groupGrounded theoryDevelopment of theory from examining examplesHistorical researchInterpretation of historical data for significancePhenomenologyDetailed study of process, event, activityProgram EvaluationAssessment of an operation or program using documentary records, survey research, and interviewsReview of the fieldComprehensive assessment of key concepts and insights© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d)TriangulationThe use of several sources of data to interpret informationThree independent sources – hopefully of different forms – improves the validity of the insights and analysisThree perspectives increases the objectivity of the insightsCritical to analyzing results from qualitative research © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d)Qualitative Research TechniquesDocumentary analysisPrimary sourcesSecondary sourcesTertiary sources ObservationsInterviews – structured and semi-structuredFocus groupsQuestionnairesSurvey research © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d)Data Analysis ProcessSelection of problemCollection of dataOrganizationPerusalClassification Synthesis© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d)Researcher’s Role in Qualitative ResearchFind patternsRecognize own point of viewParticipateRecordObserveSift through dataAnalyzeUnderstandEvaluateOther© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.Review of the Class SessionAnything unclear?One thing that I learned from this class is © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.