Qualitative Research Design 1 Questions for Thought What

Qualitative Research Design 1

Questions for Thought • What are three types of qualitative research traditions that have been especially useful for nurse researchers? 2

Design of Qualitative Studies • Study design typically evolves over the course of the study – Emergent design: a design that emerges as the researcher makes ongoing decisions reflecting what has already been learned 3

Design of Qualitative Studies • Study is based on the realities and viewpoints of those under study 4

Design of Qualitative Studies • Characteristics of Qualitative Research Design – Usually choose topics poorly understood or little is known about them – Flexible, ability to adjust as needed – Use various data collection strategies – Holistic – Researcher very involved, usually in the field – Researcher becomes the research instrument – Requires ongoing analysis throughout data collection 5

Qualitative Design • Characteristics of Qualitative Research Design – Do not have independent and dependent variables – Do not develop hypothesis but the findings are often used in quantitative research hypotheses formulation – Do not pose refined research questions, have broad research question – They usually don’t control or manipulate any variables – Don’t make group comparisons – Design is usually nonexperimental – Can be cross-sectional or longitudinal – Can have multiple data collection points over time 6

Planning of Qualitative Studies • Researcher Plans for the Study by Determining: – – – Which research tradition will be used Study site or setting Determine who are the gatekeepers Time and resources available Required equipment 7

Qualitative Design • Research Setting – – Real-world Naturalistic settings In the field May study phenomena in a variety of settings 8

Qualitative Research Traditions 1. Ethnography 2. Phenomenology 3. Grounded Theory 9

Qualiative Research Traditions: Ethnography • Ethnography – Focuses on the culture of a group of people • CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR (what they do) • CULTURAL ARTIFACTS (what they make and use) • CULTURAL SPEECH (what they say) – Every human group evolves a culture that guides members’ view of the world and cultural values – Researcher learns from the culture versus studying the culture – Can be viewed from macroethnography (broad) or microethnography (narrow) focus 10

Qualitative Research Traditions: Ethnography • Ethnography – Emic perspective • The way the members of the culture envision their world, insiders’ view – Etic perspective • The outsider's interpretation of the experiences of that culture – Ethnographers attempt to gain an emic perspective 11

Qualitative Research Traditions: Ethnography • Ethnography – Researchers may spend years with a culture as an active participant – Researcher as instrument • As the researcher plays a significant role in analyzing and interpreting a culture 12

Qualitative Research Traditions: Ethnography • Ethnography – Collect data through • • • Observation In-depth interviews Records and charts Photographs Diaries • Usually 25 to 50 informants 13

Qualitative Research Traditions: Phenomenology • Phenomenology – Focuses on the lived experience – Interpreting and understanding human experience – What people experience in regard to a phenomenon and how they interpret (perceive) those experiences • i. e. meaning of stress, experience of bereavement, quality of life in chronic illness 14

Qualitative Research Traditions: Phenomenology • Phenomenology attempts to understand describe – – Spatiality – lived space Corporeality – lived body Temporality – lived time Relationality – lived human relations 15

Qualitative Research Traditions: Phenomenology • Phenomenology – Steps of study process • Bracketing – Identifying preconceived beliefs and opinions in attempts to view the data without bias • Intuiting – Researcher is open to alternative meanings • Analyzing – Categorizing and making sense of the meanings of the phenomenon • Describing – Researcher understands and defines the phenomenon 16

Qualitative Research Traditions: Phenomenology • Phenomenology – Collect data through • In-depth conversations • Usually 10 or fewer informants 17

Qualitative Research Traditions: Grounded Theory • Grounded Theory – Study's the social processes and social structures – Assesses the manner in which people make sense of social interactions and the interpretations they attach to social symbols – Purpose is to generate explanations of phenomena that are grounded in reality – Uses the data to provide an explanation of events as they occur in reality • i. e. study process used by mothers to cope with the stress of managing multiple responsibilities 18

Qualitative Research Traditions: Grounded Theory • Grounded Theory – Data collecting, analysis and sampling of participants occur simultaneously – Constant comparison – categories are developed from the data are constantly compared with data obtained eariler 19

Qualitative Research Traditions: Grounded Theory • Grounded Theory – Collect data through • In-depth conversations • Observation • Existing documents • Usually 25 to 50 informants 20

Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches • Integrated designs – A research design that integrates qualitative and quantitative methodologies and data • Can be in a single study or a cluster of studies 21

Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches • Integration Strategies – Embedding qualitative approaches within a survey – Embedding quantitative measures into field work – Qualitative data in experimental and quasiexperimental research 22

Reference Loiselle, C. G. , Profetto-Mc. Grath, J. , Polit, D. F. , & Beck, C. T. (2011). Canadian essentials of nursing research. (3 rd ed. ). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. 23