Qualitative Research Designs Traditions Phenomenology Ethnography Grounded theory

Qualitative Research Designs Traditions Phenomenology Ethnography Grounded theory

n Objectives: n Define qualitative research n Compare qualitative and quantitative research n Describe 3 types of qualitative research n Identify two of the most common data collection methods used in qualitative research n Discuss analyzing qualitative data n Recognize reliability and validity issues in qualitative research n Critique qualitative research reports

Background n Qualitative researchers: n reject the idea that social sciences (such as education and training) can be studied with the same methods as the natural or physical sciences; n feel that human behavior is always bound to the context in which it occurs; therefore, behavior must be studied holistically, in context, rather than being manipulated; n employ an "insider's" perspective; this makes qualitative research an intensely personal and subjective style of research.

Background/cont n Quantitative researchers: n argues that both the natural and social sciences strive for testable and confirmable theories that explain phenomena by showing how they are derived from theoretical assumptions; n reduce social reality to variables in the same manner as physical reality; n attempt to tightly control the variable in question to see how other variables are influenced.

Qualitative. Quantitative Objective Subjective "Hard" science "Soft" science Literature review must be done early in study Literature review may be done as study progresses or afterward Tests theory Develops theory One reality: focus is concise and narrow Multiple realities: focus is complex and broad Reduction, control, precision Discovery, description, understanding, shared interpretation Measurable Interpretive Mechanistic: parts equal the whole Organismic: whole is greater than the parts

itative. Quantitative Report rich narrative, individual Report statistical analysis. interpretation. Basic element of analysis is numbers Basic element of analysis is words/ideas. Researcher is separate Researcher is part of process Subjects Participants Context free Context dependent Hypotheses Research questions Reasoning is logistic & deductive Reasoning is dialectic & inductive

Qualitative Quantitative Establishes relationships, causation Describes meaning, discovery Uses instruments Uses communication and observation Strives for generalization Strives for uniqueness Designs: descriptive, correlational, quasi-experimental, experimental Designs: phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic, historical, philosophical, case study. Sample size: 30 to 500 Sample size is not a concern; seeks "information rich" sample "Counts the beans" Provides information as to "which beans are worth counting"

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Objective purpose: To gain an understanding of underlying reasons and motivations To provide insights into the setting of a problem, generating ideas and/or hypotheses for later quantitative research To uncover prevalent trends in thought and opinion To quantify data and generalize results from a sample to the population of interest To measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample Sometimes followed by qualitative research which is used to explore some findings further

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Sample Usually a small number of nonrepresentative cases Respondents selected to fulfill a given quota Usually a large number of cases* representing the population of interest Randomly selected respondents

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Data collectio n Unstructured or semistructured techniques e. g. individual depth interviews or group discussions Structured techniques* such as onstreet or telephone interviews

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Data analysis Non-statistical Statistical*; data is usually in the form of tabulations Findings are conclusive and usually descriptive* in nature.

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Outcome Exploratory and/or investigative Findings are not conclusive and cannot be used to make generalizations about the population of interest Develop an initial understanding and sound base for further decision making Used to recommend a final course of action

Quantitative* Research. Qualitative Research Data collecti on Unstructured or semi-structured techniques e. g. individual depth interviews or group discussions Structured techniques* such as on-street or telephone interviews

n Major research traditions in qualitative research: Phenomenology n Ethnography n Grounded theory n

n Phenomenology: Examines human experiences through the descriptions that are provided by the people involved “lived experiences”

n The goal of this type of research is to describe the meaning that experiences hold for each subject. n It includes the qualities of “humanness, such as individualism, self determination, wholeness, uniqueness, and open system”

n The researcher asks: “What is it like for a mother to live with a teenage child who is dying of cancer? ” n The researcher puts aside his/her ideas about the idea under study “bracketing” n Themes and patterns are sought in the data n Data collection and data analysis occur simultaneously

n Ethnography: Involves the collection and analysis of data about cultural groups, “making sense of other people’s world ”. Leininger (1985) defined ethnography as “ the systematic process of observing, detailing, describing, documenting, and analyzing the lifeways or particular patterns of a culture (or subculture) in order to grasp the lifeways or patterns of the people in their familiar environment”

n Involves living with the people and becoming part of their culture n Data collected from key informants n Data collection and data analysis occur simultaneously n End purpose is to develop cultural theories

n Grounded theory: n Developed by two sociologists: Glaser and Strauss (1967) n Studies in which data are collected analyzed and then a theory is developed that is grounded in the data

n Grounded theory method uses both an inductive and a deductive approach to theory development

Comparison of criteria for judging the quality of quantitative versus qualitative research Conventional terms n Internal validity n External validity n Reliability n Objectivity Naturalistic terms Credibility Transferability Dependability Confirmability