Summary

Question 1

HASLAM & MCGARTY (2003): QUANTITATIVE DATA

Answer 1

• statistical analysis
• numerical data format
• cold/bare analysis “feel”
• nomothetic (universal laws)/hypothesis testing goals of analysis
• reliable product of analysis; stable relations between variables
• general application of findings
• detached researcher stance
• objective assumed status of analysis
• oft deductive research approach

Question 2

HASLAM & MCGARTY (2003): QUALITATIVE DATA

Answer 2

• text/verbal data format
• illustrative/interpretative analysis format
• warm/rich analysis “feel”
• idiographic (understanding beh in context)/exploratory goals of analysis
• potentially variable meanings/rules as product of analysis
• particular application of findings
• involved researcher stance
• potentially subjective assumed analysis status
• oft inductive research approach

Question 3

DEDUCTIVE APPROACH

Answer 3

• emphasises scientific principles
• moves from theory -> data
• seeks to explain causal relations between variables
• collection of quantitative data
• highly structured methodology
• researcher independence
• operationalisation of concepts
• reductionist
• generalisation

Question 4

INDUCTIVE APPROACH

Answer 4

• moving from data -> theory
• understanding meanings humans attach to events (from their perspective)
• close understanding of research context
• qualitative data collection
• flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as research progresses; more fluid
• realisation that researcher is part of process
• less concern w/need to generalise

Question 5

EPISTEMOLOGY

Answer 5

• important to make sure you understand what your approach is
• realist VS social constructionist (make this explicit/apparent)
• realist analysis: themes categorising nature of social world (?)
• constructionist analysis: theorises socio-cultural contexts/structural conditions that enable individual accounts (aka. themes categorising dif ways of representing social world (?))

Question 6

THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Answer 6

• method for identifying/analysing/reporting patterns/themes within data
• organises/describes data in detail
• interprets various aspects of research topic

Question 7

TA: KEY TERMS

Answer 7

DATA CORUPUS
- all data collected for project (ie. interviews/websites/diaries)
DATA SET
- all data from corpus used for particular analysis (ie. interviews)
DATA ITEM
- piece of collected data (ie. interview)
DATA EXTRACT
- identified chunk of data item (ie. quote from interview)

Question 8

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Answer 8

• focuses on everyday management of relations between mental states & external world
• considers how people (in talk/text) formulate personal subjectivity (mental states/dispositions/feelings/judgements/reactions) tying them to descriptions/assessments of what world it like