Qualitative research

Question 1

What can quantitative research be used to measure?

Answer 1

prevalence
causality
relationship between variables
prediction
comparison
measuring outcomes

Question 2

What can qualitative research be used to measure?

Answer 2

organisational change
decision-making
perceptions
understandings 
experiences

Question 3

What is the definition of qualitative research?

Answer 3

a research strategy that emphasises words rather than numbers in collecting and analysing data
study people in their natural setting
understand the social world through the eyes of respondents and the meanings they attach to phenomena
concepts and theories emerge from data (not hypothesis testing)

Question 4

Give an example of the use of qualitative research in health care

Answer 4

Tries to understand the “what”, “why” and “how” questions
e.g why people smoke despite the evidence
social meaning of smoking
the power of tobacco companies in advertisement and policy

Question 5

Describe posivitism

Answer 5

The world is independent of and is unaffected by the researcher
Facts and values are distinct, making it possible to carry out objective research
Methods of science appropriate to study social phenomena as human behaviour is governed by law-like regulations
One truth exists out there and we must be objective to find it

Question 6

Describe the interpretivist paradigm

Answer 6

the researcher and the social world impact on each other
Objective and value free research is not possible although the researcher can declare and he transparent about assumptions
The methods of the natural sciences are not appropriate in a social context as the social world is mediated through meaning and human agency
There are many truths as we socially construct the truth there are multiple realities as people have different perceptions and experiences

Question 7

What should qualitative be / show?

Answer 7

systematically and rigorously conducted
strategically conducted
reflexive
offer explanations
generalisable (possibly)
ethically practised

Question 8

What are the ethical considerations in qualitative research?

Answer 8

recruitment 
informed consent 
confidentiality
anonymity 
risk
capacity
incentives (payment/ kudos)

Question 9

What are some criticisms of qualititatve research?

Answer 9

too subjective
difficult to replicate
problems of generalisation
lack of transparency

Question 10

What is phenomenology?

Answer 10

The way people experience the world they create or inhabit
Study of human experience and consciousness in every day life
Does not deny objective reality but emphasises the importance of each individual’s unique subjective experience of events and how they read them

Question 11

What is an ethnography?

Answer 11

Field / case-study approach
Observation, daily participation
Participant observation

Question 12

What is grounded theory?

Answer 12

Generates theory from data in the process of carrying out the research and collecting the data
Reverse of the traditional process of forming a theoretical groundwork first

Question 13

What is a biography?

Answer 13

looks at how are life and times influence our existence
The impact of social, political, cultural and historical trends are taken into consideration so would include areas such as class, race, ethnicity, gender, family history , religion, political stance, education etc

Question 14

Describe the case-study approach

Answer 14

the most common
intense study of a particular group / community / incident
usually in depth or longitudinal

Question 15

Describe naturally occurring data

Answer 15

ethnography / observation - researcher joins community to record events as they occur
Documentary analysis- media, organisational documents, diaries, photos etc

Question 16

Describe generated data

Answer 16

group discussions
qualitative interviews
qualitative surveys

Question 17

What is meant by non-probabilistic samples ?

Answer 17

Not statistically representative

Question 18

Describe the sample size in qualitative research

Answer 18

usually small

depends on comparisons, type of interviews, analysis and time and budget

Question 19

What is meant by data saturation?

Answer 19

no new data emerging / themes well developed

Question 20

What is a convenience sample?

Answer 20

most accessible
can be large scale
no specific sample selection (eg shopping centre)

Question 21

What is a purposive sample?

Answer 21

selected depending on purpose of research queation

Question 22

What is snowballing sampling?

Answer 22

begin with a small sample selective group and ask them to refer you to others of the same type

Question 23

What is theoretical sampling?

Answer 23

choosing new sites / cases / issues to compare with one that has already been studied: the aim is to offer a deeper understanding of something that is only partially understood

Question 24

What is observation?

Answer 24

Typically refers to the systematic observation of behaviour

field notes, written, taped, filmed

Question 25

When are observational studies used?

Answer 25

when the issues are sensitive
when you have a lot of time
when you’re not sure what looking for
when other methods are inappropriate

Question 26

What is observed in observational studies?

Answer 26

Characteristics of participants
participant’s interactions
non-verbal behaviour
physical surroundings

Question 27

Describe structured interviews

Answer 27

questions - standardised, predetermined, asked in the same order
e.g survey research

Question 28

Describe semi-structured interviews

Answer 28

questions - list of questions, interviewer prompts

e.g survey or qualitative studies

Question 29

Describe unstructured / in-depth interviews

Answer 29

broad topic guide

e.g qualitative studies

Question 30

What are the advantages of semi structured and in-depth interviews?

Answer 30

more complex issues can be probed
answers can be clarified
a more relaxed research atmosphere may abstain more in -depth of sensitive information

Question 31

What is the aim of an interview?

Answer 31

To discover the interviewee’s own framework and meaning and the researchers task is to avoid imposing their own structures and assumptions as far as possible

Question 32

What are the disadvantages of interviews?

Answer 32

time consuming and difficult to collect and analyse
greater opportunity for interviewer bias
style of interviewer
expensive and only feasible with small samples

Question 33

What is a focus group?

Answer 33

Involves a small group of people (4-8) in an informal group discussion focussed on a particular set of issues

Question 34

What are the advantages of focus groups?

Answer 34

attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences may be more likely to be revealed in a group setting
suitable for obtaining several different perspectives on the same topic
can be used to gain people’s shared understanding of issues
asp see how individuals are influenced by others in a group setting

Question 35

How is a focus group different from an interview?

Answer 35

Facilitator does not ask questions of each participant in turn - encourage members to interact with each other
more naturalistic

Question 36

What are the disadvantages of focus group?

Answer 36

organisation
skilled facilitator needed
transcription is more difficult
group dynamics

Question 37

What are the general concepts of analysing qualitative research?

Answer 37

producing a record of what was noticed
collecting into categories
searching for patterns
looking for similarities or differences
asking questions 
thinking about it all

Question 38

Describe presenting qualitative research

Answer 38

merge findings with interpretation / discussion
contextualisation of findings 
critical reflection of research process
quotations to bring it to life
preserve anonymity