Lesson 5 - Qualitative Research

Question 1

Give 4 reasons for the use of Qualitative research

Answer 1

1. To generate theory (topic is very novel, no past evidence to work from)
2. To gain deeper insight - to validate quant results
3. To explore a group’s experience or perceptions
4. To understand how meanings are constructed - shared meaning

Question 2

An opposing philosophy to positivism is….. which believes it is only possible to understand something …..

This approach is linked to …… , ….. studies

Answer 2

Interpretivism

In the context of how people perceive and make sense of it

Inductive, qualitative

Question 3

What is the ontological position of constructivism?

Answer 3

• phenomena are created by the actions of perceptions of social actors

*construc is more of a theory/ontology than it is it’s own paradigm

Question 4

Give 5 of the key characteristics of qualitative research

Answer 4

• naturalistic approach
• researcher as key instrument
• focus on parts. perspectives, meanings
• Reflective and interpretive
• situated w/in the context or setting of participants/sites

*more on slide 9 of lesson 5

Question 5

Give 4 examples of qualitative data

Answer 5

• verbal (recording)
• written (interview transcripts/diaries)
• visual
• photos/art

Question 6

Give 4 points key to the collection of qualitative data

Answer 6

• requires good interpersonal skills
• seeks holistic record of participant’s words
• bottom-up formation (participant led)
• allows emergence of unanticipated explanations

Question 7

Give 4 types of data collection methods for qualitative data

Answer 7

• interviews
• focus group discussions
• observations
• document analysis

Question 8

What are the 3 types of interview question?

Answer 8

Structures
Semi-structured
Unstructured

Question 9

Qual research cannot create …. and …. in the same way that Quant research can

Answer 9

generalizations and universal truths

Question 10

“Design” is associate with….
“Approach” is associate with ….

Answer 10

Quants

Qual

Question 11

There is no hypothesis in qualitative work, rather we …..

Answer 11

explore the research questions and describe a phenomena

Question 12

Some important points about interviewing are that:

Answer 12

• setting is NB (even aspects such as it being too hot or cold can alter the information that you receive)
• rapport is NB
• restrain prejudice, personal opinions, and from becoming too emotionally involved

Question 13

What 4 types of questions exists in interviews

Answer 13

1. Descriptive q.s
2. Structural q.s
3. Contrast q.s
4. Evaluative q.s

Question 14

What are the 4 key features of focus group discussions?

Answer 14

1. Interaction
2. Collective activity
3. Social events
4. Organised discussions

Question 15

What type of individual interview is most commonly used?

Answer 15

A semi-structured interview

Question 16

What is a disadvantage of individual interviews?

Answer 16

People can speak as they want and take you nowhere, wasting time and resources - even in the case of structured interviews?

Question 17

Give 1 advantage and 2 disadvantages of focus group discussions

Answer 17

Advantage:
- can lead to snowball discussions that are otherwise impossible on an individual basis

Disadvantages:
- difficult to manage
- cannot be used for sensitive subjects

Question 18

Roughly how many people should be involved in a focus group discussion

Answer 18

It’s disputed, some say 4-8, some say 6-12, others say no less than 8

Question 19

Focus groups aim to provide an account of….

Answer 19

a belief or norm held by a specific group in relation to a specific topic

Question 20

What should be taken into account when selecting participants for a focus group discussion

Answer 20

• shared attitudes
• demographic info
• similarity in status

Question 21

List some practical considerations for the use the FGDs (5 points)

Answer 21

• non-threatening environment
• approx 1.5 hours
• researcher to be knowledgeable on the topic
• use pseudonyms
• researcher needs to be a good listener

Question 22

At the onset of a FGD, members ought to be informed that….

Answer 22

• the observer will be present
• session will be recorded

Question 23

Advantage of FGDs are on slide 30, but 3 big ones are that….

Answer 23

• snowballing effect
• most cost/time effective
• multiple moderators provide more valid interpretations

Question 24

What is the key feature of an observation in qual. research?

Answer 24

• researcher always interacts with the participants in their natural environment

Question 25

10 Practical steps to Participant Observations are on slide....

Answer 25

35 and 36

Question 26

Name and briefly outline the 4 types of qualitative research analysis

Answer 26

1. Thematic analysis - data organised according to themes (themes informed by objectives, existing literature and theory) 2. Discourse analysis - analyses language within its social context, conversations and relationships between people (must consider culture and history of those involved) 3. Content analysis - analyze meaning of communications through core themes 4. Interpretive Phenomenological analysis (IPA) - researched avoids imposing personal preconceptions on data

Question 27

Thematic analysis is appropriate for which forms of data collection and what kind of objectives?

Answer 27

Interviews, focus groups, participants generated images/texts Objectives that involve understanding people's experiences/opinions *steps on slide 45

Question 28

If your research involves understanding culture or power dynamics, what is the best method of analysis?

Answer 28

- Discourse Analysis

Question 29

In discourse analysis, you want to analyze data to the point of....

Answer 29

saturation - where no new information emerges from the data

Question 30

Discourse Analysis doesn't focus on smaller units of language such as words or phrases, but rather....

Answer 30

...larger chunks such as entire conversations or texts

Question 31

Outline Grounded Theory briefly

Answer 31

- identifies themes in data => used to derive theory about phenomena - data collection continues until no new themes emerge - used for research questions on topics which are little understood or researched (can use observations, semi-struct interviews and focus groups)

Question 32

Which type of analysis is well suited for people's lived experiences and how they make sense of it within a specific context

Answer 32

- interpretive phenomenological analysis

Question 33

What are some of the hassles of transcription?

Answer 33

- very time consuming - cannot use external people (confidentiality) - transcriptions need to be cleaned of any identifying information - need safe storage

Question 34

What is one of the biggest uses of qualitative research?

Answer 34

- to challenge the status quo and epistemological dominance of positivism, to promote social justice and adopt critical, de-colonizing methods

Question 35

Technology is used in what two ways in the research process

Answer 35

- data collection (recording and transcribing) - data analysis (comp-aided qual data analysis software)