Qualitative research Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is qualitative research about?
Gaining insight into people and their context
What type of research is qualitative research?
Exploratory
Theme
a patterned response of meaning within the data set
Ontology
views on human reality
What the ontology in quantitative research?
Realism - there is one true reality
What is the ontology in qualitative research?
relativism - people’s realities differ
Epistemology
views on knowing
What is the epistemology in quantitative research?
positivism - knowledge is waiting to be discovered and is then considered true until disproven
What is the epistemology of qualitative research?
social constructionism - knowledge is being degenerated by attempts to explain the human world
what is the data gathering and analysis method in quantitative research ?
mostly asking closed-questions to large samples
what is the data gathering and analysis method in qualitative research ?
mostly asking open-ended questions with specific groups of people to explore their experiences
Structured interviews
- closed questions
- very fixed topic and fixed order of questions
- very clear roles - life being read a questionnaire
- outcome = specific answer converted to numerical data = quantitative
Semi-structured interviews
- open ended questions
- very open around topic and question order can vary
- almost equal roles - like seeking the view of an expect
- outcome = open-ended questions converted to verbal data = qualitative
unstructured intervierws
ideal for pilot quantitive data
Case study
smallest sample size, n=1
Discourse
patterns of language about a concept
identity
notions of self that draw open available discourses
hegemonic masculinity
expected patterns of behaviour among men
Focus groups
apply interviewing techniques to groups (n=3+)
Advantages of focus groups
- they discuss their experience with one another
- if the research topic is communication styles, then the focus group facilitates it directly
- it is beneficial not to have the researcher as part of the group
- participants can become facilitators of new topics
Reflexivity
The awareness and recognition that researchers have in shaping their own research. it is an ongoing process
What are critical questions to ask when analysing our method?
- who will the research benefit
- who is being excluded from the research
- why am I doing this method
- how will my method limit what I can find
- how are my views contributing to my analysis and reporting
How is sampling led in quantitative research?
by statistical power - enough participants to detect hypothesised effects
how is sampling led in qualitative research?
by depth - enough participant to be informative