Qualitative Research Method

1
Qualitative Research Method

• Lecture 8
• Lecturer Hisayo Katsui
• Title Participatory Research Methods and
  Ethical Issues
• 23.11.2007

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Todays Lecture

• Role Play of an Interview
• Discussion from the Point of View of Ethical
  Issues
• Ethical Issues
• Participatory Research Method
• Introduction to My Research Works
• Southern Context
• Introduction to My Ugandan Project

3
Role Play

• You are interested in collecting information on
  womens decision making power on childrens
  education in A country in the South. Once you
  arrived at A, you decided to interview women
  about this in a district B. You knocked the door
  of a house without any appointment which was
  conveniently close from the bus station

4
Discussion from the Point of View of Ethical
Issues

• What was not correct?
• How to improve it?

5
Theories and Approaches

• Positivism (mainly 50s-60s)
• Structuralism (60s onwards)
• Humanism (80s onwards) (Desai Potter, 2006)
• Human Rights (90s but especially 2000 onwards)
• ? Ethical Issues
• ? Participation

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Ethical Issues

• Social Sciences
• Informed Consent
• Confidentiality and Anonymity
• Ethical Dilemma
• Subjectivity
• Ongoing/evolving Relationship with the Subjects
• Many Unintended Consequences
• Southern Context
• (Berg, 2007)

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Participatory Research Methods

• Rapid Rural Appraisal Participatory Rural
  Appraisal in Development Practices
• Participatory and Emancipatory Research Methods
  in Disability Studies
• Action Research in Social Sciences
• Typical Research Cycle
• Idea ? Theory ? Design ? Data Collection ?
  Analysis ? Reflection (? Dissemination)
• Participatory Research Method in My Research

8
General Strengths of Participatory Research
Methods

• based on local perceptions and priorities
• can rapidly collect large amounts of data
• capture diversity
• increase the voice of the most vulnerable
• immediate cross-checking of different accounts
  (if a group)
• empowerment of the stakeholders
• people learn from each other and reach new
  understandings (if a group)
• (Mayoux, 2006)

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General Weaknesses of the Participatory Research
Methods

• maybe too context specific
• maybe over-influenced by power relations
• difficult to control who attends
• participation in discussion depends on the skills
  of the facilitator
• unrealistic expectation (empowerment does not
  come true, no actual positive change in lives)
• may make some people more vulnerable
• ? Thus combine with other methods to cross-check
• (Mayoux, 2006)

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Introduction to My Research WorksAll with
Qualitative Research Methods!

• Masters Thesis on an English Charity
  Organisation for Disabled People
• Voices of Southern Civil Societies
• PhD on Development Cooperation Project between
  Central Asian and Finnish DPOs
• Evaluation Study on Abilis Foundation
• Aid Relationship between Finnish and Japanese
  NGOs and Vietnamese Counterparts
• Mainstreaming of Disability into Finnish and
  Japanese Development Policies and Practices
• (On-going) Post-doctoral Study on Human
  Rights-Based Approach to Disability in
  Development Uganda

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Self-Reflection on My PhD Study

• Aiming at Participatory Research Methods
• - Two visits to CA Two fieldworks in Finland
  (participatory workshops) prior to the main
  fieldwork
• - Informed consent form Information sheet
• - Interview style
• - Thought-over compensation
• - Proximity Living with them
• - Inclusion of diverse disabled people
• - Dissemination popular version in Russian
  (1500 copies)
• Many Failures of My Research or Those of the
  Methods themselves

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Challenges of the Participatory Research Methods
in a Southern Context

• Academic Culture vs. Local Culture
• Educational Background
• Ownership and Control for a Research (especially
  gradu, PhD and alike)
• Accessibility
• Participation
• Research Outcomes

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Introduction to My Two Uganda-Based Projects

• Evaluation Study of Abilis Foundation
• HRBA to Disability in Development in Uganda
• Full-Participation
• - Two Disabled Researchers/Activists
• Partial-Participation
• - Research Assistants
• - Involving Finnish and Ugandan Umbrella DPOs
• - Blog Site http//disability-uganda.blogspot.co
  m/
• - Newsletters

14
No Formula!

• Context-Specificity
• Heterogeneity of People
• You Are Playing a Big Role
• Justify Your Ethical Correctness within the
  Given Circumstance
• Self-reflection after the Research for Further
  Development

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References

• Berg, B.L. (2007) Qualitative Research Methods
  for the Social Sciences. Pearson Education.
  Boston.
• Coghlan, D. and Brannick, T. (2001) Doing Action
  Research in Your Own Organisation. Sage
  Publications. London.
• Barnes, C. Mercer, G. (eds.) (1997) Doing
  Disability Research. The Disability Press. Leeds.
• Campbell, J. (2002) A Critical Appraisal of
  Participatory Methods in Development Research.
  International Journal of social Research
  Methodology Vol.5 No.1. P. 19-29.