Qualitative Research

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Qualitative Research

• Psychological Research Methods

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Basis For Selecting Qualitative Methods(from
Mertens, 2005)

• The researchers view of the world
• The nature of the research
• Practical constraints

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Basis For Selecting Qualitative Methods(from
Mertens, 2005)

• The researchers view of the world
• The nature of the research
• Practical constraints

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When to Use Qualitative Techniques(From Jaffee
et al., 1999 Leedy Ormrod, 2001)

• Compliment and extend quantitative research
• Highlight participants understanding of their
  experiences
• Target experiences lost or ignored by traditional
  research methods
• Acknowledge multiple truths to experiences

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Steve engaged in self-injurious behaviors
(SIBs), including banging his head against hard
surfaces and hitting his head with his hand and
fist. Goh and Iwata (1994) noticed that Steve was
able to avoid participantion in his training
program by engaging in these SIBs because staff
members terminated his training when they
occurred (Mertens, 2005).
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Types Case Study(From Leedy Ormrod, 2001)

• Purpose Understand Person/Situation
• Focus One or a Few Individuals
• Data Collection Observations, Interviews,
  Archives
• Data Analysis Categorization and Synthesis

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Types Ethnography (From Leedy Ormrod, 2001)

• Purpose Cultural Reflections of a Group
• Focus Field Site with People from a Shared
  Culture
• Data Collection Observation, Interviews,
  Artifacts, and Archives
• Data Analysis Identification of Significant
  Events and Experiences

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One obvious problem with relying on human
utterances as a primary data source is that
interviewees lie. Chagnon (1983), for example
recounts with admirable (and hilarious) candor
how he wasted 5 months transcribing Yanomamo
obscenities that were solemnly conveyed to him as
genealogical information. Some ethnographers
never do catch on the most famous case is that
of Margaret Mead, whose distinguished career was
built largely upon her credulous acceptance of
Samoan schoolgirls tall tails. Such gullibility
may be especially problematic for researchers
operating in unfamiliar social settings, but it
would be
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Types Phenomenology (From Leedy Ormrod, 2001)

• Purpose Understand Situation from participants
  perspective
• Focus Individuals
• Data Collection Interviews
• Data Analysis Categorization and Synthesis

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Types Grounded Theory (From Leedy Ormrod, 2001)

• Purpose Deriving Theory from Natural Settings
• Focus Human Actions and Interactions
• Data Collection Interviews, Observations,
  Archives, and Artifacts
• Data Analysis Categorization and Development of
  Theory

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Types Content Analysis (From Leedy Ormrod,
2001)

• Purpose Identifying Characteristics of a Body of
  Material
• Focus Verbal, Visual, Behavioral Communication
• Data Collection Artifacts and Archives
• Data Analysis Tabulation of Specified
  Characteristics

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Data Organization/Analysis

• Organizing Raw Data
• Perusing the Data
• Classification
• Synthesis

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Nonreactive Measurements(As identified by Webb
et al., 1973)
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• Using an erosion method, measure the activity
  level of individual children.
• Using an accretion method, estimate the
  popularity of displays in shops and museums.
• Using an unobtrusive natural method, estimate how
  participants felt about a blind date.
• Using an unobtrusive controlled method, determine
  the most popular people at a party.

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Nonreactive Measurements

• Problems/ Ethics

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Evaluating Quality(from Mertens, 2005)

• Credibility
• Prolonged substantial engagement, peer
  debriefing, negative case analysis, member
  checks, triangulation
• Transferability
• Rich descriptions, multiple cases
• Dependability
• Confirmability
• Authenticity
• Balanced view of all participants, values, and
  beliefs
• Emancipatory
• Link back to the community