Understanding Problems

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Understanding Problems

• Chapter 7

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• The better off you become at analyzing complex
  problems, the better off you are for solving
  them.
• -Tom Morris

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Finding Out More

• When researching real-world problems, a clear,
  consistent, and worthwhile goal is to find out
  more
• Data derived through problem analysis can be
  central to evidence-based decision making

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From Quick Sketch to Detailed Portrait

• Because problems tend to be so complex, it can be
  a challenge to narrow down methodological options
• Consider whether your research question is suited
  to a quick sketch as offered by rural appraisal
  strategies, or a more detailed portrait as
  offered by a case study

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Looking Outward and Inward

• Research question can also lead you to
• look outward towards broad societal trends,
  attitudes, and opinions
• look inward where you will need to delve into the
  intricacies of your problem situation

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Using Existing Data

• A question that has you looking outwards may see
  you turning your attention to the exploration of
  existing data and archival records
• The challenge here is getting the data into a
  shape and form that will allow it to address your
  research questions

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Primary Data Collection

• Outward exploration might also see you generating
  primary data
• This is often done through a survey process that
  involves sampling a population and distributing,
  colleting, and analysing questionnaires

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The In-depth Interviews

• Inwards exploration is often reliant on the use
  of in-depth interviews
• Such interviews may be the heart of the research
  design - or they may sit under ethnographic,
  phenomenological, or case study approaches

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Ethnography

• Building rich, empathetic, problem understandings
  from the perspective of those facing problems,
  should be a central goal in real-world research
• Ethnographic research techniques can help you in
  this endeavor

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Ethnographic Goals

• The goal of ethnographic research is a thick
  description reliant on multiple methods such as
• participant observation
• in-depth unstructured interviews
• unobtrusive methods such as document analysis

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Exploring Phenomena

• An important goal in finding out more is
  attempting to understand how individuals
  experience phenomena
• Rather than ask what causes X, or what is X, the
  goal of phenomenology is to explore the lived
  experience of X

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Phenomenological Goals

• The key outcome of phenomenological studies is
  rich phenomenological descriptions that allow
  others to share in how a particular phenomenon is
  experienced