Chapter 7 Qualitative Research

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Chapter 7 Qualitative Research
For every complex problem, there is a solution
that is simple, neat, and wrong. H.L. Mencken
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Chapter Overview

• Nature of the research problem and research plan
  in qualitative research.
• Five qualitative research designs.
• Collecting data in qualitative research.
• Organizing and analyzing data from qualitative
  studies.
• The inevitable checklist.

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Introduction

• Some research approaches reduce complexity and
  begin their analysis with simpler components that
  add up to the big picture.
• Qualitative research strives to do the opposite
• Focus on a real world phenomenon.
• Study it in all of its complexity.
• For some The researcher becomes an instrument,
  just like any other part of the research.
• Mencken could have been talking about this
  difference!

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The role of objectivity

• Objectivity may not be possible in studying
  interpersonal relations, social structures,
  creative processes
• Is there a single ultimate truth to be
  discovered? Or is it about all of the truths
  from many different perspectives?
• One goal can be to reveal the perspectives
  themselves and what they tell us.

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More likely qualitative when

• Little information exists on a topic.
• Variables are unknown.
• Existing theory is inadequate or missing
  entirely.
• Generally, when the question is more like
• What needs to be studied?
• Looking subjectively for patterns in complex
  phenomena.

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Qualitative research problems

• Qualitative research problems often start general
  and then become more precise.
• What is the nature of the sports consumption
  culture?
• What is it like living in that culture?
• How can principles of business even be used to
  analyze this culture?

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Qualitative research plans

• If you start with a general, open-ended question,
  your plan cannot be very precise ahead of time.
• Indeed, the plan can evolve as relationships
  clear up.
• Dont confuse this with lack of preparation
• E.G. Firm grasp of previous research.
• Or lack of training!
• E.G. Training in observation techniques,
  interview strategies, data collection techniques.

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When to take the qualitative path

• Choose qualitative approaches when you are after
• Description rather than analysis.
• In depth interpretation rather than prediction.
• Verification of assumptions, claims, or
  generalizations.
• Complex evaluation of policies from many
  perspectives.

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Qualitative designs

• Look at Five
• Case study
• Ethnography
• Phenomenological study
• Grounded theory study
• Content analysis.

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Case Study

• Very typical in business approaches.
• Definition Study a particular individual,
  program, or event in depth for a defined period
  of time.
• The branding approach for a particular sports
  product over three years, compared to previously.
• The division managers behavior regarding the
  branding of this particular product during that
  same time period, compared to previously.

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Case Study

• The hope? Suppose branding was very successful.
  Identifying the unique, special qualities in the
  case can help determine
• The extent to which the approach can or cant be
  extrapolated to other situations.
• Finding the limits of application lead to
  adaptive applications.
• Sometimes Comparing two case studies broadens
  these possible results.

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Case Study- Method

• Remember In depth, capture complexity.
• Step 1 Gather data on the object of analysis.
• Step 2 Gather data on the surrounding context.
• Step 3 Data analysis.
• Step 4 The report.

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Case Study- Method

• Step 1 Gather data on the object of analysis
• Observation.
• Interview.
• Documents.
• Past records.
• Audiovisual material.
• Extensive on-site interaction.

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Case Study- Method

• Step 2 Gather data on the context surrounding
  the object of analysis
• Physical environment.
• Historical factors.
• Economic factors.
• Social factors.
• Government regulations.

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Case Study- Data Analysis

• Step 3 Data analysis actually has three
  components
• Organize.
• Interpret.
• Synthesize.

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Case Study- Data Analysis

• Organization of the data.
• Start chronologicalarrange the facts as they
  happened.
• E.G. The manager intervened over time.
• Then go to categorizationsarrange the facts as
  they fit possible groupings that had an impact on
  the object of analysis.
• E.G. All manager interventions.

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Case Study- Data Analysis

• Interpretation of the data
• Single occurrences.
• E.G., Group activity increased after one
  particular intervention.
• Then on to patterns.
• E.G., Group activity increased after all
  interventions, EXCEPT ONE what was similar
  about the successes different about the failure?

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Case Study- Data Analysis

• Synthesis and generalization
• Construct the over-all portrait of the case.
• E.G. Intervention is successful when but not
  when
• Consider valid, believable extensions (and
  restrictions!)
• E.G., Whenever like circumstances occur, a
  similar outcome seems likely to occur again.

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Case Study- The Report

• Faithful rendition of what went on and what you
  think
• Rationale for the study Why is this a worthy
  case to study? What can be learned here?
• Description of the facts The undisputed part of
  the information set. E.G. the case and its
  environment.
• Description of all data collected On all
  dimensions.
• Discussion of the patterns Beyond the facts,
  this is your set of observations about the data
  you collected.
• Connections to any possible broader context
  Remember this may be about extrapolations and
  reasons NOT to do so!

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Ethnography

• Qualitative analysis of an entire groupCulture
  defined as you see fit.
• E.G. Broadly The sports culture.
• E.G. Narrowly The womens rugby culture the
  sports memorabilia culture sports shoe culture.
• Aim
• A qualitative analysis of the entire culture in
  order to understand its choices and outcomes.

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Ethnography

• In-depth, natural setting, typically over more
  extended periods than case studies.
• Observations? Everyday behaviors.
• E.G. Interactions that occur, language and its
  special uses, rituals.
• Goal? Identify cultural norms, beliefs, social
  structures, and other patterns of the group.

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Ethnography- Method

• From cultural anthropology
• Site-based field workprolonged engagement in the
  groups natural setting.
• Step 1 Find a site (researcher is a stranger).
• Step 2 Gain access (there may be a gatekeeper).
• Step 3 Establish rapport (researcher is no
  threat).
• Step 4 Cast a broad net.
• Step 5 Identify key information providers.
• Step 6 Go native or remain a harmless
  outsider?
• Step 7 Write up your notes and evidence.

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Ethnography- Data Analysis

• Organize, Analyze, Interpret
• Organization A familiar approach.
• Chronological
• Day in the life of.
• Critical event centers
• Drama presentation enactments to help your
  audience feel what you saw.

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Ethnography- Data Analysis

• Organize, Analyze, Interpret
• Analysis Again, single occurrences to
  categorization works.
• Identify patterns.
• Identify regularities.
• Identify the role of critical events.

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Ethnography- Data Analysis

• Organize, Analyze, Interpret
• Interpretation
• Infer the general structure of this culture.
• Sometimes close comparisons of other cultures
  come to mind.

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Ethnography- Report

• Lay out chronologically.
• Then by groups.
• Then by special groups.
• Observe how language and status lead to choices
  and outcomes.

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Ethnography. In-Class Fun

• What is the culture of sport management
  students?
• Lets call them the SMs.
• Well try to follow the ethnography approach.
• For Thursday.

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Break Here
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Sport Management Student Culture Life among the
SMs

• Define the group Are the SMs a culture? Or a
  subculture?
• The keyAre the SMs ever anything other than SMs?
  If so
• Then the SMs are a subculture.

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Sport Management Student Culture Life among the
SMs

• The SMs subculture.
• Identify groups
• What are the roles played by groups

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Life among the SMs

• What is the natural setting for the SMs
  subculture?
• Where would you go to actually study the SMs?

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Life among the SMs

• What everyday behaviors would you observe?
• Describe interactions among members of the SMs.
• What are the usual gathering opportunities?
• What are the special gathering opportunities
  (rituals)?

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Life among the SMs

• Who are the key individuals?
• Are there special sub-groups? What is their
  special role?
• Which individuals draw special interaction and
  why?
• Do any of these individuals hold special sway
  over groups?

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Life among the SMs

• Is there a language of the SMs?
• Does it have any special uses?
• Do the sub-groups have special language?
• What is its purpose?
• Does it grant any special status to a particular
  sub-group?

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Life among the SMs

• Remember the goal? Eventually identify
• Cultural norms.
• Beliefs.
• Social structures.
• Other patterns of the group.
• Because you want to
• See if any of these elements determine choices
  and behavior.

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Life among the SMs

• Time to organize your observations and write them
  up!
• Hope to get a qualitative analysis of the entire
  subculture in order to understand choices and
  outcomes.
• Take a minute
• Lay out chronologically.
• Then by groups.
• Then by special groups.
• Observe how language and status lead to choices
  and outcomes.

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Phenomenological Study

• Phenomenon An event external to you.
• And then study the event.
• Not The usual event study in the business
  world.
• E.G. Impact of sponsorship on stock prices.

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Phenomenological Study

• Instead, in the spirit of qualitative study
• What is it like to experience this event?
• Peoples perceptions.
• Perspectives.
• Their understanding of a particular situation.
• E.G. The Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction episode.

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Phenomenological Study-Method

• The primary method is interviews
• Lengthy interviews (hours).
• Carefully selected small sample.
• Each person has directly experienced the
  phenomenon.
• Variation in identifiable characteristics among
  the sample population.
• Wardrobe malfunction episode
• Males, females, age, race/ethnicity, particular
  product consumption identification.

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Phenomenological Study-Method

• Goal Work together to arrive at each persons
  perception of the impact of the phenomenon.
• The researcher is a listener.
• The researcher suspends all preconceived notions
  and personal experience.
• A human tape recorder, guiding only where needed,
  but picking up the subtleties of sample
  respondents.

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Phenomenological Study-Analysis

• Identify common themes in descriptions.
• Identify defining differences in descriptions.
• Construct abstract composite persons that
  typify these findings.
• Result An overall description of the phenomenon
  as it is experienced.
• Wardrobe malfunction episode
• Young white males who identified as beer
  consumers perceived the wardrobe malfunction
  episode as follows

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Lets Talk about Wahls Presentation

• What did you get out of it?
• What did you see relevant to this class?

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Grounded Theory Study

• The completely inferential process of deriving a
  theory from the data.
• The data A complete broad net on the
  particular people who produce the behavior that
  you are trying to explain.
• E.G. Voting yes or no on referenda to spend
  public funds on a new minor league baseball
  facility.
• Data?
• Patterns?

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Grounded Theory Study

• Developing the theory.
• Completely from the data, as you collect it and
  analyze it
• Certain conditions lead to actions/interactions.
• These lead to subsequent actions.

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Grounded Theory Study

• Theory can be
• A verbal statement.
• A visual model.
• Series of hypotheses.
• This theory may never become any more general
  than its specific, original context!

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Content Analysis

• Very descriptive name
• Detailed, systematic assessments of a particular
  body of material.
• Looking for patterns, themes, and biases.

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Content Analysis

• E.G. What health dangers associated with
  performance enhancing drugs were consistently
  related to viewers by ESPN sports talk show hosts
  during Barry Bonds life-time HR record chase of
  2007?
• E.G. Did ESPN talk show hosts consistently voice
  unsubstantiated claims of the health dangers
  associated with performance enhancing drugs
  during Barry Bonds life-time HR record chase of
  2007?

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Content Analysis-Method

• Identify the specific content that interests you.
• Health claims about PEDs.
• Identify where you will look.
• ESPN sports talk show broadcasts, during the
  Bonds episode, 2007.
• Identify how you will search for it.
• Replay and document each claim.
• Search for it.

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Content Analysis-General Observation

• Analysis Typically, fill in categories. Then
  compare across categories.
• Why is this research?
• Sort of sounds like only data collection.
• Because you would have identified a problem
  behind the collection.
• The impacts of bias in the coverage of Bonds HR
  chase.

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Checklist

• Your ever-faithful authors have a very nice
  checklist to follow.
• As an informed consumer of research, this type of
  checklist is quite valuable.
• You are given a set of questions that allow you a
  basis for evaluation of any qualitative research
  you may come across in your future endeavors.

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Chapter Overview

• Nature of the research problem and research plan
  in qualitative research.
• Five qualitative research designs.
• Collecting data in qualitative research.
• Organizing and analyzing data from qualitative
  studies.
• The inevitable checklist.