INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods

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introduction

• INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods

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Course Materials

• http//courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i272/s09/index
  .html
• Lofland and Lofland, Analyzing Social Settings
• Course Reader (at Copy Central)
• Course equipment (audio recording device and some
  notecards)

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What is Qualitative Research?

• In this course well be considering specifically
• Field-based research
• An inductive analytical approach
• Researcher reflexivity
• the attempt to understand another life world
  using the self as the instrument of knowing -
  Sherry Ortner.

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Term Goals

• Gain hands on experience and get feedback on your
  technique
• Learn to match research questions with
  appropriate methodological approaches and to
  understand what can and cant be said about a
  certain corpus of data
• Learn how to negotiate the logistical limits and
  ethical issues inherent in any research practice
• Data vs. knowledge and the relationship between

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New Additions this Semester

• More time spent on analysis (in class, workshop
  activities)
• More readings demonstrating how qualitative
  research is written up
• Additional material on studying work process,
  complex instrumented environments, expert
  interviews, etc.

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Epistemology

• The Nature of Knowing, Social Reality, and
  Procedures for Comprehending these Phenomena
  Bauer and Gaskell
• epistemology - the branch of philosophy that
  deals with knowledge, especially with regard to
  its methods, validity, and scope OED .

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Epistemology

• Habermas, Knowledge and Human Interests
• Technical Control - empirical-analytic
• Establishing Consensus - historical-hermeneutic
• Empowerment - critical

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Nuts and Bolts

• getting in, getting along, getting out, and
  consequences
• framework within which the real research is
  conducted
• administrative aspects of research
• ethical issues
• see Lofland and Lofland

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The Study of Information and Technology

• Incorporating the object world (technology in
  particular) into research practice
• as object of analysis
• as probes in data elicitation strategies

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The status of things in society

• In social theory - a new appreciation of the
  material world and the socializing effect of
  things (in contrast to a social theory fixated
  on language, discourse, and a dematerialized
  social structure)
• the performative and integrative capacity of
  things to help make what we call society.
  Pels, pg. 2

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Background
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Qualitative Research in the Real World

• the wider perspective
• theory development and testing / academia
• advocacy / non-profit sector, NGOs, journalism
• policy design and development / government, NGOs
• public information service / media, journalism
• product design, marketing, business strategy /
  corporate domain
• innovation, inspiration, creativity / design
  research, fine arts

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Qualitative Research in the Real World

• time factors
• of informants
• funding
• validity requirements
• level of formality

marketing
policy design and development
of informants
product design
advocacy
journalism
innovation inspiration
informal
formal
methodological approach
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Assignments

• Field Notes, due 3/3/09 (15)
• A participant-observation exercise the whole
  class will collaborate on

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Assignments

• Interviews, due 4/7/09 (20)
• Two interviews (transcribed)
• Get outside of your comfort zone and beyond the
  campus community

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Assignments

• Final Project, due 5/7/09 (55)
• Your choice
• Build on earlier assignments
• Do some preliminary work for your thesis
• Or do something entirely new

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A Mind-Mapping Exercise
What are the hallmarks of high quality,
well-conducted research? What terms come to mind?
Social Research Update, University of Surrey