Qualitative Research

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Qualitative Research

• CSC 426 Values and Computer Technology
• Presented by Brent Shiver

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What is Qualitative Research?

• In depth understanding of and reasons that govern
  human behavior
• Focuses on phenomena that occur in natural
  settings or real world
• Studying those phenomena in all their complexity
• The researcher is an instrument

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Qualitative Research Recognition

• Began to gain recognition in the 1970s
• Social Sciences Anthropology, Sociology,
  History, Political science, Medicine, Psychology,
  Education
• Many researchers believe that all inquiry starts
  out in qualitative form
• Can help define what is important What needs to
  be studied

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Comparing to Quantitative Research

• Qualitative research investigates the why and
  how, while quantitative research covers what,
  where, and when
• Qualitative research is largely exploratory
  whereas quantitative research is conclusive
• Qualitative studies do not allow researcher to
  identify cause-effect relationships.
  Quantitative research is needed for this.

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Characteristics of Qualitative Research

• Requires considerable preparation and planning
• Researcher must be trained in
• Observation techniques
• Interview strategies
• Data collection methods that are needed
• Can be challenging task
• Not the approach if looking for quick results and
  easy answers

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Purposes Served

• Description
• Interpretation
• Verification
• Evaluation

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Common Qualitative Research Designs

• Case study
• Ethnography
• Phenomenological study
• Grounded theory study
• Content analysis

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Case Study

• Particular individual, program, or event is
  studied in depth for a defined period of time
• Useful for learning more about little known or
  poorly understood situation
• We cant guarantee that findings are
  generalizable to other situations
• Multiple or collective case study

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Case StudyData Collection and Analysis

• Observations, interviews, documents, past
  records, audiovisual materials
• Categorization and interpretation of data in
  terms of common themes
• Synthesis into an overall portrait of the case(s)

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Ethnography

• Researcher studies an entire group in depth
• Everyday behaviors cultural norms
• Natural setting for period of time
• Useful for gaining understanding of the
  complexities of a particular culture
• Requires considerable patience and tolerance

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EthnographyData Collection and Analysis

• Participant observation, structured or
  unstructured interviews with informants,
  artifact/document collection
• Identification of significant phenomena and
  underlying structures and beliefs
• Organization of data into logical whole
  chronology (e.g., typical day)

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Phenomenological Study

• Attempt to understand peoples perceptions,
  perspectives, and understandings of a particular
  situation
• What is it like to experience
• People caring for dying relative
• Living in abusive relationship
• Home-schooling a child
• Can make some generalizations of what something
  is like

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Phenomenological StudyData Collection and
Analysis

• In-depth and unstructured interviews, sampling
• Search for meaning units that reflect various
  aspects of the experience
• Integration of the meaning units into a typical
  experience

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Grounded Theory Study

• Begin with the data and use them to develop a
  theory
• Prescribed set of procedures for analyzing data
  and constructing a theoretical model
• Especially helpful when current theories about a
  phenomenon are not sufficient or nonexistent
• Focuses on a process related to particular topic
  with goal of developing a theory

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Grounded Theory StudyData Collection and Analysis

• Interviews, any relevant data sources
• Prescribed and systematic method of coding the
  data into categories and identifying
  interrelationships
• Continual interweaving of data collection and
  analysis
• Construction of theory from categories and
  interrelationships

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Content Analysis

• Detailed and systematic examination of material
  contents to identify patterns, themes, or biases
• Performed on forms of human communication
• Greatest amount of planning
• Not necessarily stand-alone design

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Content AnalysisData Collection and Analysis

• Identification and possible sampling of material,
  coding of material in terms of predetermined and
  precisely defined characteristics
• Label frequency of each characteristic
• Descriptive or inferential statistical analyses
  as needed to answer research question

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Collecting Data in Qualitative Research

• Researchers often use multiple forms of data in
  any single study
• Potential sources are only limited to
  researchers open-mindedness and creativity
• Data collection takes a great deal of time
• Take notes or memos

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Sampling

• Process of selecting
• Looking at everything is rare
• Researcher might be choosy
• Choose a sample that can be presumed to represent
  a population or body of objects
• Theoretical sampling
• Discriminant sampling

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Observations

• Unstructured and free-flowing
• Researcher can take advantage of unforeseen data
  sources as they surface
• Challenges
• What to look for
• Biases
• Recording

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Interviews

• Can yield a great deal of information
• Researcher asks questions
• Must rely on interviewees memories
• Open-ended or semi-structured
• Focus group

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Organizing and Analyzing Data from Qualitative
Studies

• Usually no single right way to analyze data
• Complex and time-consuming process
• Qualitative inquiry is fundamentally interpretive
• Data analysis spiral
• Researchers biases and values