Variations in Qualitative Inquiry II

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Variations in Qualitative Inquiry II

• Instructor Julian Hasford
• Teaching Assistant Keith Adamson
• Guest Lecturer Robb Travers, Ph.D.
• PS398 Qualitative Methods in Psychology
• January 20, 2009

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Agenda

• Review
• Lecture Variations in Qual Inquiry II
• Glossary Hermeneutics and Feminist Inquiry
• Guest Lecture Participatory Research
• Group Exercise
• Course Check-in

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Review

• Questions
• Theoretical traditions covered thus far
• Ethnography
• Autoethnography
• Phenomenology
• Heuristic Inquiry
• Ethnomethodology

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Review
Paradigms CONSTRUCTIVIST CRITICAL CRITICAL REALIST
Theoretical Tradition Symbolic Interaction Ethnography Phenomenology Narrative Participatory Hermeneutics Orientational Symbolic Interaction Ethnography Phenomenology Narrative Participatory Hermeneutics Orientational Symbolic Interaction Ethnography Phenomenology Narrative Participatory Hermeneutics Orientational Symbolic Interaction Ethnography Phenomenology Narrative Participatory Hermeneutics Orientational
Ontology Relativism, Constructionism Relativism, Constructionism Realism
Epistemology Subjectivism Subjectivism Objectivism
Axiology Values acknowledged Values acknowledged Value-driven Value-free
Rhetoric First Person, Active Voice First Person, Active Voice Critical Voice Third Person, Passive Voice
Methodology Qualitative Qualitative Action-oriented Quantitative
Focus Ideographic Experience, Subjectivity, Social processes Ideographic Experience, Subjectivity, Social processes Power Social issues Nomothetic Universal phenomena
Goals Description Understanding (Verstehen) Description Understanding (Verstehen) Emancipation Explanation Prediction and Control
Design Setting Sampling Emergent Naturalistic Purposeful Sampling (Small) Emergent Naturalistic Purposeful Sampling (Small) Experimental Controlled (Laboratory) Random/Probability Sampling
Data Collection Source Instruments Res. Relation. Qualitative Data Active participants Researcher is Instrument (Personal Engagement) Empathic Neutrality Qualitative Data Active participants Researcher is Instrument (Personal Engagement) Empathic Neutrality Collaborative Numerical Data Passive subjects Tests, Questionnaires Objective
Analysis Findings Unique-case orientation Inductive Reflexivity Holistic, Contextual Unique-case orientation Inductive Reflexivity Holistic, Contextual Generalization Hypothetico-Deductive Verification/Falsification Acontextual
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Learning Objectives

• By the end of this session, students should be
  able to
• Identify the disciplinary origins, foundational
  questions, and methodological approaches of
  various qualitative theoretical traditions
• Analyze the paradigmatic and philosophical
  assumptions of various qualitative theoretical
  orientations

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Variation in Qualitative

• Theoretical traditions vary in terms of
• Foundational questions (Goals)
• Disciplinary origins
• Paradigmatic and philosophical assumptions
• Methodological approaches
• Design, Data Collection, Analysis

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Variation in Qualitative

• Qualitative traditions
• Symbolic Interaction
• Narratology
• Hermeneutics
• Feminist
• Participatory (Orientational)

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Disciplinary Variation

• Social Psychology ? Symbolic Interaction
• Social Sciences, Literary Arts ? Narratology
• Linguistics, Philosophy, Theology ?
  Hermeneutics
• Social movements ? Feminist
• Social movements ? Participatory
  (Orientational)

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Symbolic Interaction

• Foundational Question
• What common set of symbols and understandings
  gives meaning to peoples interactions?
• Philosophical Assumptions
• 3 theoretical premises (Blumer)
• Humans act toward things based on the meanings
  the things have for them
• The meaning of things arises out of social
  interaction
• The meanings of things can change through an
  interpretive process of the person dealing with
  them

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Symbolic Interaction

• Disciplinary Origins
• Developed in 1930s by George H. Mead (social
  psychologist)
• Emerged as response to mechanistic views of
  behaviourism
• Further developed in 1960s by Herbert Blumer
  (sociologist)
• Methodological approaches
• Close interaction
• Inductive analysis
• Panel of experts
• Influenced development of Semiotics
• Also influenced development of Grounded Theory

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Narratology

• Foundational question
• What does this story reveal about this person or
  community?
• Philosophical assumptions
• Reality is constructed through stories
• Disciplinary origin
• Humanities
• Philosophy, Literary criticism, Hermeneutics
• Social sciences
• Psychology (Jerome Bruner, Dan McAdams, Theodore
  Sarbin)

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Narratology

• Methodological approaches
• Narrative or life story interviews
• Document analysis
• Fieldwork
• Narrative Analysis
• (Re-)Construction of stories
• Deconstruction of stories
• Mixed methods

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Narratology

• Example (Hasford, Rathwell, Pratt, 2008)
• Background
• Study explored the predictors of community
  identity among emerging adults.
• Community involvement, Generativity, Values,
  Socio-Demographics
• Narrative identity theory presumed that a
  highly developed community identity is reflected
  by a prototypical community story
• Five dimensions story presence, prosocial
  content, positive emotional tone, specificity,
  and personal impact
• Methodology
• 85 emerging adults (age 26, 60 females)
• Narrative interviews (community involvement
  story)
• Stories rated using quantitative scale
• Quantitative measures of predictor variables at
  ages 17, 19, 23, 26
• Statistical analysis (correlation, regression) of
  predictor and story variables

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Narratology

• Example (Hasford, Rathwell, Pratt, 2008)
• Findings
• Participants with greater generativity and
  prosocial values tended to tell more prototypical
  community stories
• More highly developed community identity
• Participants who were more involved in the
  community during teen years told more
  prototypical community stories
• Community involvement at age 23 was not a
  significant predictor of community stories
• However, current community involvement (age 26)
  was a strong predictor

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Hermeneutics
Jenna Reiner
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Hermeneutics

• Definition
• The science of interpretation and explanation
• What something means depends on the cultural
  context in which the text was originally created
  as well as the cultural context within which it
  is subsequently interpreted (Patton, 2002).
• Focuses on the relationship between the author,
  reader, and text.
• Challenged the assertion that an interpretation
  can never be absolutely correct or true. It must
  remain only and always an interpretation (Patton,
  2002).
• A hermeneutic interpretation requires the
  individual to understand and sympathize with
  another's point of view.

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Hermeneutics

• Methodological/Theoretical Significance

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Hermeneutics

• Example 1
• Used a hermeneutic approach to explore the
  perspectives of hospitalized patients with cancer
  on the quality of the nursing care
• The analysis of this studys narratives focused
  on the meaning of lived experiences when they
  wrote about being treated for cancer
• The special emphasis on perspective and context
  is especially important in this case as one with
  cancer would obviously have a very different
  perspective on things than someone else
• The hospital and nursing staff could then use
  this information to provide improved care to the
  cancer patients.

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Hermeneutics

• Example 2
• Design
• Fifteen Norwegian relatives narrated their
  experiences of being met by mental health care
  personnel regarding the care of their adult
  family member who had seriously thought about or
  attempted suicide.
• The narrative interviews were audiotaped,
  transcribed into text, and then interpreted using
  a phenomenological hermeneutic method.

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Hermeneutics

• Findings
• The five themes that were constructed describing
  being met were Being-seen as a human being
  trusting personnel, treatment, and care feeling
  trusted by personnel being consoled and
  entering into hope. (Talseth et al., 2001)
• The experience of being met in the midst of the
  care of a relative in crisis created
  possibilities for hope and greater optimism
  overall.
• This study also provided the participants with
  appropriate and productive approaches to dealing
  with their suicidal relatives.

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Hermeneutics

• References
• Charalambous, A., Papdapolous, R., Beadsmoore,
  A. (2008). Ricoeurs hermeneutic phenomenology
  an implication for nursing research. Scandinavian
  Journal of Caring Sciences, 22(4), 637-642.
• Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research
  Evaluation Methods (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks Sage
  Publications.
• Talseth, A., Gilie, F., Norberg, A. (2001).
  Being met a passageway to hope for relatives of
  patients at risk of committing suicide a
  phenomenological hermeneutic study. Archives of
  Psychiatric Nursing, 15(6), 249-256.

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Feminist Inquiry

• Definition
• It is a type of Orientational Qualitative
  Inquiry, which is built upon phenomenology and
  hermeneutics. The researcher captures the
  perspectives of the people being studied and
  their own selves. Research is conducted and
  analyzed based on an ideological or theoretical
  perspective (Patton, 2002, pg 129).
• A feminist perspective presumes the importance
  of gender in human relationships and societal
  processes and orients the study in that
  direction, (Patton, 2002, pg 129).

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Principles of Feminist Inquiry

• These can include

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Frameworks
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Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction
of Masculinities

• An Article by Michael Messner (1990)
• He explores and interprets the meanings that
  males associate to their experiences with
  organized sport, the mediating factors of class
  and race, and the problems that arise from
  constructions of masculinity (Messner, 1990).
• He conducted interviews with 30 athletes retired
  from organized sports between the ages of 21 and
  48 (Messner, 1990).

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Boyhood (continued)

• Messner found that the men were rarely asked to
  talk about their feelings, particularly in order
  to validate an experience
• He found that men perceived the seperation of
  genders natural and that they were introduced
  to sports by male figures masculinity was
  equated with competition, physical strength, and
  skills (Messner, 1990).
• The mens need for unity and acceptance leads to
  a conditional self worth determined by success
  (Messner, 1990).

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Boyhood (continued)

• Messner concludes that the institution of
  organized sport is both gendered and gendering
  and that boys bring ambivalence to any intimate
  interactions (Messner, 1990).

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References

• Messner, M. (1990). Boyhood, organized sports,
  and the construction of masculinities. Journal of
  Contemporary Ethnography, 18, 416-444.
• Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and
  evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA
  Sage Publications.

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Participatory ResearchForm and Function

• Robb Travers, PhD
• Assistant Professor
• Department of Psychology
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• rtravers_at_wlu.ca
• Assistant Professor
• Department of Public Health Sciences
• University of Toronto

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what Id like to talk about today....

• to explore and discuss participatory research
• to explore its principles and action orientation
• to review a case study - the Toronto Teen Survey

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epistemological standpoint

• typically, research is characterized by...

• researcher initiation/academic freedom
• objectivity (unbiased)
• positivist ideals about methodological rigour
• people with credentials
• knowledge production aims (vs. social action)

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ethics and traditional research

• wasted resources/irrelevance of questions
• insensitive methods
• outsider comes in as expert (cultural invasion)
• problem of sudden entry and irresponsible
  disappearance (helicopter research)
• exploitation - little or no return for
  communities
• little attention to vulnerability of communities

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whats in a name?

• what they are called
• participatory action research
• participatory inquiry
• action research
• participatory research
• community-based participatory research
• feminist methods
• community-based research

• what they share in common
• axiological commonalities
• do no harm to do good
• concern for social justice
• a desire to uncover oppressive conditions
• community involvement
• privileging voice
• partnerships
• an action orientation

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Community-Based Research...

• a form of collaborative inquiry where diverse
  partners join efforts and commit to identifying,
  researching and providing solutions to complex
  health inequalities.
• partners community members, academic
  researchers, policy-makers, service providers

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Community-Based Research...

• CBR is a collaborative approach to research that
  equitably involves all partners in the research
  process and recognizes the unique strengths that
  each brings. CBR begins with a research topic of
  importance to the community with the aim of
  combining knowledge and action for social change
  to improve community health and eliminate health
  disparities.
• Minkler Wallerstein (2003)
• Community-Based Participatory Research for Health
• Jossey-Bass (2004)

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a transformative stance on research
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Community-Based Research...

• CBR differs from more traditional forms of
  research in terms of community involvement in

• input (research is driven by community needs)
• process (community plays a role in gathering,
  analyzing and disseminating information)
• outcome (research is intended to be used by the
  community to enhance health and build on
  community assets)

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Community-Based Research...
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The assumptions that I bring to my
work.....

• HIV research should
• be community-driven and relevant
• emphasize health promotion and the social
  determinants of health
• help build the capacities of communities to
  address the social determinants of health
• draw on the lived experience of people to
  influence policy analysis and policy change

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Knowledge as power.

• Engaging in CBR means asking ourselves.....
• Who has the right and the credibility to
  produce knowledge?
• Sharing power and conceptualizing community as
• initiators of research
• collaborators in research
• principal investigators in research

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• Investigators, Sarah Flicker, Robb Travers,
  Jason D. Pole, June LarkinHazelle Palmer.
  Research Manager Susan Flynn. Research
  Coordinator Crystal Layne. Collaborators Karen
  Chan Adinne Schwartz, Toronto Public Health
  Students Interns Ana Bobesiu, Chavisa Brett,
  Emily Dauria, Chase Lo, Melisa Dickie, Alycia
  Fridkin, Adrian Guta, Peggy Harowitz, Ali
  Lakhini, Sarah E McCardell , Kristin Mcilroy,
  Safiya Pindare, Roxana Saheli, Helena Shimeless,
  Dan Stadnick.YAC Members Alice, Andrea, Ayesha,
  Brette, Claudia, David, Gemini, Feven, Melani,
  Nikole, Nyla, Pamela, Janice, Rosimay, Sam,
  Stanley, Sunshine. 
•  
• The TTS has been funded largely by The Ontario
  HIV Treatment Network and CIHR, with support from
  the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives, York
  University, the University of Toronto, Wilfrid
  Laurier University and the Wellesley Institute.

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Context

• Increase in HIV and STI rates
• Misinformation, myths decrease in knowledge
  among youth
• Failure or lack of sexual health education and
  services
• Multiple and ever-changing needs of Torontos
  diverse youth communities

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Objectives

• Identify what sexual health, including HIV/AIDS,
  services and information are being used by
  diverse youth across Toronto.
• Identify the barriers and faciliators to youth
  accessing sexual health services and resources.
• Discover how diverse youth would like to see
  these gaps and barriers addressed.

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Methods

• Peer-to-peer model Youth Advisory Committee (15
  youth aged 13-17)
• YAC facilitated 90 workshops in a variety of
  youth settings
• In workshop, participants completed anonymous
  survey that was designed by YAC.

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1,216 Toronto Youth Surveyed
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Focus Groups

• 13 focus groups with 90 service providers from 55
  agencies.
• (in process) 16 focus groups with youth who
  experience heightened barriers to access
• e.g LGBTQ, Black young men and women, young
  parents, newcomers,

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By Race/Ethnicity
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Other Facts About Our Sample
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Contact

• Dr. Robb Travers
• rtravers_at_wlu.ca
• www.ppt.on.ca

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Group Exercise

• 4 groups
• Each group assigned one theoretical tradition
• Discuss the following
• Develop a qualitative research study of money
  based on a theoretical tradition
• Identify your underlying paradigm and
  philosophical assumptions (Ontological,
  Epistemological, Axiological)
• Research question(s)? Methodology?
• Report back

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Course Check-in