Chapter 14

Qualitative Studies

Qualitative Study Methods

A qualitative study looks for the themes and meanings that emerge from the observation and evaluation of a situation or context.

Researchers have intense contact with a selected group of informants.

Examples of Approaches

• Phenomenology: seeks to understand how participants understand, interpret, and find meaning in their own unique life experiences and feelings

• Grounded theory: an inductive reasoning process that uses observations to develop general theories that explain human behavior

• Ethnography: aims to develop an insider’s view (an emic perspective) of how members of a particular cultural group see their world

Examples of Techniques

• In-depth and semi-structured interviews of individuals use open-ended questions to explore viewpoints. The interviewer is allowed to probe for more details about any response in order to gain fuller understanding of the participant’s experiences and perspectives.

• Interviews are often supplemented by other methods, such as participant diaries or journals.

Examples of Techniques

• Focus groups of about 4 to 12 people are moderated discussions led by a facilitator from the research team. The facilitator encourages participants to interact with one another and to clarify their individual and shared perspectives.

Examples of Analytic Techniques

• The analysis of qualitative data usually involves coding and classifying observations and deriving major and minor themes from the groups of observations.

• Reports of the findings of qualitative studies often incorporate quotations that express participants’ perspectives and experiences in their own words.

Consensus Methods

The goal of some studies is to identify areas of consensus and areas of contention among individuals who are experts on a particular topic and/or a particular community or organization.

Delphi Method

The Delphi method is a structured decision-making and forecasting process in which participants engage in several rounds of:•Completing individual questionnaires•A facilitator summarizing and sharing the responses•Panelists reconsidering their perspectives after reflecting on the opinions expressed by others

The goal is for each iteration to move the panel of experts closer to agreement.

Program Evaluation

• Program evaluation includes a variety of approaches for provide feedback about what is working well and what can and should be improved

• The evaluation approach must match the goals of the assessment

• After gathering evidence from a variety of sources, practical suggestions are made based on the conclusions of the assessment

Program Evaluation

Evidence is reviewed and categorized using a framework like SWOT:•Strengths (internal organizational strengths)•Weaknesses (internal organizational limitations)•Opportunities (external strengths)•Threats (external limitations, which might be political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental, or legal)

Program Evaluation

A similar process can be used as a component of other forms of evaluative research, such as:•Needs assessment.•Cost-effectiveness analysis•Health services research