What is Qual Res

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What is Qualitative

Research?


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What is Qualitative Research?

Key Terms

Research: the notion of inquiring into, orinvestigating something in a systematic

manner


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Key Terms

2 Categories of Research:

1. Basic:motivated by intellectual interestin a phenomenon and has as its goal theextension of knowledge

- to know more about the topic


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Key Terms

2 Categories of Research:

2.Applied:undertaken to improve thequality of practice of a particulardiscipline

- improve the way things are done


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Key Terms

Models: overall framework for how welook at reality

- what reality is like & its basic elements

- nature and status of knowledge


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Key Terms

Concept: clearly defined set of ideasderiving from a particular model

- ways of looking at the world to help

define the research problem- filing cabinet


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Key Terms

Theories: arranged set of concepts to defineand explain some phenomenon

- contain plausible relationships

- provides a footing for considering theworld

- basis for considering how the unknownmay be organized


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Key Terms

Methodology: specific means of studying a topic,

gathering data, and analysis of that data- contain:

1. preference for certain methods

2. theory of scientific knowledge

3. range of solutions

4. systematic sequence of procedural steps


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Key Terms

2 Types of Research:Qualitative and Quantitative


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Defining

Quantitative Research: the systematic

empirical investigation of quantitativeproperties and phenomena and theirrelationships.

a. Objective is to develop and employmathematical models, theories and/orhypothesis pertaining to the topic beingexamined


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Defining

Quantitative Research:

b. Measurement process is crucial

- provides the fundamentalconnection between empirical

observation and mathematicalexpression of quantitativerelationships


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Defining

Qualitative Research:

To seize upon the interpretations people place onexistence and to synthesize them so they aremore readily available to us. This is a process ofmaking large claims from small matters:

studying particular rituals, poems, plays,conversations, songs, dances, theories, andmyths and gingerly reaching out to the fullrelations within a culture or a total way of life.

James Carey (1975)


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Defining


Generic term for investigativemethodologies described asethnographic, naturalistic,anthropological, field, or participantobserver research.

- Emphasizes the importance of lookingat variables in the natural setting inwhich they are found. Interactionbetween variables is important.


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Defining


- Detailed data is gathered through openended questions that provide directquotations.

- The interviewer is an integral part of

the investigation

(Jacob, 1988)


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Defining


Umbrella term covering an array ofinterpretive techniques which seek todescribe, decode, translate, and otherwisecome to terms with the meaning, not thefrequency, of certain more or less naturally

occurring phenomenon in the social world


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Defining


- an attempt to understand the meaningpeople of constructed /how people makesense of their world

(Van Maanen, 1979, p. 520)


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Qualitative Research Characteristics:

1. Purpose: Understanding - Seeks tounderstand peoples interpretations.

2. Reality: Dynamic - Reality changes withchanges in peoples perceptions.

mutual simultaneous shaping: multiple

events occur to shape events/meaning


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3. Viewpoint: Insider - Reality is whatpeople perceive it to be.

4. Values: Value bound - Values will have animpact and should be understood and takeninto account when conducting andreporting research.


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5. Focus: Holistic - A total or completepicture is sought.

- cylinder

6. Orientation: Discovery - Theories andhypotheses are evolved from data ascollected.


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7. Data:Subjective - Data are perceptions ofthe people in the environment.

8. Instrumentation: Human - The humanperson is the primary collectioninstrument.


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9. Conditions: Naturalistic - Investigationsare conducted under natural conditions.

10. Results: Valid - The focus is on designand procedures to gain "real," "rich," and"deep" data.


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Qualitative Research Competencies:

1. A questioning stance with regard to yourwork and life context

- Why are things the way they are?

2. High tolerance for ambiguity andflexibility


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Qualitative Research Competencies:

3. Being a careful observer

4. Asking good questions5. Thinking inductively

- moving from raw data to categories

and concepts6. Strong writing capabilities


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Advantages:

1. Produces more in-depth, comprehensiveinformation.

2. Uses subjective information and participantobservation to describe the context, or naturalsetting, of the variables under consideration, aswell as the interactions of the different variablesin the context. It seeks a wide understanding ofthe entire situation.


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Disadvantages

1. The very subjectivity of the inquiry leads todifficulties in establishing the reliability andvalidity of the approaches and information.

2. It is very difficult to prevent or detect researcher

induced bias.

3. Its scope is limited due to the in-depth, comprehensivedata gathering approaches required.

Wh i Q li i


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What is QualitativeResearch?

Qualitative Research Characteristics

Qualitative research is all about exploringissues, understanding phenomena, andanswering questions.

- Happens in nearly every workplace andstudy environment, nearly every day.


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What people say

Mean, Need

Culture or Desire

What people do

Multiple Focus Points


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Difference b/t Qualitative & Quantitative

Where quantitative research which attempts togather data by objective methods to provideinformation about relations, comparisons,and predictions and attempts to remove the

investigator from the investigation, theresearcher is an integral part of qualitativeresearch.

(Smith, 1983)


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Difference b/t Qualitative & Quantitative

Where quantitative research which attempts to gather

data by objective methods to provide informationabout relations, comparisons, and predictions andattempts to remove the investigator from theinvestigation, the researcher is an integral part of

qualitative research.(Smith, 1983)


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Philosophical Perspectives

Paradigm:a framework for observation andunderstanding that shapes what we seeand how we understand it

- accepted assumptions


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Philosophical Perspectives & Paradigms

Paradigms

1. Can not be true or false

2. Cyclical in nature

3. Theories and methods


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Positivist:

1. Objective reality knowable only through

empirical observations

2. Generalizable laws

3. Study of variables

- Cause & effect relationships


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Positivist:

4. Hypothesis (predictions)

5. Quantifiable data


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Interpretive:

3. Humans are individuals and behavior can not bepigeon-holed or generalized

4. Unique explanations

5. Qualitative data


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Critical:

1. Goal is to challenge, transform, and empower2. Reads interactions in terms of conflict and

oppression

3. Frame research questions in terms of power


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Postmodern:

1. Sees explanations of the way things are in the worldas myths or grand narratives

2. There is no single reality, but rather multiple truths

3. Celebrates diversity among people, ideas, andinstitutions


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Languages of Qualitative Research

1.Naturalism:seeks to minimizepresuppositions in order to witnesssubjects worlds in their own terms

- focuses on the factual characteristics ofthe object under study


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2.Emotionalism:the primary issue is togenerate data that gives an authenticinsight into peoples experiences

- tend to favor open-ended interviews

- locates the real in real life

- concerned with authenticity


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2.Ethnomethodology:the study of folksmethods. Seeks to describe methodspersons use in constructing reality ineveryday life

- creates meaningful categories

- may lose sight of the topic due to focusingtoo much on the process of creation


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2.Postmodernism:interdisciplinarymovement based on the critique of allconcepts and paradigms

- analyzes and questions modernachievements

- examines how we come to acknowledgeand accept truths as being true


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Should I use qualitative methods?

See questions on page 11

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