Chapter 7 Exploratory Research and Qualitative Analysis

1. Chapter 7 Exploratory Research and Qualitative Analysis

2. Exploratory Research: What It Is and What It Is Not? • Exploratory Research is initial research conducted to clarify and define the nature of a problem. • Much, but certainly not all, exploratory research provides qualitative data. • Alternatively, the purpose of quantitative research is to determine the quantity or extent of some phenomenon in the form of numbers. • Exploratory research may be a single research investigation or a series of informal studies to provide background information.

3. Qualitative VS. Quantitative Research • Purpose • Exploratory versus descriptive and conclusive • Small versus large samples • Broad range of questioning versus structured questions • Subjective interpretation versus statistical analysis

4. Why Conduct Exploratory Research? • Diagnose a situation (Situation Analysis) • Screening of alternatives • Concept Testing is a form of research that tests some sort of stimulus as a proxy for a new or revised program, product, or service. • Discover new ideas

5. Categories of Exploratory Research • Experience surveys • Secondary data analysis • Case studies • Pilot studies

6. Experience Surveys • An exploratory research technique in which individuals who are knowledgeable about a particular research problems are surveyed.

7. Secondary Data Analysis • Preliminary review of data collected for another purpose to clarify issues in the early stages of a research effort. • Economical • Quick source for background information

8. Case Study Method • An exploratory research technique that intensively investigates one or a few situations similar to the researcher’s problem situation. • Investigate in depth • Careful study • May require cooperation

9. Pilot Study • A collective term used to describe any small scale exploratory study that uses sampling but does not apply rigorous standards. • Types of pilot study include: • Focus Group Interviews • Projective Techniques • In-Depth Interviews

10. Focus Group Interviews • An unstructured, free flowing interview with a small group of people. • Group interview • Start with broad topic and focus in on specific issues

11. Advantages of Focus Group Interview (10 S’s) • Synergism • Serendipity • Snowballing • Stimulation • Security • Spontaneity • Specialization • Scrutiny • Structure • Speed

12. Group Composition • 6 to 10 people • Relatively homogeneous • Similar lifestyles and experiences

13. Environmental Conditions • A coffee klatch or bull session atmosphere be established to ensure that the mood of the sessions will be as relaxed and natural as possible.

14. Outline for a Focus Group • Establish a rapport • Begin with broad topic • Focus in on specific topic • Generate discussion and interaction

15. Discussion Guide • The moderator’s written prefatory remarks and outline of topics/questions that will be addressed.

16. The Moderator • Develops rapport - helps people relax • Interacts • Listens to what people have to say • Everyone gets a chance to speak

17. The Focus Group Moderator • Maintains loose control and focuses discussion • Stimulates spontaneous responses

18. Advantages of Online Focus Groups • Fast • Inexpensive • Bring together many participants from wide-spread geographical areas • Respondent anonymity • Transcript automatically recorded

19. Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups • Less group interaction • Absence of tactile stimulation • Absence of facial expression and body language • Moderator’s job is different

20. Projective Techniques • An indirect means of questioning that enables a respondent to project beliefs and feelings onto a third party, , onto an inanimate object, or into a task situation. • Word association test is the exploratory research technique in which the subject is presented with a list of words, one at a time, and asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind • Sentence completion method is the projective technique in which respondents are required to complete a number of partial sentences with the first word or phrase that comes to mind. • Third-person technique is the exploratory research technique in which the respondent is asked why a third person does what he/she does or what he/she thinks about an object, event, person, or activity. The respondent is expected to transfer his/her attitudes to the third person.

21. Projective Techniques • Role playing is an exploratory research technique that requires the subject to act out someone else’s behavior in a particular setting. • T.A.T. is a test consisting of a series of pictures shown to research subjects who are then asked to provide a description of the pictures. The researcher analyzes the content of these descriptions in an effort to clarify a research problem. • Picture frustration is a version of T.A.T. that uses cartoon drawing in which the respondent suggests dialogue that the cartoon characters might make.

22. Word Association Examples • GREEN • Money • Lawn • Eggs and Ham

23. Word Association Examples • CHEESE • Kraft • Cheddar • Goat

24. Sentence Completion People who drink beer are ______________________ A man who drinks light beer is ___________________ Imported beer is most liked by ___________________ A woman will drink beer when____________________

25. Thematic Apperception TestT.A.T.

26. Depth Interview • A relative unstructured, extensive interview used in the primary stages of the research process.

27. A Warning • The techniques may produce some interesting and occasionally bizarre, hypotheses about what was inside a person’s mind. • A woman is very serious when she bakes a cake because unconsciously she is going through the symbolic act of giving birth. • A many buys convertible as a substitute “mistress”. • Men who wear suspenders are reacting to an unresoved castration complex.