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Join Dr. Tansy Jessop's insightful workshop on blending qualitative and quantitative data in research storytelling. Delve into two distinct paradigms: the rigorous, numerical focus of quantitative methods and the nuanced, interpretive approach of qualitative analysis. Explore how to utilize raw data effectively, identify key themes, and understand emotional contexts. This session emphasizes the importance of narrative in research, providing a bridge between art and science, and highlighting the human experiences behind data. Discover frameworks for critical analysis and the power of storytelling in expressing complex social realities.
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Telling a compelling story from research data Dr Tansy Jessop Writers’ Retreat 28 May 2014
Scientific - quantitative • Control & experiment • Hypothesis testing • Numbers • Statistics • Technical instruments • Measurement • Generalisable to a wider community
Qualitative • Hypothesis generating • Interpretation • Researcher as instrument • Words, language, discourse • Detailed understanding • Specific environments • Interview, case study, observation
Two interpretive communities (Denzin, 1994) • Intuitive • Emotional • Open-ended texts • Interpretation as art • Personal biases • Experimental texts • Hard nosed empiricists • Rational, cognitive • Closed texts, system • Interpretation as method • Neutrality • Traditional texts Tender-minded Tough-minded
Read three examples of raw data: • Highlight the phrase that stands out for you in each transcript. Why does it strike you? • What can you tell about the context? • What themes are evident in each transcript? • What puzzles or frustrates you? • Make a list of a few codes for each segment of data. • How does this data compare with yours?
Why poetry? • Trauma, dashed hopes, disappointment, frustration, conflict, perseverance • Flesh-and-blood social realities • Voice, power, emotion • Positioned – research from ‘somewhere’ • Research aswriting • Interviews closer to poetry than sociological prose
“Poetry is the shortest emotional distance between two points” (Robert Frost).
Qualitative research: Art or science? • “Thick description” (Clifford Geertz, 1973) • Closer to speech of research participants • Disruptive • Active voice • Visible author • Page turner • Risky • Critical detachment • Looks neutral and objective • Scientific • Conformist • Passive voice • Invisible hand • Yawn • Publishable Creative Critical
Case Study Research • Complex issues • Detailed contextual analysis • Multiple sources of evidence (NSS scores, module evaluations, focus groups, questionnaires) • Triangulation of data • Answers how and why questions
Case Studies • Look at Case Study Formats A and B. • Spend 10 minutes filling in both forms from the experience of your SF project. • What differences do you notice? • TESTA case studies: why they work
Endnotes • “A vital text is not boring – it grips the reader” (Richardson, 1994). • Bridge between art and social science (Diversi, 1993). • Social Science research is always a ‘view from somewhere’ (Diversi 1993). • Develop empathy through narrative and personal stories, through art and creativity within the critical.
References Behar, R. (1996) The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology that breaks your heart. Boston. Beacon Press. Denzin, N. (1994) ‘The Art and Politics of Interpretation’ in Handbook of Qual. Research. Calfornia. Sage. 500-515. Diversi, M. (1998) Glimpses of Street Life: Represented Experience through Short Stories. Qualitative Inquiry 4(2) 131-147 Jessop and Penny (1999) A story behind a story: developing strategies for making sense of teacher narratives. Int. Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2(3) 213-230. Richardson, L. (1994) ‘Writing: A Method of Inquiry’ in Handbook of Qual. Research. California. Sage. 516-529.