Common Qualitative Research Designs

Common Qualitative Research Designs

Qualitative Research • Broad term that incorporates a variety of approaches to interpretive research • Historical, sociological, political, educational • Basically four types: • Case study • Ethnography • Phenomenology • Grounded Theory

Outline the Four Types by • Definition • Purpose • Process • Data collection • Data analysis • Final reports ( Communicating Findings)

Case Study • Explores a single entity or phenomenon bounded by time and activity (a program, event, process, institution, or social group) • Any “case” can be used, but usually a case is selected because it is unique or exceptional • In depth study of the phenomenon in its natural context

Case Study • Used to shed light on a phenomenon, be it a process, event, person, or object of interest to the researcher • Usually done to produce detailed descriptions of the phenomenon, develop possible explanations of it or evaluate the phenomenon • Evaluative case s are becoming more common because program receiving funding are required to undergo formal evaluation. • Multiple cases are used to make comparisons, generalizations

Case Study Process • Researchers typically spend an extended period of time on-site with their research participants • A substantial amount of data is collected from a wide variety of sources • Sometimes researchers often assume an interactive role with participants

Case Study Data Collection • Data can be in the form of words, images, physical objects • Also collect quantitative data such as achievement scores • Fieldwork • Important to analyze data as its being collected because it can be used to determine what to collect next

Case Study Data Analysis • Three approaches • Interpretational analysis– examining the data for constructs, themes, patterns that can be used to describe and explain phenomenon • Structural analysis – searching the data patterns this time with little or no inferences made as to the meaning • Reflective analysis – using primarily intuition and judgment to portray or evaluate the phenomenon

Case Study Final Reports • Rich, descriptive narrative that attempts to reconstruct the participants’ reality ( reflective) • Interpretational or structural methods tend to use an objective writing style and make effective use of tables and figures

Ethnographic Research Designs • Type of qualitative inquiry where the researcher studies an intact cultural group in a natural setting during a prolonged period of time • Usually used by anthropologists ( now also by sociologist, psychologist and educators)

Ethnography Purpose • Explicit focus on the features given culture with the purpose of describing the relationship between culture and behavior • Originally, culture was defined in large units ( country of Fiji), but now see a single school • Cultures - “Massage Parlor”, “Homeless”, “Winnebago Grandpa”

Ethnography Process • Requires extensive time onsite to systematically observe, interview, and record processes as they occur naturally at the selected location • After gaining entry into the site and establishing rapport and trust with the participants, the researcher tries to gain a sense of the total context

Ethnography Data Collection • Participant observation, interviews with informants who are purposefully selected, artifact collection • The researcher becomes a complete observer • Informants – to obtain important insights or information • Artifacts – journals, diaries, letters • Field notes

Ethnography Data Analysis • As with case studies, data collection and analysis tend to occur simultaneously • Indexing or coding their data using as many categories as possible and focusing on events as the unit • Use a constant comparative method where the researcher checks and cross-references new data with previously obtained data

Ethnography Final Report • To present a holistic description of the people they have observed and to portray the everyday experiences of the individuals • Stated in assertions supported by quotational data intertwined with interpretive commentary

Phenomenological Research Designs • A person’s construction of the meaning of a phenomenon • Attempts to understand participants’ perspectives and views of social realities

Phenomenology Purpose • Attempt to understand what a specific experience is like by describing it as found in concrete situations as it appears to people living it. • The researcher often has personal experience with the phenomenon • Common childhood topics – “being left out”, “falling asleep”, “being afraid of the dark”

Phenomenology Process • Personally meaningful • Identifying what it is that deeply interests the researcher • The deep personal interest characteristic is most common in phenomenological research than to other approaches

Phenomenology Data Collection • Can be conducted with a single person, usually 5 to 10 people • In-depth interviews – for this reason the participants need to chosen purposefully • Arrive at the heart of matter, so it is not as structured as ethnographic interviews

Phenomenology Data Analysis • Ethnographers focus on events, phenomenologists focus on meaning units • Describe themes and patterns in the data

Phenomenology Final Report • Narrative that describes a theme or pattern • Examine the experiences of others ( themselves)

Grounded Theory Research Designs • A way of thinking about and conceptualizing data • Is a set of procedures for analyzing data that will lead to the development of theory useful to that discipline • Range of topics that have been the focus of grounded theory research (many) Examples:– marriage after divorce, the work of scientist

Grounded Theory Purpose • Start with broad research question that provides freedom and flexibility to explore a phenomenon in depth • Questions identify the general focus and tend to be action and process oriented “How do patients respond to chronic pain?” • The above question can lead to several analyses, interactions (nurse and patient), organizational policies (handling of additive drugs), biographical histories (long vrs short experience)

Grounded Theory Process • Multiple stages of data collections and the refinement and interrelationships of categories of data • The theory is “grounded” in that it is developed from the data, as opposed to being suggested by the literature • Identify and describe the plausible relationships among concepts and sets of concepts

Grounded Theory Data Collection • Flexible • Characterized by openness to changing conditions • Have used historical records, interviewing, observation strategies • Typically data gathered from more than one unit because want to maximize similarities and differences among information obtained. (multi-case studies) The sampling of different units for the purpose of maximizing information is called theoretical sampling.

Grounded Theory Data Analysis • Use a process of coding • Open coding – breaks down, examines, compares, conceptualizes and categorizes data • Axial coding – data put back together in new ways after open coding by making connections between categories • Selective coding – selecting a core category and systemically relating it to other categories

Grounded Theory Final Report • Relationships developed are stated as propositions and are presented in discursive form • Discursive presentations captures the conceptual density and the substantive content of the study – a story line • The main story seems to be about

Qualitative Research Design Summary • Are overlaps, some distinct boundaries • Similarities identify them as being qualitative • See Table 7.2 (page 166) for concise distinguishing characteristics • Remembering that identifying the type of research you are doing can aid you to locate appropriate references for your type of research

Common Qualitative Research Designs