Qualitative research proposal on technology taking over social interaction
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Chapter6-QualitativeResearchDesigns.pptxCHAPTER SIX: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS
Cynthia Faulkner, Ph.D.
Sam Faulkner, Ph.D.
Morehead State University
Research Methods for Social Workers: A Practice-Based Approach
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Research Methods for Social Workers
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How is Qualitative Research Used?
Qualitative research is used if little or nothing is known about a subject. In order to develop a greater understanding of an issue, we need to use methods that allow us to investigate a phenomenon through the use of researcher observation and assessment. All research methods are equally useful and very necessary; however, they utilize different strategies and ask different research questions to gain knowledge.
Two strategies used by qualitative researchers are describing the information collected (descriptive inquiry) and speculating on the information collected (speculative inquiry).
Descriptive Inquiry
Descriptive inquiry is the strategy used in qualitative research to create a greater understanding of issues by describing individual experiences.
Individual vs. Collective Understanding
Two ways to get verbal comments from clients are to interview them individually or to hold a focus group.
Assessments, Interviews, Feedback: To create a greater understanding of, and empathy for, the experiences of the subject.
Focus Groups: An open discussion in which individuals share their opinions about or emotional responses to a particular subject.
Speculative Inquiry
Speculative inquiry is a strategy used in qualitative research to generate a theory based on common experiences using inductive research methods.
Inductive versus Deductive Research
Inductive research - The gathering of information based upon observations and quotes that is organized into common themes (qualitative research methods).
Deductive research -The process of reasoning that moves from a general hypothesis or theory to specific results through the use of quantitative methods (quantitative research methods).
Qualitative Research Methods
The four most common qualitative research designs are ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, and case study.
Phenomenological research designs seek to understand the lived experience of those who are being studied.
Grounded theory is a type of research design that utilizes a recursive form of question and analysis. The researcher begins with a set of questions that lead to further questions. From the individual information collected, common themes are identified.
Ethnographic research designs are centered on cultural behavior. This research design seeks to record the cultural aspects of a group.
Case Study
A case study is a detailed analysis of a single or limited number of people or events. A case study can be illustrative, exploratory, a critical instance, program effects, prospective, cumulative, or narrative.
Illustrative Case Studies
Exploratory Case Studies
Critical Instance Case Studies
Program Effects Case Studies
Prospective Case Studies
Cumulative Case Studies
Narrative Case Studies
Data Collection
Observations
Overt Observational Research is used to describe the behavior of individuals or groups in their natural settings.
Covert Observational Research is when the researchers do not identify themselves as researchers. Either they mix in with the subjects or they observe from a distance.
Interviews
Semi-structured interview - Prepared research questions are that are used to start the interview process but allow additional information to be solicited.
Structured interview - An interview that is limited to the research questions the researcher wants answered.
Four Observational Roles
The complete participant is a member of the group being studied and who conceals his/her researcher role from the group to avoid disrupting normal activity.
In the participant as observer role the researcher is a member of the group being studied, and the group is aware of the research activity.
The observer as participant role enables the researcher to participate in the group activities as desired, yet the main role of the researcher is to collect data, and the group being studied is aware of the researcher's observation activities.
The complete observer role occurs when the researcher is completely hidden from view while observing or when the researcher is in plain sight in a public setting, yet the public being studied is unaware of being observed.
Three Types of Observations
In descriptive observation one observes anything and everything, assuming that he/she knows nothing; the disadvantage of this type is that it can lead to the collection of information that may or may not be relevant to the study.
Focused observation emphasizes observation supported by interviews, in which the participants' insights guide the researcher's decisions about what to observe.
Selective observation is when the researcher focuses on different types of activities to help delineate the differences in those activities.
Tips for Conducting Observational Research
Be unobtrusive in dress and actions.
Become familiar with the setting before beginning to collect data.
Keep the observations short at first to keep from becoming overwhelmed.
Be honest, but not too technical or detailed in explaining to participants what he/she is doing.
Use memory tools to remember information, such as looking for key words or remembering the first and last remarks in conversations to trigger later recollection of the conversation content.
Actively observe the details one wants to record later such as the interactions occurring in the setting, including who talks to whom, whose opinions are respected, how decisions are made. Also observe where participants stand or sit, particularly those with power versus those with less power or men versus women.
Keep a running observation record.
Be tolerant, adaptable and flexible.
Interviews
The main task in interviewing is to understand the meaning of what the interviewees say. Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind participant’s experiences, therefore, the interviewer can pursue in-depth information around the topic.
The conversational interview has no predetermined questions in order to remain as open and adaptable as possible to the interviewee’s nature and priorities; during the interview the interviewer “goes with the flow”.
With the interview guide approach the guide is intended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected from each interviewee; this provides more focus than the conversational approach, but still allows a degree of freedom and adaptability in getting the information from the interviewee.
The open-ended interview asks the same open-ended questions of all interviewees; this approach facilitates faster interviews that can be more easily analyzed and compared.
Finally, the fixed-response interview asks the same questions and requires interviewees to choose answers from among the same set of alternatives. This format is useful for those not experienced in interviewing.
Interviewing Tips
Be familiar with the topic.
Choose a setting with the least distraction.
Explain the purpose of the interview.
Address terms of confidentiality.
Outline the procedure of the interview.
Indicate how long the interview usually takes.
Provide contact information of the interviewer.
Allow interviewee to clarify any questions or doubts about the interview.
Prepare a method for recording data such as audio tape or note taking.
Use simple, easy and short questions which are spoken distinctly and understandably.
Be tolerant, sensitive and patient to provocative and unconventional opinions.
Avoid digressions from the topic.
Clarify the responses to test the reliability and validity of what the interviewee tells.
Remember the information from the interviewee.
Provide interpretation of what is said by the interviewee.
Parts of a Qualitative Study
Interview Questions
Gaining Access
Selection Criteria
Ethical Considerations
Recording Information
Analysis
Literature Review
Writing the Report
Interview Questions
The grand tour questions are large, overarching questions that identify the broad intent of a research study and are based on the existing knowledge (i.e., experience, knowledge from others, tradition, and prior research).
These initial questions are used to generate additional questions and emergent lines of conversation. This is called a semi-structured interview, in that you have research questions to start the interview process but will solicit additional information based on the responses to your initial questions, whereas a structured interview is limited to the research questions the researcher brings to the interview.
Gaining Access
The issue of gaining access to subjects is particularly important when one is conducting qualitative studies. When the sample size is small, having the opportunity to interview your subjects in depth is of vital importance. This usually means spending several hours talking with each person. As a researcher, it is important for you to spend time thinking about how you may gain access to a particular population.
Selection Criteria
Qualitative research is not as concerned with sample size as quantitative research, but this does not mean that sample size is not important. As a researcher, you will need to include enough people in your sample to gain an in-depth understanding of what you are studying.
Ethical Considerations
it is important to safeguard the anonymity and confidentiality of subjects. While the individuals in your study may not be anonymous, they can have the assurance that their personal information will remain confidential.
It is also important that research participants being interviewed understand their rights as subjects in the study. Develop an informed consent form and have it approved by the school’s institutional review board and have your participants read and sign the form.
Recording Information
Once you have identified the research questions to be asked and found subjects to participate in your study, the next step is to decide how you will record the information. Some researchers prefer to audiotape their interviews and then transcribe the tapes later. Others prefer to use videotapes to record their subjects’ responses. Still others record information in notes or collect information from journals and written comments. Regardless of the format that you decide to use, it is important to remember to protect the confidentiality of the participants in your research.
Analysis
For some researchers, the analysis is the most difficult portion of the entire qualitative research process. The researcher can end up with pages of notes, and the classification and categorization of so much evidence can lead to confusion, overload, and uncertainty. Therefore, after you have finished collecting information, you will compile the information in a word-processing program. This provides you with a paper copy of the subjects’ spoken words and allows you, the researcher, to begin to analyze what has been said.
Literature Review
In the qualitative research design, the literature review is used to shape the study based not so much on what others have found but rather on what others have not explored. Therefore, literature reviews can occur before and after information is collected. A review of the literature before a study enables the researcher to determine what general knowledge is available and is not available. After you conduct the study, you go back to the literature to research the common themes that were found. In this way, you are adding to any existing knowledge.
Writing the Report
The qualitative researcher is concerned with providing a detailed and accurate description of the subject’s experience rather than an objective and dispassionate overview of the findings (as would be expected in a quantitative report). You may spend a great deal of time and energy telling a narrative that will help the reader to understand the subject’s experiences. In your grounded theory study, you would try to find general themes in all the interviews and use quotes to illustrate those themes in your report. The report is organized to summarize common themes regarding each assumption as well as additional themes that were not presumed. For example, one of the recurring themes in the narrative of each subject in your grounded theory study is the issue of the public’s reaction to twins.
