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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS

Comparison of qualitative & quantitative research

Qualitative

Quantitative

Definitions

a systematic subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning

a formal, objective, systematic process for obtaining information about the world. A method used to describe, test relationships, and examine cause and effect relationships.

Goals

To gain insight; explore the depth, richness, and complexity inherent in the phenomenon.

To test relationships, describe, examine cause and effect relations

Characteristics

· Soft science

· Focus: complex & broad

· Holistic

· Subjective

· Dialectic, inductive reasoning

· Basis of knowing: meaning & discovery

· Develops theory

· Shared interpretation

· Communication & observation

· Basic element of analysis: words

· Individual interpretation

· Uniqueness

 Hard science

 Focus: concise & narrow

 Reductionistic

 Objective

 Logistic, deductive reasoning

 Basis of knowing: cause & effect, relationships

 Tests theory

 Control

 Instruments

 Basic element of analysis: numbers

 Statistical analysis

 Generalization

Specific qualitative approaches

Phenomenology

Purpose, goal - to describe experiences as they are lived

· examines uniqueness of individual's lived situations

· each person has own reality; reality is subjective

Research question development

· What does existence of feeling or experience indicate concerning the phenomenon to be explored

· What are necessary & sufficient constituents of feeling or experience?

· What is the nature of the human being?

Method

· No clearly defined steps to avoid limiting creativity of researcher

· Sampling & data collection

· Seek persons who understand study & are willing to express inner feelings & experiences

· Describe experiences of phenomenon

· Write experiences of phenomenon

· Direct observation

· Audio or videotape

Data analysis

· Classify & rank data

· Sense of wholeness

· Examine experiences beyond human awareness/ or cannot be communicated

Outcomes

· Findings described from subject's point-of-view

· Researcher identifies themes

· Structural explanation of findings is developed

Grounded theory

Purpose - theory development

· Used in discovering what problems exist in a social scene &how persons handle them

· Involves formulation, testing, & redevelopment of propositions until a theory is developed

Method - steps occur simultaneously; a constant comparative process

· Data collection - interview, observation, record review, or combination

Analysis

· Concept formation

· Concept development - reduction; selective sampling of literature; selective sampling of subjects; emergence of core concepts

· Concept modification & integration

Outcomes - theory supported by examples from data

Ethnography

Purpose - to describe a culture's characteristics

Method

· Identify culture, variables for study, & review literature

· Data collection - gain entrance to culture; immerse self in culture; acquire informants; gather data through direct observation & interaction with subjects

Analysis - describe characteristics of culture

Outcomes - description of culture

Historical

Purpose - describe and examine events of the past to understand the present and anticipate potential future effects

Method

· Formulate idea - select topic after reading related literature

· Develop research questions

· Develop an inventory of sources - archives, private libraries, papers

· Clarify validity & reliability of data - primary sources, authenticity, biases

· Develop research outline to organize investigative process

· Collect data

Analysis - synthesis of all data; accept & reject data; reconcile conflicting evidence

Outcomes - select means of presentation - biography, chronology, issue paper

Case study

Purpose - describe in-depth the experience of one person, family, group, community, or institution

Method

· Direct observation and interaction with subject

Analysis - synthesis of experience

Outcomes - in-depth description of the experience

Data collection

· Interview with audiotape & videotape

· Direct, non-participant observation

· Participant observation

· Field notes, journals, logs

Reliability & validity - rigor

Use of researcher's personality

· Involvement with subject's experience

· Live with data collection until no new information appears

Bracketing

· Researcher suspends what is known about the phenomenon

· Keeping an open context

· Set aside own preconceptions

Intuiting

· Process of actually looking at phenomenon

· Focus all awareness & energy on topic

· Absolute concentration & complete absorption in phenomenon

Can use > 1 researcher & compare interpretation and analysis of data

Data analysis

· Living with data

· Cluster & categorize data

· Examine concepts & themes

· Define relationships between/among concepts