Lecture 1: What is qualitative research?

qualitative research

-any type of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification

small q qualitative research

-uses tools and techniques associated with qualitative research, such as interviews and non-numerical data

-but these qualitative techniques are still concerned with quantitative ‘scientific’ values, such as:

• objective, reliability, validity

-researcher is a passive discoverer of the truth which is already present within the data and just needs to be found

big Q qualitative research

-views qualitative research as both a set of tools, techniques and values

-recognises that humans live within a complex social world and that they cannot be separated from this

-recognises that qualitative research is subjective but this is not viewed negatively and is instead viewed as something to be embraced, recognised and studied within its own right

-recognises that researchers themselves are active, generative, creative and involved with the qualitative process

core principles of big Q qualitative research 

-understanding meaning, context, social processes 

-rich, in-depth, holistic accounts of human behaviour and psychological issues 

-making sense of vast amounts of data 

-doesn’t claim to be generalisable but is still conducted with rigour

-values participant and researcher subjectivity, viewed as a resource rather than something to be contained 

reflexivity

-a continuous, self-critical process of examining how your perspective/positions/views/background influence each stage of the research

-qualitative researchers are involved in the research process

-e.g., age, professional experience, gender, beliefs

• not biases in big Q qualitative research but rather aspects to be acknowledged, explored and used to enrich analyses

qualitative research is an iterative and flexible process

-not necessarily a discrete set of sequential steps 

-some phases may be revisited and refined as the process develops 

-most likely start with the hypotheses, design a study to test this, collect data, analyse the data using whatever statistical technique is most appropriate, then interpret and report results 

→ but this process is more fluid in big Q qualitative research 

differences between quantitative and qualitative research

• type of data being examined

-quantitative research → most often explores numbers

-qualitative research → focus on non-numerical data

• underpinning values

-quantitative research → often seek to find objective, generalisable laws and truths

-qualitative research → embraces subjectivity and focus on the lived experiences of individuals

similarities between quantitative and qualitative research

• answers a question and addresses a gap or build on current knowledge

• methods still need to be appropriate, ethical and rigorous

• analysis involves data reduction

methods vs methodology

-not the same thing

methods

-tools or techniques implemented for data collection or analysis

• interviews analysed using thematic analysis

• psychometric tests analysed using t-test

methodology

-broader framework, theories and practices about how research is conducted

-set of assumptions

• what is research

• how it should be conducted

• what claims you can make

-methods are a component of methodology but just one aspect of it 

epistemology and ontology 

-tell us something about the philosophical beliefs underpinning knowledge and our reality 

-ask questions about how knowledge is generated and what there is to know 

ontology

-concerned with the nature of reality

• what there is to know?

• what is reality?

-is there one reality that is independent of human experience

-or are there multiple realities that are socially and culturally dependent

epistemology

-concerned with how reality is examined

• can knowledge be measured using objective and reliable tools?

• or does reality need to be interpreted subjectively to identify the underlying meaning?

• or should knowledge be examined using whatever tools are most appropriate?

ontologies: what is reality?

-different ontological beliefs fall along a continuum

realism (ontological position)

-more objective position

-there is one truth/reality that is independent of human perception

-a pre-social reality exists i.e., the reality and the truth of a situation does not depend on the human ways of knowing about it

relativism (ontological position)

-opposite end of the spectrum to realism

-there are multiple realities 

-depends entirely on human constructions 

-reality is created by humans, therefore there is many variations of what is real → no such thing as a single pre-social reality

-all reality is interpreted, perceived and constructed by humans

critical realism (ontological position)

-falls in the middle between realism and relativism

-reality can only ever be partially accessed through human/social constructions

-knowledge can be both socially constructed but also exists independent of social structures and human differences

-therefore there is one, but also many realities

-there are realities that can change or be renegotiated based on social context

epistemologies: how can we know?

-different epistemological positions fall along a continuum

more objective epistemologies

-the belief that reality can only be accurately examined, studied or researched using reliable and valid tools

-aligns the most strongly with scientific methods

more subjective epistemologies

-suggest that knowledge requires a level of interpretation to truly uncover the meaning

more neutral epistemologies

-through using a mixture of objective and subjective measures

-so using the tools most suited (be it objective or subjective) to answering the question

positivist approach 

-positivism 

-relates to the underpinning assumptions that research can find objective truths by using objective methods 

-finding an objective single truth by observation, objective methods, quantitative data and universal laws 

-assumes a clear and direct relationship between the objective reality of the word and the human perception of this reality

social constructionist approach

-research explores the complexity of people and meanings, recognising there are varied and multiple views about the world and meanings are constructed by people

-argue there are multiple truths with multiple subjective interpretations

-refuse the assumption that knowledge is an objective, direct reflection of reality

-what is true and real is created by human perception and tied to a social world from which is cannot be separated

contextualist approach

-research is conducted in a social context

-knowledge is situated in the context in which it is explored, thus reveals some context-dependent truth

-therefore, there are one and many realities, as reality or truths are tied to the context to which they are investigated

developing a qualitative research question

-considering what you know as a researcher

-poorly constructed questions likely impact each further stage of the research

• decide an area → choose a topic → is it appropriate for qualitative? link to ontology and epistemology → frame the question

choosing a topic (developing a qualitative research question)

-may need some level of familiarity with the area to develop a question 

-conducting a literature search/review can aid the process

-explore relevant databases and implement appropriate search terms 

-some journals directly focus on qualitative research, but both quantitative and qualitative could inform your research/question 

-many journals publish both quantitative and qualitative research 

good qualitative question (developing a qualitative research question)

-once choosing a topic need to decide if you can or should study it using qualitative techniques 

-some topics may be more suited to quantitative methods 

-topic may be possible to explore using either quantitative or qualitative approaches 

framing a good qualitative question (developing a qualitative research question)

-focussed and specific

-consistent with your philosophical position, methods and analysis

-grounded within relevant literature

-can be revised, refined and re-evaluated