Module 4: Qualitative Research Design

What is qualitative research?

strategy for systematic collection, organization and interpretation of textual information

What is the goal in qualitative research?

in-depth understanding

What is the setting like in qualitative research?

natural environment

Describe qualitative research design

• emergent design

• emerges in field as study unfolds

• evolves over course of study

• flexible

  • adjusts to new information

• holistic

• relies on ongoing analysis

• researchers intensively involved

What are the 3 qualitative research methods?

1. ethnography

2. phenomenology

3. grounded theory

Describe ethnography

• describes & interprets cultural behavior

• understanding an “insider’s” view of culture

• participant observation in natural environment

How is culture inferrred?

via words, actions & products of members of a group

Describe phenomenology

• meaning of people’s lived experience

• in depth conversations/interviews between researchers & participants

  • main data source

What are the 2 types of phenomenlogy?

1. descriptive phenomenology

2. interpretive phenomenology

What is descriptive phenomenology?

• describes meaning of human experience

• description of ordinary experiences in everyday life

What is interpretive phenomenology?

• interprets human experience

• aims to enter another’s world & gain understanding

Describe gruonded theory

develops theory & interrelated concepts

What is the key aspect of grounded theory?

conceptualization

What is the process of grounded theory like?

recursive

• data collected, organized, described and then scycle is repeated

What is the main data source in grounded theory?

in-depth interviews & observations

What are case studies?

focus on singl entity or small number w/ intensive scrutiny

What is a narrative analysis?

focus on story & designed to determine how individuals make sense of events in their lives

Describe sampling of subjects in qualitative research

• participants are usually NOT randomly selected

• samples are small

• sample selection is driven by conceptual requirements

How many participants are usually in a sample in qualitative research

< 50

What are the 4 types of sampling in qualitative research?

1. convenience (volunteer)

2. snowball (chain)

3. purposive

4. theoretical

Describe convenience (volunteer) sampling

used when researchers need potential participants to identify self

What is an example of convenience (volunteer) sampling?

study of school-related experiences and stressors among nursing students who have depression

Is convenience (volunteer) sampling a preferred method?

no because it doesn’t provide the most diverse sources

What is an advantage to convenience (volunteer) sampling?

easy & economical

What is snowball (chain) sampling?

asking early participants to refer other participants

What is an advantage to snowball (chain) sampling?

cost-effective: researchers spend less time outreaching

What is a disadvantage to snowball (chain) sampling?

sample may be restricted to small network of acquaintances

What is purposive sampling?

purposeful selection of participants

• specific cases are selected to benefit study

What is maximum variation sampling?

selecting participants w/ variation on dimensions of interest (diverse backgrounds)

What is homogenous sampling?

purposely reduced variation

more focus to understand a specific group

What is typical case sampling?

typical, average, normal, representative

What is stratified purposive sampling?

selecting participants in distinct subgroups from a single dimension

What is extreme case sampling?

info-rich cases that have a phenomenon of interest intensely but not to extreme level

What is reputational case sampling?

recommendations from experts/key informants

What is theoretical sampling?

process of data collection for generating theory

researcher collects, categorizes, and analyzes data, then decides what data needs to be collected next & who to collect it from

What type of studies is theoretical sample used in?

grounded theory studies

Describe sample size in qualitative research

• no explicit, formal criteria

• sample size determined by needs

_ quality can affect sample size

data

When does sampling stop in qualitative research?

when data saturation is met

What is data saturation?

new data no longer emerges

What is the sample size in ethnography?

25 to 50

What is the sample size in phenomenology?

< 10

What is the sample size in grounded theory?

20 to 30

What are some issues that arise in quantitative data collection?

• gaining trust w/ participants

• preparing for intensity

  • data collection can be stressful

• emotion involvement w/ patients

  • researchers must avoid getting “too close” w/ participants

What is reflectivity?

researcher’s awareness of how their own experiences can affect the data they collect

• important skill to reduce bias

Describe unstructured interviews

no prepared set of questions

Describe semi-structured interviews

researcher prepared topic guide

Describe focus group interviews

moderator leads small group of participants

Describe joint/dyadic interviews

interviewing 2 people at once

Describe photovoice

participants photograph themselves & interpret

Describe video-stimulated recall interviews

research video records participants in activities

• f/u is a discussion of behavior

Describe preparations for qualitative interviews

develop questions

conduct practice interview

decide setting for data collection

obtain supplies

Describe observation in qualitative studies

can be used as supplement to self-reported data

What is unstructured participant observation?

observer participates in functioning of group, observes, asks questions & records info

What is unstructured non-participant observation

watching & recording behaviors w/o participation

How is personal information protected?

• secure data storage

• confidentiality

• removal of identifiers

What are procedural ethics?

formal approval procedures

• competing interests of researchers

• balancing benefits & harm

What are situational ethics?

issues arising specific to context

• ex. capturing of non-participants in photos & videos

What are relational ethics?

awareness of researcher actions on others

• power dynamics

What are exiting ethics?

considerations arising post data collection

• maintain confidentiality & anonymity