Intro to qualitative research

Sampling

The process of selecting representative units of a population for a study in a research investigation

-Inclusion (eligibility) and exclusion (delimitations) that define characteristics that limit the population to a homogenous group of subjects

-Social Determinants of Health involved as well

Population

Well-defined set with specific properties

-May be people, animals, objects, or events

Target population

The entire set of cases about which the researcher would like to make generalizations

Accessible population

Available populations hat meets the criteria

Sample

Set of elements that make up the population

Representative sample

Key characteristics closely match those of the population

Convenience sampling

Use of the most readily accessible persons or objects

Quota sampling

Subjects who meet the inclusion criteria are recruited and consecutively enrolled until the target sample size is reached

Purposive sampling

Subjects who are considered to be typical of the population

Network sampling (snowballing)

Used for locating samples that are difficult or impossible to locate in other ways

-When subjects are found, they are asked to help with finding others

Sample size

Generally, always to use the largest sample possible

-Qualitative designs: subjects are added until data saturation

-Pilot study: A small study conducted as a prelude to a larger scale study that is often called the parent study

-Power analysis: Statistical procedure used to estimate needed sample size

Qualitative research

Basic level of inquiry that seeks to discover and understand concepts, phenomena, or cultures

-Used to develop a theory or to discover knowledge about a phenomenon

-Findings are presented in a narrative format with raw data used to illustrate identified themes

-Ensuring trustworthiness

Qualitative research does NOT -

Test interventions

-Seeks to understand the patient’’s experience

-May provide information necessary to pursue quantitative studies

-May be used for theory development or extension

Phenomenological research design

Process of learning and constructing the meaning of human experience through intensive dialogue wth persons who are living the experience

-Structured via: research question, perspective, and sample selection

-Data gathering via data saturation

Phenomenological method

Data analysis that generate themes from the analysis of significant statements

-Develop textual and structural descriptions

-Report the essence of a phenomenon by using a composite description

-Present an understanding of the essence of the experience

-Detailed descriptive language is used to convey the complex meaning of the lived experience

Grounded theory research design

Inductive approach involving a set of procedures to arrive at a theory about basic social processes

-Identifying the phenomenon: social processes from the perspective of human interactions or patterns of action and interaction between and among various types of social units

-Structure of the study: Research question, researcher’s perspective, sample selection

Grounded theory method

-Data gathering: interviews and skilled observations of individuals interacting in a social setting

-Data analysis: simultaneous data collection and analysis

-Theoretical sampling: hunches about emerging patterns in the data are used to direct activities in fieldwork

-Open coding: data are broken into parts for comparison

-Constant comparative method: coded data are continuously compared with new data

-Describe the findings: in detail to allow readers to follow the process

Ethnographic research design

Ethnographic method

-Focuses on scientific description and interpretation of cultural or social groups and systems

-Identifying the phenomenon: studies may be long term or short term

-Structure the study: research question / researcher’s perspective / sample selection

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