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Module 4

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17 views

Module 4

Uploaded by

Nitish Gupta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Qualitative Research

1. Qualitative research….
Qualitative research is an approach for exploring and
understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a
social or human problem. The process of research involves
emerging questions and procedures, data typically collected in
the participant’s setting, data analysis inductively building
from particulars to general themes, and the researcher making
interpretations of the meaning of the data.
When to use qualitative research?
1. To explore a problem
2. To provide a complex detailed understanding of an issue
3. To empower individuals to share their stories, hear their voices, or minimise power
relationships
4. To write in a literary, flexible style that conveys stories, or theatre, or poems,
without the restrictions of formal academic structures
5. To understand the context or settings in which participants address an issue or a
problem
6. To develop theories when partial or inadequate theories exist, or existing theories
do not adequately address the complexity of a problem
7. To study problems that do not fit quantitative measures and statistical analyses .
Qualitative Data Collection

1. Interviews

2. Observations

3. Documents
Qualitative Data Collection

1. Interviews:
– Open-ended questions and probes yield in-depth responses about
people’s experiences, opinions, perceptions, feelings and knowledge.
– Data consist of verbatim quotations with sufficient context to be
interpretable.

– Questioning Route:
* Opening Questions
* Introductory Questions
* Transition Questions
* Key Questions
* Ending Questions
Qualitative Data Collection

2. Observations:
– Fieldwork descriptions of activities, behaviors, actions,
conversations, interpersonal interactions, organizational or
community processes, or any other aspect of observable
human experience.

– Data consist of field notes: rich detailed descriptions,


including the context within which the observations were
made.
Observational Studies

What can be observed?

– Human behavior and action

– Verbal behavior

– Expressive behavior

– Spatial relations

– Temporal patterns

– Physical objects
Qualitative Data Collection
3. Documents:
– Written materials and other documents, programs records;
memoranda and correspondence; official publications and
reports; personal diaries, letters, artistic works, photographs,
and memorabilia; and written responses to open-ended
surveys.

– Data consists of excerpts from documents captured in a way


that records and preserves context.
Documents
• E-mails, Letters, Memos, reports and minutes of committees

• Annual reports

• Could ask participants to keep journals (case studies and


narrative research)
Qualitative Research Design

1. Narrative Research

2. Phenomenological Research

3. Grounded Theory

4. Ethnography

5. Case Study
1. Narrative research

In narrative research, researchers describe the lives


of individuals, collect and tell stories about people’s lives, and
write narratives of individual experiences. As a distinct form
of qualitative research, a narrative typically focuses on
studying a single person, gathering data through the collection
of stories, reporting individual experiences, and discussing the
meaning of those experiences for the individual.
How do you use narrative designs?

1. When individuals are willing to tell their stories

2. Want to report personal experiences in a particular setting

3. Want a close bond with participants

4. When participants want to process their stories

5. When you have a chronology of events

6. When you want to write in a literary way and develop the


micro picture
2. Phenomenological Research..

• Phenomenology is a school of thought that emphasizes a focus


on people’s subjective experiences and interpretations of the
world. Phenomenological theorists argue that objectivity is
virtually impossible to ascertain, so to compensate, one must
view all research from the perspective of the researcher.
2. Phenomenological Research

• Phenomenologists attempt to understand those whom they


observe from the subjects’ perspective. This outlook is
especially pertinent in social work and research where
empathy and perspective become the keys to success.
3. Grounded Theory….

– Based on Symbolic Interactionism which posits that humans


act and interact on the basis of symbols, which have
meaning and value for the actors.

– The intent of grounded theory is to generate or discover a


theory that relates to a particular situation. If little is known
about a topic, grounded theory is especially useful
3. Grounded Theory….

– Usually have a question, don’t do a literature review in the


beginning.

– Usually do 20-30 interviews (maybe more than one time


for each person)

– Data collection and analysis occur simultaneously, until


“saturation” is reached.

– Data reviewed and coded for categories and themes.


3. Grounded Theory

– Data analysis generates a visual picture, a narrative


statement or a series of hypotheses with a central
phenomenon, causal conditions, context and consequences.

– The researcher needs to set aside theoretical ideas or


notions so that analytical or substantive theories can
emerge from the data.

– Systematic approach
4. Ethnography…

– A description and interpretation of a cultural or social


group or system. The researcher examines the group’s
observable and learned patterns of behavior, customs, and
ways of life.

– Involves prolonged observation of the group, typically


through participant observation.
4. Ethnography…

- Ethnography emphasizes the observation of details of


everyday life as they naturally unfold in the real world. This
is sometimes called naturalistic research.

- Ethnography is a method of describing a culture or society.


This is primarily used in anthropological research.
4. Ethnography

– Need extensive time to collect data

– Many ethnographies may be written in a narrative or story


telling approach which may be difficult for the audience
accustomed to usual social science writing.
5. Case Study…

– A case study is an exploration of a “bounded system” or a


case (or multiple cases) over time through detailed, in-
depth data collection involving multiple sources of
information rich in context.

– The context of the case involves situating the case within


its setting. which may be physical, social, historical
and/or economic.
5. Case Study

– Data collection strategies include direct observation,


interviews, documents, archival records, participant
observation, physical artifacts and audiovisual
materials.

– Analysis of themes, or issues and an interpretation of


the case by the researcher.

22
The Report Preparation and Presentation Process
Problem Definition, Approach,
Research Design, and Fieldwork

Data Analysis

Interpretations, Conclusions, and


Recommendations

Report Preparation

Oral Presentation

Reading of the Report by the Client

Research Follow-Up
Report Format
I. Title page
II. Letter of transmittal
III. Letter of authorization
IV. Table of contents
V. List of tables
VI. List of graphs
VII. List of appendices
VIII. List of exhibits
IX. Executive summary
a. Major findings
b. Conclusions
c. Recommendations
Report Format
X. Problem definition
a. Background to the problem
b. Statement of the problem
XI. Approach to the problem
XII. Research design
a. Type of research design
b. Information needs
c. Data collection from secondary sources
d. Data collection from primary sources
e. Scaling techniques
f. Questionnaire development and pretesting
g. Sampling techniques
h. Fieldwork
Report Format
XIII. Data analysis
a. Methodology
b. Plan of data analysis
XIV. Results
XV. Limitations and caveats
XVI. Conclusions and recommendations
XVII. Exhibits
a. Questionnaires and forms
b. Statistical output
c. Lists

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