Qualitative Research

(T)he special task of the social scientist in each

generation is to pin down the contemporary facts.
Beyond that, he shares with the humanistic scholar
and the artist in the effort to gain insight into
contemporary relationships.
-L.J. Cronbach (1975)

What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research, broadly defined,
means:
any kind of research that produces
findings not arrived at by means of
statistical procedures or other means of
quantification.
(Strauss and Corbin, 1990)

A different way to represent the world

There is a kind of continuum that moves from the
fictional that is "true"the novel for exampleto
the highly controlled and quantitatively described
scientific experiment. Work at either end of this
continuum has the capacity to inform
significantly.
Qualitative research and evaluation are located
toward the fictive end of the continuum without
being fictional in the narrow sense of the term.
(Eisner, 1991)

Battle of the Methodologies!

Qualitative:
Text/Verbal
Exploratory
Theory Generation
Interpretative
Small, intensive
Unique cases may
be an important
finding.

Quantitative:
Numerical
Focused
Hypothesis Testing
Statistical
Small to Large
Unique cases may
be statistical
outliers.

Can we say which is better?

Really boils down to personnel preference.
A balancing act between the ability to be
specific (individual results) versus the
ability to generalize to a larger population.
Ability to
Generalize

Quantitative

Ability to be
Specific

Qualitativ
e

Important Features of Qualitative Research

Qualitative

research uses the natural setting as the

source of data. The researcher attempts to observe,
describe and interpret settings as they are while
maintaining empathic neutrality.

The

researcher acts as the "human instrument" of

data collection.

Qualitative

researchers predominantly use inductive

data analysis.

Important Features of Qualitative Research

Qualitative

research has an interpretive character,

aimed at discovering the meaning events have for the
individuals who experience them, and the
interpretations of those meanings by the researcher.

Qualitative

researchers pay attention to the

idiosyncratic as well as the pervasive, seeking the
uniqueness of each case.

Qualitative

research has an emergent (as opposed to

predetermined) design, and researchers focus on this
emerging process as well as the outcomes or product
of the research.

Qualitative Research as an Excuse

while maintaining empathic neutrality.

use inductive data analysis.
pay attention to the idiosyncratic as well as the
pervasive.
has an emergent (as opposed to predetermined)
design
researchers focus on this emerging process as well
as the outcomes or product

We arent simply talking about someone reporting their

opinion. Were describing serious scientific inquiry.

Positivistic vs. Constructionistic Paradigm

Positivistic Theories
Absolutism
Objectivism
Determinism

Constructionistic Theories
Relativism
Subjectivism
Voluntarism

Types of Qualitative Methods

Three distinct research designs:
Participant Observation
Sustained

relationship between researcher

and subjects

Intensive

Interviewing

Unstructured

Focus

face to face interviews

Groups

Unstructured

group interviews

Participant Observation
Observations of individuals in their real-life
settings.
Must

find an in
Relationships must be developed
Relationships must be maintained
Time-intensive
Training and professionalism
Different roles for researcher

Different Roles of Participant Observation

Complete

Observation

Researcher

is observer only
Observe behavior/interactions as they occur
Training and professionalism
Reactive

Effect

Exposure

over time
Tough to stay different
Compensatory rivalry (John Henry effect)

Different Roles of Participant Observation

Participation
Researcher

and Observation

is active participant
Researcher identifies themselves as such
Develops rapport
Gain insight into what members experience
Concern about illegal behaviors

Different Roles of Participant Observation

Covert

Participation

aka

Complete Participation
Researcher is a participant
Researcher does not identify themselves as
such
Researcher can access inaccessible settings
Limited ability to collect data
Follow

up questions
Field notes
Ethics

of Research

Intensive Interviewing
A face-to-face interview in a one-on-one
setting.
Conversation-like/Extended
Recorded
Unstructured

format

No

set interview schedule

Certain topics are addressed
Researcher

as listener

Focus Groups
The researcher brings together a group of
individuals to discuss the topic of interest.
Unrelated

individuals
Homogenous group
Ideal size of 7-10
Open-ended discussion
Recorded
Researcher as the ring-master

Sample Size
Theoretical
Generally

Sampling

not a fixed amount

The

number of observations, interviews or total

focus groups is usually dependent on whether
we believe we still have a great deal to learn.

If

our data collection continues to find similar

responses then we have reached a saturation
point. Additional data collections will produce
minimal new information.

Qualitative Research