COLLECTING QUALITATIVE

DATA

By: Nawal Salim ALKathiri

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF QUALTATIVE DATA
?CLLECTION
.Identify your participants and sites- 1

.Gain access- 2

.Determine the type of data to collect- 3

.Develop data collection forms- 4

.Administer the process in an ethical manner- 5

WHAT PARTICIPANTS AND SITES WILL YOU
?STUDY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RANDOM
SAMPLING AND PURPOSEFUL
SAMPLING
 Random “Quantitative” Purposeful “Qualitative”
sampling sampling
Select people or sites who
Select representative can best help us
individuals understand our
phenomenon

To generalize from sample To develop a detailed

to the population understanding

To make “claims” about the population .That might provide useful information
That might help people learn about the
To build/test “theories” that explain the .phenomenon
.population .That might give voice to silenced people
PURPOSEFUL SAMPLING

 Researchers intentionally select

individuals and sites to learn and
understand the central phenomenon.
TYPES OF PURPOSEFUL
SAMPLING

Maximal Variation Sampling

Extreme Case Sampling
Typical Sampling
Theory or Concept Sampling
Homogeneous Sampling
Critical Sampling
Opportunistic Sampling
Snowball Sampling
Confirming and Disconfirming
Sampling
Maximal Variation Sampling:

A purposeful sampling strategy in which

the researcher samples cases or
individuals that differ on some
.characteristic or trait
.e.g. different age groups
EXTREME CASE SAMPLING

Is a form of purposeful sampling in which you

study an outlier case or one that displays
.extreme characteristics
Choose extreme cases after knowing the-
typical or average case-e.g., outstanding
successes, crisis events
Typical Sampling

A form of a purposeful sampling in which the

researcher studies a person or site that is
“typical” to those unfamiliar with the
.situation
Theory or Concept Sampling

A purposeful sampling strategy in which the

researcher samples individuals or sites
because they can help the researcher
generate or discover a theory or specific
.concepts within the theory
Homogeneous Sampling

The researcher purposefully samples

individuals or sites based on membership in
.a subgroup that has defining characteristics
Critical Sampling

Identify the case that can illustrate

.some phenomenon dramatically
Opportunistic Sampling

Purposeful sampling undertaken after the

research begins, to take advantage of
unfolding events that will help answer
.research questions
Snowball Sampling

A form of purposeful sampling that typically

proceeds after a study begins and occurs
when the researcher asks participants to
.recommend other individuals to study
Confirming and Disconfirming Sampling

A purposeful strategy used during a study

to follow up on specific cases to test or
.explore further specific findings
 WHEN DOES SAMPLING OCCUR
?Before data collection ?After data collection has started

?What is the intent ?What is the intent

To develop
Many
perspectives
SAMPLE SIZE OR NUMBER OF RESEARCH
SITES
HOW WILL YOU GAIN ACCESS TO THE PEOPLE
?AND SITES

Gaining access to the site or individual(s) in

qualitative inquiry involves obtaining
:permission at different levels, such as

The organization

The site

The individuals

The campus institutional review boards

SEEK INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
APPROVAL

(: Institutional Review Board (IRB

Insures that data reported is credible and accurate and
that the participant’s right and confidentiality are
.protected
Several strategies might prove useful when negotiating qualitative
:research through the (IRB) process

Determine if individuals reviewing proposals on the review board- 1

.are familiar with qualitative research

Develop detailed descriptions of the procedures so that reviewers have- 2

.a full disclosure of the potential risks to people and sites in the study

.Detail ways you will protect the anonymity participants- 3

Discuss the need to respect the research site and to disturb or- 4
.disrupt it as little as possible

Detail how the study will provide opportunities to “give back” and- 5
.reciprocate in some way to those individuals you study

Acknowledge that during your prolonged interaction with- 6

participants, you may adopt their beliefs and even become an
. advocate for their ideas
specify potential power imbalances that may occur between yourself- 7
. and participants, and how your study will address these imbalances

.Detail how much time you will spend at the research site- 8

Include in the project description a list of the interview questions so- 9

reviewers on the institutional board can determine how sensitive the
.questions may be
GATEKEEPER

A gatekeeper is an individual has an

official or unofficial role at the site,
provides entrance to a site, helps
researchers locate people, and assists in
.the identification of places to study
WHT INFORMATION WILL YOU
?COLLECT
A COMPENDIUM OF DATA
COLLECTION APPROACHES IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Observations

Interviews and questionnaires

Documents

Audiovisual materials
 OBSERVATIONS
The process of gathering open-ended, firsthand
information by observing people and places at a research
.site

:Advantages :Disadvantages

opportunity to record information as it You will be limited to those

,occurs in a setting sites and situations where you
.can gain access
.To study actual behavior- 1
You may have difficulty
To study individuals who have- 2
develop rapport with
. difficulty verbalizing their ideas
.individuals there
e.g. preschool children
 Observational roles

A participant observer: is an observational role adopted by

researchers when they take part in activities in the setting they
. observe

A nonparticipant observer: is an observer

who visit a site and records notes without
becoming involved in the activities of the
.participants

A changing observational role: is one

where researchers adapt their role to the
.situation

e,g, page 223

 :The process of observing

Select a site to be observed that can help you best understand- 1

. the central phenomenon
Ease into the site slowly by looking around; getting a general sense- 2
.of the site; and taking limited notes, at least initially

At the site, identify who or what to observe, when to observe, and- 3

.how long to observe

.Determine, initially, your role as an observer- 4

Conduct multiple observations over time to obtain the best- 5

.understanding of the site and the individuals

.design some means for recording notes during an observation- 6

Fieldnotes: are text recorded by the researcher during an observation
.in a qualitative study
.Consider what information you will record during an observation- 7

.Record descriptive and reflective fieldnotes- 8

.Descriptive fieldnotes: record a description of the events, activities, and people

Reflective fieldnotes: record personal thoughts that researchers have that relate to
.their insights, hunches, or board ideas or themes that emerge during the observation

.Make yourself known, but remain unobtrusive- 9

.After observing, slowly withdraw from the site- 10

INTERVIEWS AND
QUESTIONNAIRES
INTERVIEWS
Occur when researchers ask one or
more participants general, open-ended
.questions and record their answers
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
:OF THE INTERVIEW
:Advantages
provide useful information when you cannot directly observe- 1
.participants
they permit participants to describe detailed information- 2

:Disadvantages
it provides only information “filtered” through the views of the- 1
.interviewers
interview data may be deceptive and provide the perspective- 2
.the interviewee wants the researcher to hear
the presence of the researcher may affect how the- 3
.interviewee responds
interviewee responses also may not be articulate,- 4
.perceptive, or clear
Types of interviews and open-ended questions on
:questionnaires

one-on-one interviews: is a data-collection process in which the- 1

researcher asks questions to and records answers from only one
.participant in the study at a time

focus group interviews: the process of collecting data through- 2

. interviews with a group of people, typically four to six

telephone interviews: is the process of gathering data using the- 3

.telephone and asking a small number of general questions

electronic e-mail interviews: consist of collecting open-ended data- 4

through interviews with individuals using computer and the internet to do
.so
 :CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS
.Identify the interviewees- 1
.Determine the type of interview you will use- 2
During the interview, audiotape the questions and- 3
.responses
.Take brief notes during the interview- 4
Locate a quiet, suitable place for conducting the- 5
.interview
Obtain the consent from the interviewee to participate- 6
.in the study
.Have a plan, but be flexible- 7
.Use probes to obtain additional information- 8
Be courteous and professional when the interview is- 9
.over
 DOCUMENTS

Consist of public and private records that qualitative

researchers obtain about a site or participants in a study and
they can include newspapers, minutes of meeting, personal
.journals, and letters
 DOCUMENTS

:Advantages
.Being in the language and words of the participants- 1
Ready for analysis without the necessary transcription that is required- 2
.observational or interview data

:Disadvantages
.Documents are some times difficult to locate and obtain- 1
.Information may not be available to the public- 2
Information may be located in distant archives, requiring the- 3
.researcher to travel, which take time and can be expensive
.The documents may be incomplete, inauthentic, or inaccurate- 4
In personal documents such as diaries or letters, the handwriting may- 5
.be hard to read
 :COLLECTING DOCUMENTS
Identify the type of documents that can provide useful information to answer- 1
.your qualitative research questions

consider both public and private documents as sources of information of your- 2

. research

once the documents are located, seek permission to use them from the- 3
.appropriate individuals in charge of the materials

if you ask participants to keep a journal, provide specific instructions about the- 4
.procedure

once you have permission to use documents, examine them for accuracy,- 5
completeness, and usefulness in answering the research questions in your
.study

.record information from the documents- 6

AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS

Consist of images or sounds that

researchers collect to help them
understand the central phenomenon
.under study
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF USING VISUAL
?MATERIALS
:Advantages
people easily relate to images because they- 1
.are so pervasive in our society

Images provide an opportunity for the- 2

participant to share directly their perceptions
.of reality

images such as videotapes and films, for- 3

example, provide extensive data about real
.life as people visualize it
:Disadvantages

they are difficult to analyze because of the rich- 1

.information

you as a researcher may influence the data- 2

.collected

in selecting the photo album to examine or- 3

requesting that a certain type of drawing be
sketched, you may impose your meaning of the
phenomenon on participants, rather than obtain
.the participants’ views
STEPS OF COLLECTING
AUDIOVISUAL :MATERIALS

determine what visual material can provide information to answer- 1

research questions and how that material might augment existing
.forms of data, such as interviews and observations

.identify the visual materials available and obtain permission to use it- 2

check the accuracy and authenticity of the visual materials if you do- 3
.not record it yourself

.collect the data and organize it- 4

 ?HOW DO YOU RECORD DATA
For observations and interviews, qualitative
.researchers use specially designed protocols

: Data recording protocols

Are forms designed and used by qualitative
research to record information during
.observations and interviews
 Interview protocol
Is a form designed by the researcher that contains
instructions for the process of the interview, the
questions to be asked, and space to take notes of
.responses from the interviewee
 DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF AN
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
It contains a header to record essential information about the interview,- 1
statements about the purpose of the study a reminder that participants need to sign
the consent form, and suggestion to make preliminary test of the recording
.equipment

following this header are five brief open-ended questions that allow- 2
. participants maximum flexibility for responding to the questions

.the core questions, 2 through 4, address major research in the study- 3

 Observational protocol
Is a form designed by the researcher before data
collection that is used for taking fieldnotes
during an observation
THANK YOU