Planning an Applied Research Project Chapter 6 – Forms of Qualitative Research © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Objectives Explain the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods Describe the reasons to use qualitative research List the nine types of qualitative research designs Distinguish between primary and secondary data Use triangulation in a research design © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Key Terms Advocacy Biography Case study Content analysis Data Spiral Ethnographical studies Grounded theory Pattern analysis Phenomenology Primary data Program evaluation Qualitative methods Quantitative methods Secondary data Triangulation © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Both valid Both use serious research techniques, although different Both contribute to new information and perspectives Both are rigorous They fall on a continuum with mixed methods in between Qualitative---------------------------------------------Quantitative Qualitative-----------------Mixed--------------------Quantitative © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research (cont’d) Words more important and numbers count also Many variables and few cases Purpose is to explore, investigate, discover Writing the results counts Analysis is complicated Numbers more important and words count Few variables and many cases Purpose is to test, verify Analyzing the numbers counts Analysis is pretty standardized © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Purposes of Qualitative Research A Advocate for a cause, situation V Verify information I Investigate or interpret events and actions D Describe a situation, event E Evaluate programs, actions, organizations O Open a field of inquiry The movie © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Purposes of Qualitative Research (cont’d) Characteristics of Qualitative Research Focus on words not numbers but often includes numbers Emphasis on meanings in words Non standard data collection Use of conceptualization to analyze data Few cases and many variables Conceptual approaches Examination of patterns in the data Possibility of correlations © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Purposes of Qualitative Research (cont’d) Characteristics of Qualitative Research (cont’d) Studies phenomena in the real world Uses you as a critical research element sometimes Broadens your ways of seeing what is happening in the world Brings rigorous methods to the analysis of what we see, observe, notice Starts with open-ended questions and develops the design along with the study © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Qualitative Research Advocacy Biographies or historical studies Case studies Conceptual Overviews or Reports of the Field Content analysis Ethnographical Studies Grounded theory Phenomenology Program evaluation © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biographies and Histories Study of a person, event, program, company or institution Use of primary and secondary data and documents and often interviews Challenges involve locating documents, and interpreting them, and sorting major and minor events or forces © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Case Studies Analysis of a program, action, or company Can be individual case or comparison of several cases Challenge involves immersion in an organization, defining researcher’s role, and sorting a interpreting a mass of inchoate data © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Conceptual Overviews or Reports of the Field Careful analysis of wide range of literature analyzed in depth Models often suggested from these overviews Challenges involve being comprehensive and critical (requires knowledge of the topic) and suggesting new research topics © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Content Analysis Specific analysis of words, phrases, or images in selected documents and videos or films Manual task (coding system and manual) but software can do the analysis also Challenges involve careful coding, remaining objective and detached, and interpreting findings © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethnographical Studies Examination of the behavior and mores of a group or tribe-like collection of people Requires several perspectives to understand and describe group norms, patterns, and cultural factors Challenges involve objective observations, focus on patterns not individuals, and detached interpretation of the group © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Grounded Theory Immersion in field data, development of a hypothesis or hypotheses which is testing again on the participants in the field Extensive and intensive process which takes a long time to complete Challenges involve remaining true to the original data and not bring preconceptions to the work © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Phenomenology Examination of what it is like to participate in or be involved in an event, activity, or program Relies on participants’ perceptions and sometimes researcher observation and involvement Challenges involve remaining objective and careful in describing the experience © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Program Evaluations Analysis of the operation of a program in terms of its original goals Requires careful plan for collecting appropriate data and analyzing it carefully Challenges involve remaining objective, interpreting interviews, questionnaire responses, and other data © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Advocacy Paper or Feasibility Study Argument for a program, policy, event, activity or different way of making something happen Requires careful analysis of contradictory data and clarity of purpose and focus Challenge involves combining logical argument with sufficient data and rationale to convince the readers © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research Research Design Case study Intensive analysis of X Content analysis Analysis of documents and communication Ethnography Analysis and immersion in group Grounded theory Development of theory from examining examples Historical research Interpretation of historical data for significance Phenomenology Detailed study of process, event, activity Program Evaluation Assessment of an operation or program using documentary records, survey research, and interviews Review of the field Comprehensive assessment of key concepts and insights © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d) Triangulation The use of several sources of data to interpret information Three independent sources – hopefully of different forms – improves the validity of the insights and analysis Three perspectives increases the objectivity of the insights Critical to analyzing results from qualitative research © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d) Qualitative Research Techniques Documentary analysis Primary sources Secondary sources Tertiary sources Observations Interviews – structured and semi-structured Focus groups Questionnaires Survey research © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d) Data Analysis Process Selection of problem Collection of data Organization Perusal Classification Synthesis © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Information in Qualitative Research (cont’d) Researcher’s Role in Qualitative Research Find patterns Recognize own point of view Participate Record Observe Sift through data Analyze Understand Evaluate Other © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of the Class Session Anything unclear? One thing that I learned from this class is … © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.