Qualitative Research

When to do qualitative research  Cognitive research strategies tend to vary as a function of theory development. The earlier stages typically necessitate detailed analyses of a few subjects, as researchers endeavor to characterize a new phenomenon. Subsequent research, guided by the initial detailed studies, can employ a larger sample size to test the generality of specific hypotheses. However, in certain cases, the order may be reversed, and large scale quantitative studies may give rise to in-depth qualitative analyses of a particular phenomenon.

When to do qualitative research  For example, studies that document the prevalence of certain decision-making biases maybe followed up by studies that characterize the reasoning processes that contribute to such biases. Similarly, research documenting the failure of many diabetic patients to comply with therapeutic regimens may be followed up by cognitive studies that investigate the beliefs and understandings that sustain such suboptimal practices.

Terms  credibility  transferability  dependability  triangulation  generalizable

Research problem vs question  Problem Major issue that leads to the need for a study. This should come from the literature and is laid out in your literature review.  Question Specific question which you are working to answer. Comes directly from the problem. Word it in one sentence!! May only address part of the problem.

These are problems, not questions  There are rich and fertile opportunities for research that deals with such questions as “How do people use the communication products we create,” “How do we collaborate with others in making these products,” “How do readers make sense of what we write?”

How to approach a study  fig 7.5, p. 132 in Creswell

Methodology development  Define what concept you want to explore.  Figure out how to gain an understanding of the concept.  Define what data to collect  Define how the data will be coded  State what type of model you want to create (the actual model is an end result of the study)

Define the concept  Holistic approach  Think through why it is important and how you can best gain an understanding. The you in the previous sentence is an individual; each person might answer the question differently.

Gaining an understanding  Observation of the subjects –Watching them work –Measuring them doing work  Interviews with open-ended questions  Reviewing what they developed (such as looking at the various drafts of a report)

Data collection  Creswell, p. 186  Take lots of notes. Too many & too detailed are better than not enough.  Must use a systematic method. Sloppy note taking compromises the results.  Data saturation is good. New incoming data gives you nothing new.

Data collection  Issues of self-reported and observed behavior  Do people do what they say they do?

Data coding  Need to make sense of the data  The methods section should explain how you plan on doing the coding and analysis. Simply saying you’ll analyze it is not sufficient.  Creswell, p. 192  Beware of floor or ceiling effects

Floor or ceiling effects

Observer bias  The researcher filters the data through a personal lens that is situated in the specific sociopolitical and historical moment. One cannot escape the personal interpretation brought to qualitative data analysis. — Creswell, p. 182.

Observer bias  Observer bias also applies to the subjects.  Consider if you were evaluating how people respond to political discourse. For example, a recent speech by the President. Your subjects would show very different responses depending on political party. Obvious in this example, but what about affects of corporate politics you don’t even realize exist.

Developing the procedure  Checklist on p. 180, Creswell

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