Satellite Session on Social Science in prevention and vaccine research 17 th January 2013

The quantitative – qualitative continuum Methods often seen in terms of quantitative versus qualitative (dichotomy) More useful to think of along a continuum of ‘structure’ Degree of structure lies in form of question, but also in the anticipation/interpretation of the response Structured   Less structured 2

Structured versus less structured False divide along disciplinary lines Main issue: how is the construct defined, ‘measured’ and validated e.g. What model/theory underlies the way we look at the construct? What dimensions are considered relevant and measurable as variables (qualitatively or quantitatively)? Are there indicators for the variables that translate well into specific settings? Are we measuring what we set out to measure? 3

Overview of methods Observation (direct and indirect) Interviews (individual and group) Audio and visual documentation Analysis of written materials and records Analysis of drawings and maps... 4

What characterises qualitative research methodology? Open-ended and in-depth Flexible: use of multiple methods (triangulation) and iteration Naturalistic: studying things in their ‘natural’ settings BUT Carefully planned, systematic and rigorous! 5

Advantages/disadvantages of less structured methods Not quick! – need training and practise to administer – record, manage and analyse BUT ‘Richer’, explanatory data Able to capture more than one dimension Able to adapt to situation/setting: flexible, iterative, and driven by ground level reality 6

Advantages/disadvantages of structured methods Easier to administer, bigger numbers feasible Easier to quantify BUT Inflexible Measures may not be appropriate to setting or population Limited in capturing depth as well as breadth 7

Social Science research – to what end? Supplementary/complementary to other approaches Exploratory (before/during/after) Hypothesis generating Development of data collection instruments Stand-alone Describing and explaining behaviour ‘Making sense of’ – meaning in context Elucidating multiple perspectives (breadth) Unravelling multiple layers (complexity and depth) 8

Two examples of how mixed methods help to build a deeper/broader understanding 9

The unit of sampling and analysis 10

The household 11

`Groups at high risk’ 12

Ethics and informed consent

Informed consent The event and process models of informed consent provide a framework to understand decision making during the process – Event model is about a one-time event leading to decision – Process model assumes that decision making is a continuous process 14

regulatory bodies sponsors Informed consent standardised procedures The informed consent process models Concepts like values, beliefs, power dynamics and decision making at play Informed consent process What each actor understands and interprets of the process Fed back into the process and may or may not correspond to the standardised procedures Understanding and interpretation