1. Kevin Meethan / Alison Anderson

2. What do we mean by ‘qualitative’? Research methods that mainly involve the collection of non-numerical data Often includes ‘thick descriptions’ of people’s experiences, feelings and behaviour Is associated with in-depth exploration of meanings Tends to favour exploring social phenomena inductively (i.e. not setting out with preconceived theories)

3. What do we mean by ‘qualitative’? "Qualitative research is multi-method in focus, involving an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena, in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical materials… that describe routine and problematic moments and meanings in individuals' lives." (Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y. S. Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2004, p. 2).

4. “ Through qualitative research we can explore a wide array of dimensions of the social world, including the texture and weave of everyday life, the understandings, experiences and imaginings of our research participants, the ways that social processes, institutions, discourses or relationships work, and the significance of the meanings that they generate.” (Mason, J. Qualitative Researching. London: Sage, 2002, 1) What do we mean by ‘qualitative’?

5. Appropriateness of methods and theories Perspectives of the participants and their diversity Reflexivity of the researchers and the research Variety of approaches and methods in qualitative research Source: Flick, U. (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London: Sage, p.14. Features of qualitative research

6. Numbers versus meanings Deduction versus induction Objectivism versus constructionism But it should be noted that ALL research has a qualitative dimension (i.e. identifying conceptual categories into meaningful units) and a quantitative dimension (i.e. measuring the incidence or scale of units). The Quantitative/Qualitative Divide

7. Examples of qualitative methods Interviews Observation Focus groups Documentary research Discourse analysis Case studies

8. Qualitative Data Qualitative research works mainly with two types of data: Verbal (e.g. diaries, interview transcripts) Visual (e.g. photographs, art, adverts)

9. Some Considerations in Using a Qualitative Approach Qualitative research is often associated with more exploratory forms of research, but this is not always so Qualitative researchers tend to prioritize validity over generalisability. Compared with quantitative research, qualitative studies are often harder to replicate Qualitative research often results in more open-ended forms of data collection giving research participants a greater voice There is greater scope for intruding on participants’ privacy and exposing them to harm

10. Qualitative research involves a variety of different approaches (it can’t be neatly pigeon-holed) There is no simple division between qualitative and qualitative methods Choice of method should always be based on its appropriateness for addressing the research problem that you want to explore Qualitative research should be undertaken systematically and rigorously The researcher should actively reflect on their own role in the research process Summary

11. References Berg, B.L. (2008) Qualitative Research for the Social Sciences. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. David, M. and Sutton, C. (2004) Social Research the Basics. London: Sage, Ch 4. Flick, U. (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London: Sage. Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching. London: Sage. Merriam, S.B. (2009) Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Silverman, D. (2009) Doing Qualitative Research. London: Sage.

12. This resource was created by the University of Plymouth, Learning from WOeRk project. This project is funded by HEFCE as part of the HEA/JISC OER release programme.Learning from WOeRk This resource is licensed under the terms of the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ The resource, where specified below, contains other 3 rd party materials under their own licenses. The licenses and attributions are outlined below: 1.The name of the University of Plymouth and its logos are unregistered trade marks of the University. The University reserves all rights to these items beyond their inclusion in these CC resources. 2.The JISC logo, the and the logo of the Higher Education Academy are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution -non-commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK England & Wales license. All reproductions must comply with the terms of that license. Back page originally developed by the OER phase 1 C-Change project ©University of Plymouth, 2010, some rights reserved AuthorKevin Meethan/ Alison Anderson InstituteUniversity of Plymouth TitleIntroduction to the process of qualitative research Date Created23 February 2011 Educational LevelLevel 4 Keywords UKOER, LFWOER, UOPCPDRM, Work Base Learning,CPD, Continuous Professional Development, Qualitative Research Creative Commons LicenseAttribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales