Foundations of Sociological Inquiry Qualitative Data Analysis

Today’s Objectives  Discuss Your Fieldwork  How to Become an Ethnographer  Linking Theory and Analysis  Qualitative Data Processing  Ethics and Qualitative Data Analysis  Questions?

What Did You Do For Your Bus Ethnography?

 Ride the Bus

What Did You Do For Your Bus Ethnography?  Ride the Bus  Observe

What Did You Do For Your Bus Ethnography?  Ride the Bus  Observe  Record

What bus number did you ride? I RODE BUS 711 Matched Acceptable Value: NA, Within Range: 7 Acceptable Value: NA, Acceptable Range: {0, 1000}

What did you observe? 1. People 2. Places 3. Actions 4. All of the above

What did you record? 1. Sights 2. Sounds 3. Smells 4. Feelings 5. All of the above

What did you learn? 1. How to observe social life 2. How to take notes and record my observations 3. How to be an ethnographer 4. I don’t know

Are you done yet? 1. Yes 2. No 3. I don’t know

Theory  Theory – deals with the logical aspect of science – providing systematic explanations for observations

Theory  Theory – deals with the logical aspect of science – providing systematic explanations for observations  Remember our example of the coin. We drop a coin, and it falls. We repeat our experiment over and over and over again. Each time, the coin falls. (Gravity)  Inverse square law (Newton)  Theory of relativity (Einstein)

Theory  Theory – deals with the logical aspect of science – providing systematic explanations for observations  Remember our example of the coin. We drop a coin, and it falls. We repeat our experiment over and over and over again. Each time, the coin falls. (Gravity)  Inverse square law (Newton)  Theory of relativity (Einstein)  Between Americans had more children, at younger ages, than any time before or since. (Baby Boom)  Economic prosperity (Butz & Ward)  Relative income (Easterlin)  Cultural shifts (Blake & das Gupta)

Which theory best explains the baby boom? 1. Economic prosperity (Butz and Ward) 2. Relative income (Easterlin) 3. Cultural shifts (Blake and das Gupta) 4. I need more evidence

Qualitative Data Analysis  Qualitative analysis – the non-numerical examination and interpretation of observations, for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationship.

Linking Theory and Analysis  Discovering Patterns  Frequencies, Magnitudes, Structures, Processes, Causes, Consequences

Linking Theory and Analysis  Discovering Patterns  Frequencies, Magnitudes, Structures, Processes, Causes, Consequences

Linking Theory and Analysis  Discovering Patterns  Frequencies, Magnitudes, Structures, Processes, Causes, Consequences  Cross-case analysis – an analysis that involves an examination of more than one case; this can be either a variable-oriented or case-oriented analysis.  Variable-oriented analysis – an analysis that describes and/or explains a particular variable.  Case-oriented analysis – an analysis that aims to understand a particular case or several cases by looking closely at the details of each.

Orthelia did a qualitative study of drug users, with a particular focus on the factors associated with greater or lesser use of drugs. Which one of the following did she study? 1. frequencies 2. structures 3. processes 4. causes 5. groups

Qualitative Data Processing  Coding  – the initial classification and labeling of concepts in qualitative data analysis.  – a reanalysis of the results of open coding aimed at identifying the important, general concepts.  – building on the results of initial coding and the identification of important, general concepts, identify the central concept that organizes the other concepts that have been identified in a body of textual materials.

Example codes?

Summarizing results  Establish common themes

Summarizing results  Establish common themes  Summarize frequencies, magnitudes, structures, processes, causes, consequences from an analysis of codes  Variable oriented  Case oriented

Summarizing results  Establish common themes  Summarize frequencies, magnitudes, structures, processes, causes, consequences from an analysis of codes  Variable oriented  Case oriented  Situate your results in relation to what we think we already know (e.g., previous research and theory)

Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research  Validity  Reliability

27. High Reliability and High Validity

28. High Reliability and High Validity (Self-reported educational attainment)

29. High Reliability and Low Validity

30. High Reliability and Low Validity (Self-reported number of sexual partners)

31. Low Reliability and High Validity

32. Low Reliability and High Validity (Self-reported happiness)

Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Field Research  Validity  Greater validity than survey and experimental measurements  Reliability  Potential problems with reliability

Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research 1. How credible are the findings? 2. How has knowledge or understanding been extended by the research? 3. How well does the evaluation address its original aims and purpose? 4. How well is the scope for drawing wider inferences explained? 5. How clear is the basis of evaluative appraisal? 6. How defensible is the research design? 7. How well defended are the same design/target selection of cases/documents?

Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research 8. How well is the eventual sample composition and coverage described? 9. How well was the data collection carried out? 10. How well has the approach to, and formulation of, analysis been conveyed? 11. How well are the contexts of data sources retained and portrayed? 12. How well has diversity of perspective and content been explored? 13. How well has detail, depth, and complexity of the data been conveyed?

Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research 14. How clear are the links between data, interpretation, and conclusions? 15. How clear and coherent is the reporting? 16. How clear are the assumptions/theoretical perspectives/values that have shaped the form and output of the evaluation? 17. What evidence is there of attention to ethical issues? 18. How adequately has the research process been documented?

The previous 18 questions address issues of: 1. Validity 2. Reliability 3. Replicability 4. Theory 5. All of the above

Harry, an ethnographer, lived among the homeless in Queens, New York, for a year, and has recently written a book on his observations. Based on his experiences that the homeless took care of each other in Queens, he concludes 1. ecological fallacy. 2. individual fallacy. 3. group fallacy. 4. aggregate fallacy. 5. ethnographic fallacy. that homeless people will take care of one another. In stating that conclusion, Harry has committed the

Questions?