Qualitative Research Methods: An Introduction Elizabeth Boyd, Ph.D. EPI 240 April 5, 2007

Course Overview Introduction and Overview Doing Qualitative Research: study design, sampling, data collection Interviews and Focus Groups Gathering qualitative data/grounded theory Coding and analyzing data Using audio- and video-recorded data

Course description Introductory lectures Collective data analysis Discussion of individual projects Assignments: practical applications of concepts

Outline What is qualitative research? Historical roots Qualitative vs. quantitative research Types of qualitative methodologies Implications for health services and clinical research

What is qualitative data? Verbal Interviews Focus groups Speeches Interactions -- examining room; ED; M&M; telephone Written Diaries Letters Case notes/charts Text -- any written documents, including ; chat rooms; blogs

What is qualitative research? Collection and analysis of non-numerical information via formal research methods Qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world, … studying things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000)

What is qualitative analysis? Systematic extraction, coding, and definition of conceptual themes and categories Description of relationships, range of factors, norms and extreme or deviant cases/behaviors Theory-building and elaboration

Why use qualitative methods? Complex situations Experiences Members’ meanings

Why is meaning important? “Consider 2 boys rapidly contracting the eyelids of their right eyes. In one, this is an involuntary twitch; in the other, a conspiratorial wink. The two movements, as movements, are identical; … from observation alone, one could not tell which was twitch and which was wink, or indeed whether both or either was twitch or wink. Yet the difference, however unphotographable, between a twitch and a wink is vast; as anyone unfortunate enough to have had the first taken for the second knows.” Clifford Geertz, 1973, The Interpretation of Cultures.

Historical roots Cultural and social anthropology Malinowski (1916); Geertz (1970s); Clifford and Marcus (1980s) Sociology Chicago School (1930s); Goffman (1960s); Garfinkel (1960s); Strauss and Glaser (1970s)

Role of the researcher Central role of the researcher in qualitative approaches: Interpreter Participant-observer Reflexive involvement

Epistemologies Positivistic Objective reality Measurable Testable (hypothesis testing) Predictive Interpretative Reality socially constructed Access through shared understandings Descriptive

Qualitative vs. Quantitative? Different research questions require different approaches and methodologies Choose the methods that will give you the types of results needed to answer the research question Methods as tools:

When are qualitative methods most useful? When the research topic is: Concerned with interaction or process Complex Not quantifiable Sensitive

When are qualitative methods most useful? When the research objective is: To interpret, illuminate, illustrate To understand how or why To describe previously unstudied processes or situations To learn about subjects who are few or hard to reach To brainstorm ideas

Qualitative vs. Quantitative questions Qualitative questions: Why? How? When? Who? Quantitative questions: What? How many? How often or how frequently?

Strengths of each approach Qualitative strengths: Depth and detail Openness and flexibilty Subjects’ views central Takes into account deviant cases, extreme cases, range of experiences Small N Quantitative strengths: Breadth Predictive Protocol fixed, reproducible Instrument is explicit Categories, variables pre-specified Large N

Qualitative AND Quantitative! Different foci Complementary Compatible Exploratory study to develop hypotheses, then test using quantitative methods Qualitative study with simple (descriptive) statistical evidence

Implications for health services and clinical research Qualitative studies not the norm but increasingly visible in generalist and specialty journals Key to quality is rigor of methods, as in any research design Questions and methodologies must be appropriate Time consuming; write-up a challenge

Research design What are your goals or objectives? What are your research questions? Specific or general Rarely have luxury of purely unmotivated looking How will you answer your questions? Data, methods, analysis