1. Ch 11: Qualitative research (Royse)

2. Why conduct qualitative research? When little or no literature or previous studies are available. When the topic requires great sensitivity to explore it. When the investigator wishes to obtain the perspective of participants in their own words and actions and wishes to write a rich description of it. When the quantitative findings don’t go far enough or need more explanation.

3. Characteristics of qualitative research Methods such as participant observation, intensive interviewing, and focus groups Involves exploratory research questions, inductive reasoning Naturalistic Small sample size Little use of measurement Journalistic narrative Value-free

4. Case Study When seeking to understand the life experiences of those who may not be visible or well-known to mainstream society Is able to help us translate social problems by examining closely the lives of a few Likely uses as multiple sources of information: different informants, newspaper articles, public documents, etc

5. Qualitative interview Like an in-depth or planned conversation The researcher’s role is to ask for more information by probing content further The interviewee is acknowledged as the insider, the teacher, the expert concerning his/her world Need to avoid long, complicated questions; yes-or-no questions; vague questions; leading questions based on the researcher’s assumptions;

6. Participant observation Becoming fully immersed in the culture of those being observed Possible observational facets include: the physical environment; interactions/behaviors; verbal or nonverbal communication; appearance In addition, records his/her own interpretations.

7. Focus group Originally developed in marketing research Groups tend to be composed of 3 to 10-12 individuals Members share certain characteristics that are relevant to the question of the study. The interviewer creates a permissive environment, asking focused questions Focus groups should be no longer than 1.5 hours. A researcher should attempt to hold 3 separate focus groups with different sets of individuals

8. Qualitative data analysis Entails coding data into constructs looking for themes Entirely relies upon the researcher’s reading of the material and his/her construction of the meanings into categories

9. Reliability and validity in qualitative studies Prolonged engagement: investing sufficient time Persistent observation: to observe daily Triangulation: utilizing multiple sources of informants, methods, or observers