1. SSP4000 Introduction to the Research Process Wk9: Introduction to qualitative research, Part 2 Dr Harry Bowles
The focus of week 9 is to introduce students to the characteristics and principles of qualitative research questions and designs. In a similar manner to the quantitative block we will be using examples from one paper to illustrate some of these principles.
As previous, the slides are intended to act as an outline, please feel free to add in as many illustrations or tasks to ensure these principles are applied to the focus of your programme

2. Welcome This week’s the session aims to:
Considerations and processes in developing qualitative research questions
Types of qualitative research question: examples from the literature
Addressing the qualitative research question: choices of design and methods.
Plenary tasks for wk 10

The second week of the qualitative block turns its attention towards the development of qualitative questions and the use of particular designs and methods. In many respects, this follows the same pattern as the quantitative block. While qualitative and quantitative research may share some underlying principles there are some differences in how questions are developed and addressed using particular designs and methods.
I think it is important that we distinguish between design and methods and this lecture is aimed at making the distinction clearer within a qualitative approach

3. Warm up task
Based on the information presented in last week’s lecture…
What is the purpose of qualitative research?
What are some of the key characteristics?
Understand and make sense of people’s experiences, understand the meaning people ascribe to events
subjective forms of knowledge, researcher is part of the process of, emergent understandings,
exploratory, enriched data featuring participants’ voice/thoughts/feelings
Before beginning to look at designs, I would first encourage students to discuss what they consider the purpose of qualitative research to be and the key characteristics.
Please add to some of these characteristics as you wish.

4. Principles in developing qualitative questions
Qualitative questions articulate what a researcher wants to know
Linked to the aims of qualitative research
A qualitative study does not begin with a hypothesis or presumed outcome
Open-ended/exploratory in nature.
Qualitative questions evolve throughout the research process
Understand and make sense of people’s experiences, understand the meaning people ascribe to events
The purposes and characteristics of qualitative research are then ‘enacted’ or ‘operationalised’ within the types of questions that are designed within qualitative research.
On this slide I have provided some justification on the aims of qualitative research questions. Thus in order make sense and understand people’s experiences and their meaning of actions the qualitative research question,
Does not provide a presumed outcome or relationship between variables. This is distinctive to a hypothesis that is aimed at measuring a relationship. Instead, the qualitative research question is designed to enable prospective exploration and the development of understanding. As such, it has to be open-ended
In being open-ended, the qualitative research question enables a process of continuous evolution in relation to the experiences of the researcher within the field. Thus, as we understand more about what we are studying the focus of our questions slightly develop and change (in relation to our overall aim and objective)
These principles are important as if the research question is too closed, we are not able to undertake qualitative research or adhere to its principles – here reinforce those principles (enriched understanding etc…)

5. Process of developing qualitative questions
This diagram here highlights the implementation of qualitative research questions and reveals the inductive/emergent nature of the research design.
I would spend some time working through this model. Again, illustrative examples from the programme are really useful. A key feature is trying to keep the research questions broad to enable the emergence of sub-questions
If you feeling ambitious it could be argued that through the exploration of research questions or reflections on our experience and understanding of the field/phenomenon begin to change, enabling further aims to develop and further questions to emerge…

6. Characteristics qualitative aims: Example
Given the obvious importance of injuries in football, it is perhaps surprising that, although sociologists have written about many aspects of football… there has been no sociological writing about the management of injuries in professional football. It is hoped that this article will help, in a modest way, to fill this gap. (pp.165 – 166)
Specific focus with identifiable areas of interest
Examine the ways in which professional footballers respond to and cope with injury and the culture of ‘playing hurt’
1. The characteristics of a qualitative research question are connected to the focus of the study and reveal the intention of the researcher
2. Qualitative research questions have a specific purpose e.g. how, what, why. Unlike quantitative research, which proposes a relationship between the identified variables, the qualitative research question does not propose a direct causal relationship. Instead use of the terms what, why, how, emphasise the exploratory, inductive nature of qualitative research.
3. That said, the qualitative research question is characterised by its ability to identify areas of interest or phenomenon. A key difference to a hypothesis is that the research question does not predict any sort of relationship.
4. The research question illustrates an identifiable context from which the phenomenon can be explored.
5. Because the intention of qualitative research is to explore as opposed to answer, qualitative research questions tend to be open-ended
After this slide have a little interlude – soothing pan-pipe music may be suitable and if time enables yoga is also effective (but not too long)
Identifiable context (e.g. professional football)
Open-ended in nature (i.e. exploratory/ no predicted outcomes)

7. Characteristics qualitative RQs: Example
Given the obvious importance of injuries in football, it is perhaps surprising that, although sociologists have written about many aspects of football… there has been no sociological writing about the management of injuries in professional football. It is hoped that this article will help, in a modest way, to fill this gap. (pp.165 – 166)
Specific focus with identifiable areas of interest
Inside the culture of professional football, how do players learn to play hurt and what are the constraints (both self and externally imposed) on players to continue playing with pain and injury?
1. The characteristics of a qualitative research question are connected to the focus of the study and reveal the intention of the researcher
2. Qualitative research questions have a specific purpose e.g. how, what, why. Unlike quantitative research, which proposes a relationship between the identified variables, the qualitative research question does not propose a direct causal relationship. Instead use of the terms what, why, how, emphasise the exploratory, inductive nature of qualitative research.
3. That said, the qualitative research question is characterised by its ability to identify areas of interest or phenomenon. A key difference to a hypothesis is that the research question does not predict any sort of relationship.
4. The research question illustrates an identifiable context from which the phenomenon can be explored.
5. Because the intention of qualitative research is to explore as opposed to answer, qualitative research questions tend to be open-ended
After this slide have a little interlude – soothing pan-pipe music may be suitable and if time enables yoga is also effective (but not too long)
Identifiable context (e.g. professional football)
Open-ended in nature (i.e. exploratory/ no predicted outcomes)

8. Qualitative research design
Characteristics:
Smaller sample size of participants
Purposively sampled (i.e. participants have the relevant experiences)
Data collection takes place over a sustained period.
Usually involves face-to-face contact with the researcher
Interactive /participatory methods
Can you identify these characteristics in the Roderick et al. paper?
Who were the participants?
How were they sampled?
What methods were used?
Once research questions have been developed they have to be implemented. As with quantitative research, a research design enables the research question to be explored.
However, in adhering to the principles of qualitative research, qualitative research designs are less restrictive and as such enable the researcher to interact with the participants/focus of study.
Such interaction enables the collection and analysis of data to be almost simultaneous and also enables the refocusing of the research question in relation to what the researcher is seeing, feeling and understanding
There are some generic characteristics. Go through these but also suggest there is more to come at level five.

9. Qualitative Research Design: Sample
Characteristics:
Smaller sample size of participants
Purposively sampled (i.e. participants have the relevant experiences)
Seek to gain multiple perspectives on the subject
Can you think of a rationale for these sample/sampling characteristics?
This article is based mainly on interviews with 19 current players and eight former players. Of the current players 6 were, at the time of interview playing for clubs in the Premier League, 6 were in with the clubs in the First Division of the Nationwide League, 4 were with Second Division clubs, while three were with Third Division clubs… The interviews were carried out in the second half of the season and the first half of the season. 12 club doctors and 9 club physiotherapists were also interviewed about their work and their relationships with injured players, with the coach/manager and with other medical staff.
Here use an example from the paper used within week 8 I would ask students to pick out the key characteristics of the research design

10. Qualitative Research Design: Methods
This article is based mainly on interviews with 19 current players and eight former players. Of the current players six were, at the time of interview playing for clubs in the Premier League, six were with the clubs in the First Division of the Nationwide League, four were with Second Division clubs, while three were with Third Division clubs… The interviews were carried out in the second half of the season and the first half of the season. Twelve club doctors and nine club physiotherapists were also interviewed about their work and their relationships with injured players, with the coach/manager and with other medical staff.
What other methods might the researchers have used?
The researcher is the primary research instrument
Methods used are interactive/participatory often involving the researcher talking to his/her research participants.
Enable researcher to capture the voices of research participants and understand their thoughts and feelings.
Aim to collect enriched and detailed insights into the phenomena under investigation
Similar to the last slide perhaps use an illustrative example that highlights the types of qualitative methods used within the design. Good opportunity here to reinforce the idea that methods are tools – making them distinctive within the research process

11. Review and plenary tasks
Today the following has been covered,
Outline of the key purposes behind the use of qualitative research
Identified some of the main characteristics of qualitative research
Identified some of the reasons why the qualitative research process may be useful to developing our understanding and knowledge of particular phenomenon or issues.
Plenary tasks (to be completed for week 10)
Read pages of the researcher article in preparation for next week.
In your own words, summarise the characteristics of qualitative research design evident within the paper outlining the sample and the methods used to understand the culture of ‘playing hurt’
Take a bow, dim the lights and exit stage right – well done again team!!