1. Basics of Qualitative Research Design Soc3307f

2. Caelli (2003, ‘Clear as Mud’) says: “Qualitative approaches do not encompass a single universally understood position. Arising as they do from multiple and evolving philosophic understandings of the world and the nature of humanity, there are many different standpoints from which to evaluate qualitative research (Sandelowski, 2002). Sandelowski and Barroso’s (2002) argument correctly posits that qualitative research can be judged only on its individual merits based on the research report.”

3. Credibility of qualitative research… Is established through assessing  “1. the theoretical positioning of the researcher;  2. the congruence between methodology and methods;  3. the strategies to establish rigor; and  4. the analytic lens through which the data are examined.” (Caelli, 2003) All are critical aspects of the research design

4. Characteristics of Qualitative Research Context is critical In depth, detailed Researcher immerses self in data (non- objective) Researcher integrity Bias recognized Use of grounded theory Can detect process and sequence Data are interpreted rather than analyzed

5. Janesick (1994) in Berg (2009)…. “design is the choreography that establishes the research dance” What are the implications of this statement?

6. The Research Design The plan for conducting a study  Foresee possible glitches  Consider appropriate pacing  Appraise ethical proprieties Feasibility is contingent on many factors:  Length of time to do the study  Ethical constraints  Cooperation of others  Cost of conducting the research  Researcher’s own skills

7. Qualitative Research Designs Field studies or ethnographies  Long term involvement in the field Grounded theory studies  Development of new theory grounded in the data Action research  Collaboration with stakeholders for social change Case study designs Observational designs:  phenomenological or ethnomethodological Historiography  Examination of the past

8. Qualitative Research Methods Observation  Participant and non-participant Interviewing  Structured, semi-structured, unstructured Focus groups  Group interviews and observation Unobtrusive methods  Examining the artifacts of social communication

9. Data Analysis in Qualitative Research Content analysis Coding Building grounded theory

10. Your YouTube Research Will be a grounded theory study Use unobtrusive methods Content analysis and coding to analyze the data End product will be a research report that outlines creates concepts and linkages between them and carefully grounds your ideas in actual observations The concepts and linkages are the theory

11. What is Theory? “a statement of relationships between concepts” or “a roadmap for organizing ideas and knowledge about the social world” Berg (2009) says “inter-related ideas about various patterns, concepts, processes, relationships, or events”

12. Theory Parts Concepts  Typologies  Concept clusters  Classification concepts (ideal types) Relationships  Taxonomies Assumptions

13. Concepts Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Are the abstract symbolic elements of thought and communication that we use to represent objects, processes, phenomena, etc. Meanings vary from person to person Must be clearly defined in research Two distinct parts  Symbolic elements (word, symbol, term)  Definitional element

14. Operationalization of a Concept Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Conceptualize  Providing a working definition of a concept  Use theory and research Operationalize  providing the criteria for measuring a concept  What, specifically, will you be observing?  Often continues throughout the research process

15. The Research Process Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 “Spiraling Research Approach” (Berg, 2009) Begin with a rough idea Gather theoretical information Reconsider/redefine ideas grounded in what you see Process: Your idea(s) about an aspect of YouTube videos Your review of relevant literature and theories Your research design and sample Your observations (data collection/organization) Your analysis/findings and generalizations (new theory?) Dissemination of ideas – your presentation and paper

16. Starting your Research: Choosing a Research Problem Where do problems come from?  Practical problems in the field  The literature in the field  Personal interest Start by thinking about what you know and have seen on YouTube Look at some of the literature in the area Refine your idea to create an actual problem statement of what you will observe

17. Creating a concept map (see Berg (reserve) Ch. 2 Fig. 2.4) Try this! Will help you to focus your research question or problem Helps to plan your research design Start a rough map while developing your problem statement and modify it as you go: while you conduct your literature search and while you gather and analyze data

18. The problem statement: A good problem statement will answer the following questions:  Who does the problem affect?  What would the outcome be if the problem was not investigated?  Where is the problem taking place?  Is it important for the problem to be fixed? Why? It should have the following elements:  1. a lead-in  2. declaration of originality (e.g., mentioning a knowledge void, or contradictions in knowledge)  3. indication of the central focus of the study  4. explanation of study significance or the benefits to be derived from an investigation of the problem Writing style: very clear and to the point, concise (no more than a few sentences)

19. Reviewing the Literature Recommended Sources:  Journal articles  Books  Conference proceedings  Government / corporate reports  Library Databases Other Sources (not recommended)  Newspapers and Magazines  Internet esp. sites like Wikipedia

20. The Annotated Bibliography A very useful first step… Consists of a bibliographic citation and a descriptive and evaluative annotation of a selection of your most useful sources

21. Reviewing the Literature Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Formulate a rough question Visit the Library  Conduct both online and in-print searches Make a list of search terms Evaluate the results

22. Evaluating Web Sites Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Information to check on every website  URL  Domain  Date of last update  Corroborating information

23. Writing The Literature Review Concentrates on the scientific research Provides the context for your research Justifies and grounds the study Summarizes and evaluates the literature in the field

24. Questions to consider when doing a literature review: 1. What do we already know in the immediate area concerned? 2. What are the characteristics of the key concepts? 3. What are the relationships between these key concepts? 4. What are the existing generalizations or theories? 5. Where are the inconsistencies/shortcomings in our knowledge and understanding? 6. What views need to be (further) explored? 7. What information or evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? 8. Why study (further) the research problem? 9. What contribution can the present study be expected to make? 10. What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory?

25. Tips: Remember the purpose Read with a purpose Write with a purpose Always put citations into your writing immediately Keep a bibliographic file

26. Setting Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Identification of a data-collection site  Practical entry or access - gatekeepers availability  Reasonable in size and complexity  Appropriateness

27. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Probability Sampling  Mathematically representative of the larger population  Relies on random sampling Non-Probability Sampling  Doesn’t require a list of the population elements  Can be used with difficult or sensitive populations Sampling Strategies

28. Probability Sampling (used for quantitative research) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Simple Random Sampling  Every unit has the same chance of inclusion Systematic Random Sampling  Every nth unit is selected from the list Stratified Random Sampling  Independent samples from subgroups of the sample Cluster Sampling  Clusters are randomly and elements within are randomly selected

29. Non-probability Sampling (qualitative research) Convenience Samples  Relies on available subjects Purposive Samples  Researcher knowledge or expertise Snowball Samples  Respondent-driven Quota Samples  Proportional matrix

30. Data Analysis Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Data Reduction  Reduce and transform the data Data Display  Organize and assemble the data Conclusions and Verification  Confirm initial conclusions through double checking and independent examination

31. Dissemination Writing the final report on your research for presentation, submission or publication Integral part of the research process