QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS
Comparison of qualitative & quantitative research
| Qualitative
| Quantitative
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Definitions
| a systematic subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning
| a formal, objective, systematic process for obtaining information about the world. A method used to describe, test relationships, and examine cause and effect relationships.
|
Goals
| To gain insight; explore the depth, richness, and complexity inherent in the phenomenon.
| To test relationships, describe, examine cause and effect relations
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Characteristics
| - Soft science
- Focus: complex & broad
- Holistic
- Subjective
- Dialectic, inductive reasoning
- Basis of knowing: meaning & discovery
- Develops theory
- Shared interpretation
- Communication & observation
- Basic element of analysis: words
- Individual interpretation
- Uniqueness
| Hard science Focus: concise & narrow Reductionistic Objective Logistic, deductive reasoning Basis of knowing: cause & effect, relationships Tests theory Control Instruments Basic element of analysis: numbers Statistical analysis Generalization
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Specific qualitative approaches
Phenomenology
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| Purpose, goal - to describe experiences as they are lived
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| - examines uniqueness of individual's lived situations
- each person has own reality; reality is subjective
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| Research question development
|
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| - What does existence of feeling or experience indicate concerning the phenomenon to be explored
- What are necessary & sufficient constituents of feeling or experience?
- What is the nature of the human being?
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| Method
|
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| - No clearly defined steps to avoid limiting creativity of researcher
- Sampling & data collection
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|
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| - Seek persons who understand study & are willing to express inner feelings & experiences
- Describe experiences of phenomenon
- Write experiences of phenomenon
- Direct observation
- Audio or videotape
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| Data analysis
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| - Classify & rank data
- Sense of wholeness
- Examine experiences beyond human awareness/ or cannot be communicated
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| Outcomes
|
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| - Findings described from subject's point-of-view
- Researcher identifies themes
- Structural explanation of findings is developed
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Grounded theory
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| Purpose - theory development
|
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| - Used in discovering what problems exist in a social scene &how persons handle them
- Involves formulation, testing, & redevelopment of propositions until a theory is developed
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| Method - steps occur simultaneously; a constant comparative process
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| - Data collection - interview, observation, record review, or combination
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| Analysis
|
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| - Concept formation
- Concept development - reduction; selective sampling of literature; selective sampling of subjects; emergence of core concepts
- Concept modification & integration
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| Outcomes - theory supported by examples from data
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Ethnography
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| Purpose - to describe a culture's characteristics
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| Method
|
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| - Identify culture, variables for study, & review literature
- Data collection - gain entrance to culture; immerse self in culture; acquire informants; gather data through direct observation & interaction with subjects
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| Analysis - describe characteristics of culture
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| Outcomes - description of culture
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Historical
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| Purpose - describe and examine events of the past to understand the present and anticipate potential future effects
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| Method
|
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| - Formulate idea - select topic after reading related literature
- Develop research questions
- Develop an inventory of sources - archives, private libraries, papers
- Clarify validity & reliability of data - primary sources, authenticity, biases
- Develop research outline to organize investigative process
- Collect data
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| Analysis - synthesis of all data; accept & reject data; reconcile conflicting evidence
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| Outcomes - select means of presentation - biography, chronology, issue paper
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Case study
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| Purpose - describe in-depth the experience of one person, family, group, community, or institution
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| Method
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| - Direct observation and interaction with subject
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| Analysis - synthesis of experience
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| Outcomes - in-depth description of the experience
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Data collection
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- Interview with audiotape & videotape
- Direct, non-participant observation
- Participant observation
- Field notes, journals, logs
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Reliability & validity - rigor
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Use of researcher's personality
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- Involvement with subject's experience
- Live with data collection until no new information appears
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Bracketing
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- Researcher suspends what is known about the phenomenon
- Keeping an open context
- Set aside own preconceptions
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Intuiting
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- Process of actually looking at phenomenon
- Focus all awareness & energy on topic
- Absolute concentration & complete absorption in phenomenon
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Can use > 1 researcher & compare interpretation and analysis of data
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Data analysis
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- Living with data
- Cluster & categorize data
- Examine concepts & themes
- Define relationships between/among concepts
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Return to assignments
What type of research describes a phenomenon?
Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon.
What is the phenomenon in qualitative research?
A phenomenon (plural, phenomena) is a general result that has been observed reliably in systematic empirical research. In essence, it is an established answer to a research question.
What are the 4 types of qualitative research?
Qualitative research focuses on gaining insight and understanding about an individual's perception of events and circumstances. Six common types of qualitative research are phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, historical, case study, and action research.
What is the kind of quantitative research that describe a phenomenon as it exists?
In descriptive research, the researcher is simply studying the phenomenon of interest as it exists naturally; no attempt is made to manipulate the individuals, conditions, or events. Two commonly used quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research designs are observational research and survey research. students.