Qualitative Research Methods in Human
Geography
Iain Hay; 4th ed.
,Inhoud
Chapter 1: Qualitative Research and its place in Human Geography ................................................. 3
Chapter 2: Power, subjectivity and ethics in Qualitative research ..................................................... 5
Chapter 3: Cross-Cultural Research: Ethics, Methods and Relations .................................................. 7
Chapter 4: Empowering Methodologies: Feminist and Indigenous Approaches ................................ 9
Chapter 5: Writing a Compelling Research Proposal ........................................................................ 11
Chapter 6: qualitative research design and rigour. ........................................................................... 12
Chapter 7: Case studies in qualitative research ............................................................................... 14
Chapter 8: Interviewing ..................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 10: Focusing on the focus group ......................................................................................... 19
Chapter 15: Placing Observation in the research toolkit .................................................................. 20
Chapter 17: Empowering Approaches: Participatory Action Research ............................................. 22
Chapter 14: Doing Foucauldian Discourse analysis – Revealing Social Realities............................... 24
Chapter 18: Organizing and analysing qualitative data..................................................................... 25
,Chapter 1: Qualitative Research and its place in Human Geography
Ontology: Beliefs about the world
Epistemology: Ways of knowing the world
Research: The whole process of formulating a research question to the analysing and interpreting of
data.
There are two fundamental questions that qualitative researchers use a lot:
• What is the shape of societal structures, and by what processes are they constructed, maintained,
legitimized, and resisted?
• What are individuals’ experiences of places and events?
There are 3 techniques that are emerging: discontinuous writing, photo-elicitation and go along
interviews.
There are 3 types of qualitative research: the oral (primarily interview based), the textual (creative,
documentary, and landscape), and the observational / participatory.
The relationship between qualitative and quantitative research
Since the 80’s qualitative research has the upper hand, but recently there a balance between the two
is emerging. The main differences are:
Quantitative: Looks through a small lens: focused, objective and generalisability.
Qualitative: Soft, subjective and anecdotal.
→ Why to chose for a qualitative research approach:
1. Because some studies don’t have to be representative, but look for individuals’ their opinions.
2. Some bigger (quantitative) need these kind of findings.
3. It is an complementary technique.
,History of qualitative research in geography
Throughout the 20th century qualitative research got used a lot. In the 70’s the search for academic
credibility grew and there was the rise of the technological and data revolution. This made quantitative
research more favourable. Around 1990 qualitative research rose again because of feminism and
radicalism.
A related concepts to qualitative research is inductive: the inference of general laws from particular
instances.
The differences between qualitative and quantitative methods are related to the conceptual
frameworks from which they have been derived. In elucidating human experiences, environments, and
processes, qualitative methods attempt to gather, verify, interpret, and understand the general
principles and structures that quantitative methods measure and record. The two can be combined
but qualitative methods are frequently being used alone to explore human values, meanings, and
experiences.
, Chapter 2: Power, subjectivity and ethics in Qualitative research
Qualitative research typically involves, interpersonal relationships, interpretations, and experiences,
this can cause ethical issues. So researchers need to be aware of three issues:
1. Formal ethical issues
2. Power relations
3. Objectivity, subjectivity and intersubjectivity.
Research ethics and institutional review of research ethics
Research ethics: broadly defined as being about ‘the conduct of researchers and their responsibilities
and obligations to those involved in the research, including sponsors, the general public and most
importantly, the subjects of the research’, constitute an issue that must be dealt with in your
research. → Think about privacy and confidentiality, informed consent and harm, because the
unpredictable nature of qualitative research make gaining informed consent difficult.
Critical Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a process of constant, self-
conscious scrutiny of the self as researcher
and of the research process. → Being
reflexive means analysing your own
situation as if it were something you were
studying. Critical reflexivity is difficult but
rewarding. A research diary can assist in
doing this. There are two important issues
in doing qualitative research: Power and
Subjectivity.
Power relations in qualitative research
Power intersects research in a number of
ways.
→ Knowledge is directly (through its input
into policy) and indirectly powerful.
Social researchers typically enter one of
three different sorts of power relations in
parts of their work:
1. Reciprocal relationship: those in which
the researcher and the researched are in
comparable social positions and have
relatively equal benefits and costs from
participating in the research.
2. Asymmetrical relationship is characterized by significant differences in the social positions.
3. Potentially exploitative relationship: the researcher may be in a position of greater power than the
research participant.
→ Critical reflexivity does not necessarily mean altering your research design, but it does imply that
you reflect constantly on the research process and modify it where appropriate.
Geography
Iain Hay; 4th ed.
,Inhoud
Chapter 1: Qualitative Research and its place in Human Geography ................................................. 3
Chapter 2: Power, subjectivity and ethics in Qualitative research ..................................................... 5
Chapter 3: Cross-Cultural Research: Ethics, Methods and Relations .................................................. 7
Chapter 4: Empowering Methodologies: Feminist and Indigenous Approaches ................................ 9
Chapter 5: Writing a Compelling Research Proposal ........................................................................ 11
Chapter 6: qualitative research design and rigour. ........................................................................... 12
Chapter 7: Case studies in qualitative research ............................................................................... 14
Chapter 8: Interviewing ..................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 10: Focusing on the focus group ......................................................................................... 19
Chapter 15: Placing Observation in the research toolkit .................................................................. 20
Chapter 17: Empowering Approaches: Participatory Action Research ............................................. 22
Chapter 14: Doing Foucauldian Discourse analysis – Revealing Social Realities............................... 24
Chapter 18: Organizing and analysing qualitative data..................................................................... 25
,Chapter 1: Qualitative Research and its place in Human Geography
Ontology: Beliefs about the world
Epistemology: Ways of knowing the world
Research: The whole process of formulating a research question to the analysing and interpreting of
data.
There are two fundamental questions that qualitative researchers use a lot:
• What is the shape of societal structures, and by what processes are they constructed, maintained,
legitimized, and resisted?
• What are individuals’ experiences of places and events?
There are 3 techniques that are emerging: discontinuous writing, photo-elicitation and go along
interviews.
There are 3 types of qualitative research: the oral (primarily interview based), the textual (creative,
documentary, and landscape), and the observational / participatory.
The relationship between qualitative and quantitative research
Since the 80’s qualitative research has the upper hand, but recently there a balance between the two
is emerging. The main differences are:
Quantitative: Looks through a small lens: focused, objective and generalisability.
Qualitative: Soft, subjective and anecdotal.
→ Why to chose for a qualitative research approach:
1. Because some studies don’t have to be representative, but look for individuals’ their opinions.
2. Some bigger (quantitative) need these kind of findings.
3. It is an complementary technique.
,History of qualitative research in geography
Throughout the 20th century qualitative research got used a lot. In the 70’s the search for academic
credibility grew and there was the rise of the technological and data revolution. This made quantitative
research more favourable. Around 1990 qualitative research rose again because of feminism and
radicalism.
A related concepts to qualitative research is inductive: the inference of general laws from particular
instances.
The differences between qualitative and quantitative methods are related to the conceptual
frameworks from which they have been derived. In elucidating human experiences, environments, and
processes, qualitative methods attempt to gather, verify, interpret, and understand the general
principles and structures that quantitative methods measure and record. The two can be combined
but qualitative methods are frequently being used alone to explore human values, meanings, and
experiences.
, Chapter 2: Power, subjectivity and ethics in Qualitative research
Qualitative research typically involves, interpersonal relationships, interpretations, and experiences,
this can cause ethical issues. So researchers need to be aware of three issues:
1. Formal ethical issues
2. Power relations
3. Objectivity, subjectivity and intersubjectivity.
Research ethics and institutional review of research ethics
Research ethics: broadly defined as being about ‘the conduct of researchers and their responsibilities
and obligations to those involved in the research, including sponsors, the general public and most
importantly, the subjects of the research’, constitute an issue that must be dealt with in your
research. → Think about privacy and confidentiality, informed consent and harm, because the
unpredictable nature of qualitative research make gaining informed consent difficult.
Critical Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a process of constant, self-
conscious scrutiny of the self as researcher
and of the research process. → Being
reflexive means analysing your own
situation as if it were something you were
studying. Critical reflexivity is difficult but
rewarding. A research diary can assist in
doing this. There are two important issues
in doing qualitative research: Power and
Subjectivity.
Power relations in qualitative research
Power intersects research in a number of
ways.
→ Knowledge is directly (through its input
into policy) and indirectly powerful.
Social researchers typically enter one of
three different sorts of power relations in
parts of their work:
1. Reciprocal relationship: those in which
the researcher and the researched are in
comparable social positions and have
relatively equal benefits and costs from
participating in the research.
2. Asymmetrical relationship is characterized by significant differences in the social positions.
3. Potentially exploitative relationship: the researcher may be in a position of greater power than the
research participant.
→ Critical reflexivity does not necessarily mean altering your research design, but it does imply that
you reflect constantly on the research process and modify it where appropriate.
