WEEK 2
CHAPTER 3
4
3.1 FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
When trying to understand different meanings people give to an experience, best way is
through qualitative research methods
– Different variation of this e.g. observing population of interest from a distance or
interacting extensively with participant
3
3.2 THE CONTEXT FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative research = a vast and complex area of methodology that concerns itself with
analysing how people interpret their experience and the world in which they live
2 – Qualitative = descriptive non-numerical representation of some object
– Qualitative measure = data not recorder in numerical form
– Qualitative variable = descriptive non-numerical observation
Typically used in situations where you want to:
. Generate new constructs, theories or hypotheses
Inductive
Needed to understand a phenomenon very well in order to make a hypothesis
1
Often used in applied social research
– Some students might not have a first-hand experience of something so use qualitative
research to employ an inductive approach that focuses on asking open-ended questions
– Allows integration of concepts from multiple different disciplines
. Develop detailed stories to describe a phenomenon
“One good personal story trumps pages of quantitative results”
– Essential to support info or illustrate implications of quantitative data through well-
research qualitative anecdotes or stories in order to make decisions
. Achieve a deeper understanding of issues
Difficult to understand a phenomenon from a quantitative study, qualitative studies help
deepen our understanding of how things work.
Help researchers also understand why the “same” events are seen in different light by
different stakeholders
. Improve the quality of quantitative measures
, In the initial stage, qualitative data help focus the research on particular constructs and terms
After, researchers may realise that items on the sundry may mean different things to different
people -> so qualitative research helps improve quality of that
– e.g. focus groups may be used to determine how different groups think about a construct
differently
3.3 QUALITATIVE TRADITIONS
= a way of thinking about conducting qualitative research
– It describes either explicitly or implicitly the purpose of research, the role of the
researcher, the stages of research and the method of data analysis
Major qualitative traditions:
. Ethnography
= study of a culture using qualitative field research
(Studying a phenomenon in the context of its culture - includes any group of organisation, not
only ethnicity and geographic location)
Most common ethnography approach is participant observation
= researcher becomes a participant in the culture or context being observed
. Phenomenology
= a philosophical perspective as well as an approach to qualitative methodology that focuses
on people’s subjective experiences and interpretations of the world
Meaning units = a small segment of a transcript or other text that captures a concept that the
analyst considers to be important
. Field research
= the researcher goes into the field to observe the phenomenon in its natural state
Researcher-participant-data relationship is varied (through participatory action research -
PAR)
– Turning researchers into participants
– Participants into researchers
CHAPTER 3
4
3.1 FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
When trying to understand different meanings people give to an experience, best way is
through qualitative research methods
– Different variation of this e.g. observing population of interest from a distance or
interacting extensively with participant
3
3.2 THE CONTEXT FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative research = a vast and complex area of methodology that concerns itself with
analysing how people interpret their experience and the world in which they live
2 – Qualitative = descriptive non-numerical representation of some object
– Qualitative measure = data not recorder in numerical form
– Qualitative variable = descriptive non-numerical observation
Typically used in situations where you want to:
. Generate new constructs, theories or hypotheses
Inductive
Needed to understand a phenomenon very well in order to make a hypothesis
1
Often used in applied social research
– Some students might not have a first-hand experience of something so use qualitative
research to employ an inductive approach that focuses on asking open-ended questions
– Allows integration of concepts from multiple different disciplines
. Develop detailed stories to describe a phenomenon
“One good personal story trumps pages of quantitative results”
– Essential to support info or illustrate implications of quantitative data through well-
research qualitative anecdotes or stories in order to make decisions
. Achieve a deeper understanding of issues
Difficult to understand a phenomenon from a quantitative study, qualitative studies help
deepen our understanding of how things work.
Help researchers also understand why the “same” events are seen in different light by
different stakeholders
. Improve the quality of quantitative measures
, In the initial stage, qualitative data help focus the research on particular constructs and terms
After, researchers may realise that items on the sundry may mean different things to different
people -> so qualitative research helps improve quality of that
– e.g. focus groups may be used to determine how different groups think about a construct
differently
3.3 QUALITATIVE TRADITIONS
= a way of thinking about conducting qualitative research
– It describes either explicitly or implicitly the purpose of research, the role of the
researcher, the stages of research and the method of data analysis
Major qualitative traditions:
. Ethnography
= study of a culture using qualitative field research
(Studying a phenomenon in the context of its culture - includes any group of organisation, not
only ethnicity and geographic location)
Most common ethnography approach is participant observation
= researcher becomes a participant in the culture or context being observed
. Phenomenology
= a philosophical perspective as well as an approach to qualitative methodology that focuses
on people’s subjective experiences and interpretations of the world
Meaning units = a small segment of a transcript or other text that captures a concept that the
analyst considers to be important
. Field research
= the researcher goes into the field to observe the phenomenon in its natural state
Researcher-participant-data relationship is varied (through participatory action research -
PAR)
– Turning researchers into participants
– Participants into researchers
