Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
Qualitative Research Methods
Module 1
Scientific knowledge pyramid from top to bottom:
1. Know what: description of facts and opinions
2. Know why: explanation of causal mechanisms
3. Know how: devising interventions to result in expected outcomes applied
Qualitative research: an umbrella term covering an array of interpretive techniques which
seek to describe, decode, translate, and otherwise come to terms with the meaning, not
the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world.
9 Interpretive approach We interpret an already interpreted world (vs. positivist
approach / epistemology);
9 Qualitative data We observe and question the world to find evidence of meaning
(vs. quantitative);
9 Inductive logic We build understanding from our interpretations of this
evidence (vs. deductive).
What is knowable?
Interpretivist approach: Positivist approach:
Data is constructed with participants Data is captured from a reality that is
‘out there’
Data is expressed in text Data is expressed in numbers
Data is subjective Data is objective
Linked to context Generalizable
Seeking evidence of meaning Seeking evidence of frequency
How do we get knowledge?
Qualitative researchers look for ‘meaning’ Quantitative researchers look for ‘truth’
Methods for gathering interpretations: Methods for collecting measurements:
Case study research Surveys
Ethnography Laboratory experiments
Grounded theory Statistical analysis
Focus on emic (insiders) perspective Focus on etic (outsider) perspective the
the researcher’s intuition can be an asset. researcher’s influence should be
minimized.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
9 Qualitative research is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of
a particular context and the interactions there. This understanding is an end in itself,
so that it is not attempting to predict what may happen in the future necessarily, but to
understand the nature of that setting – what it means for participants to be in that
setting, what their lives are like, what’s going on for them, what their meanings are,
what the world looks like in that particular setting – and in the analysis to be able to
communicate that faithfully to others who are interested in that setting... The analysis
strives for depth of understanding.
Why qualitative research?
1. Context-dependency the understanding of every social phenomenon highly
depends on considering it next to the specific context in which it exists.
o We misunderstand and misinterpret social phenomena if we ignore the
context.
o Understand the boundary conditions of when, where, why things happen.
2. Interpretation social phenomena have heavy subjective aspects that cannot be
captured via quantifiable measures and cannot be understood without tapping into
each case deeply.
o We misinterpret social phenomena if we do not consider the subjective aspects
of social phenomena.
o Numbers can be very limited in capturing social realities.
3. Deep understanding to approach the causal dynamics actually (not
hypothetically), we need to get close enough to social realities and know them
from inside.
o Moving from causal description to causal explanation.
o Understanding the processes and dynamics (how A resulted in B).
Ch. 1: What is qualitative research?, Merriam
Research: a systematic process by which we know more about something than we did
before engaging in the process.
Basic motivated by intellectual interest in a phenomenon. Goal is the extension
of knowledge.
Applied undertaken to improve the quality of practice of a particular discipline.
Qualitative research: understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they
construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
Forms of research:
1. Positivist reality exists “out there” and is observable, stable and measurable.
2. Interpretive reality is socially constructed, there is no single, observable reality.
There are multiple realities, or interpretations, of a single event.
3. Critical goal is to critique and challenge, to transform and empower.
4. Post-structural / postmodernism there is no single truth, but there are multiple
‘truths’.
Characteristics of qualitative research:
1. Focus on meaning and understanding understanding what meaning people
attribute to their experiences.
2. Researcher as primary instrument for data collection and analysis.
3. It is an inductive process researchers gather data to build concepts, hypotheses, or
theories rather than deductively testing hypotheses as in positivist research.
4. The product is richly descriptive.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
9 Main differences:
Interpretivist vs. positivist approach (what is knowable)
Qualitative vs. quantitative data (how do we get knowledge)
Inductive vs. deductive logic (how do we arrive at knowledge)
Ch. 2: Overview of qualitative research, Myers
Research: original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and
understanding in a particular field. Research is a creative activity leading to the
production of new knowledge.
Quantitative research:
+ Best with a large sample size and if you want to generalize to a large population.
- Many of the social and cultural aspects of organizations are lost or treated in a
superficial manner.
Qualitative research:
+ Best if you want to study a particular subject in depth, good for exploratory research,
and studying social, cultural and political aspects of people and organizations.
- Difficult to generalize to a larger population.
Premaster DBI 20-21
Qualitative Research Methods
Module 1
Scientific knowledge pyramid from top to bottom:
1. Know what: description of facts and opinions
2. Know why: explanation of causal mechanisms
3. Know how: devising interventions to result in expected outcomes applied
Qualitative research: an umbrella term covering an array of interpretive techniques which
seek to describe, decode, translate, and otherwise come to terms with the meaning, not
the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world.
9 Interpretive approach We interpret an already interpreted world (vs. positivist
approach / epistemology);
9 Qualitative data We observe and question the world to find evidence of meaning
(vs. quantitative);
9 Inductive logic We build understanding from our interpretations of this
evidence (vs. deductive).
What is knowable?
Interpretivist approach: Positivist approach:
Data is constructed with participants Data is captured from a reality that is
‘out there’
Data is expressed in text Data is expressed in numbers
Data is subjective Data is objective
Linked to context Generalizable
Seeking evidence of meaning Seeking evidence of frequency
How do we get knowledge?
Qualitative researchers look for ‘meaning’ Quantitative researchers look for ‘truth’
Methods for gathering interpretations: Methods for collecting measurements:
Case study research Surveys
Ethnography Laboratory experiments
Grounded theory Statistical analysis
Focus on emic (insiders) perspective Focus on etic (outsider) perspective the
the researcher’s intuition can be an asset. researcher’s influence should be
minimized.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
9 Qualitative research is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of
a particular context and the interactions there. This understanding is an end in itself,
so that it is not attempting to predict what may happen in the future necessarily, but to
understand the nature of that setting – what it means for participants to be in that
setting, what their lives are like, what’s going on for them, what their meanings are,
what the world looks like in that particular setting – and in the analysis to be able to
communicate that faithfully to others who are interested in that setting... The analysis
strives for depth of understanding.
Why qualitative research?
1. Context-dependency the understanding of every social phenomenon highly
depends on considering it next to the specific context in which it exists.
o We misunderstand and misinterpret social phenomena if we ignore the
context.
o Understand the boundary conditions of when, where, why things happen.
2. Interpretation social phenomena have heavy subjective aspects that cannot be
captured via quantifiable measures and cannot be understood without tapping into
each case deeply.
o We misinterpret social phenomena if we do not consider the subjective aspects
of social phenomena.
o Numbers can be very limited in capturing social realities.
3. Deep understanding to approach the causal dynamics actually (not
hypothetically), we need to get close enough to social realities and know them
from inside.
o Moving from causal description to causal explanation.
o Understanding the processes and dynamics (how A resulted in B).
Ch. 1: What is qualitative research?, Merriam
Research: a systematic process by which we know more about something than we did
before engaging in the process.
Basic motivated by intellectual interest in a phenomenon. Goal is the extension
of knowledge.
Applied undertaken to improve the quality of practice of a particular discipline.
Qualitative research: understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they
construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
Forms of research:
1. Positivist reality exists “out there” and is observable, stable and measurable.
2. Interpretive reality is socially constructed, there is no single, observable reality.
There are multiple realities, or interpretations, of a single event.
3. Critical goal is to critique and challenge, to transform and empower.
4. Post-structural / postmodernism there is no single truth, but there are multiple
‘truths’.
Characteristics of qualitative research:
1. Focus on meaning and understanding understanding what meaning people
attribute to their experiences.
2. Researcher as primary instrument for data collection and analysis.
3. It is an inductive process researchers gather data to build concepts, hypotheses, or
theories rather than deductively testing hypotheses as in positivist research.
4. The product is richly descriptive.
, Indíya Bruinsma
Premaster DBI 20-21
9 Main differences:
Interpretivist vs. positivist approach (what is knowable)
Qualitative vs. quantitative data (how do we get knowledge)
Inductive vs. deductive logic (how do we arrive at knowledge)
Ch. 2: Overview of qualitative research, Myers
Research: original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and
understanding in a particular field. Research is a creative activity leading to the
production of new knowledge.
Quantitative research:
+ Best with a large sample size and if you want to generalize to a large population.
- Many of the social and cultural aspects of organizations are lost or treated in a
superficial manner.
Qualitative research:
+ Best if you want to study a particular subject in depth, good for exploratory research,
and studying social, cultural and political aspects of people and organizations.
- Difficult to generalize to a larger population.
