Overview of Qualitative Methods
Qualitative methods are very different from quantitative methods in that there are no hard and fast rules about what can and can't be done. There is a lot of room to maneuver when doing qualitative research.
What we are going talk about today, is the basic set of tools that qualitative researchers use.
After we go over these tools, we will talk
about the basic steps in the process, and then we will end up
going over how different combinations of tools are used to
produce different outcomes.
I Basic Qualitative Tools
A Watching (Observation)
Involves watching people over prolonged periods of time. Sometimes it also involves participating with others while you watch them.
Observations are very self-conscious, detailed, and follow an established protocol.
You have to decide exactly what you are going to watch for, and exactly how you are going record what you have seen.
Participation involves taking an active role with the people and the things that they are doing.
Participation allows research to observe their own feelings, actions, and experiences, as well as observing what others are doing.
The goal of participation is to gain a better
understanding of what is going on, or what it feels like, or what
it means, through direct experience.
1. Complete participant
Complete participant (did not reveal to others their research role)
Notice behavior that otherwise might not occur.
Private information is often revealed, because a private relationship is assumed.
Often limits researchers ability to gain knowledge through other methods, such as interviewing.
Ethical? Intrusive?
Reactivity.
You effect process somehow - you are involved. Would the same things have happened without you there?
Potential to "go native" -- get so
involved with group's goals that you forget or abandon your
research goals.
2. Participant-as-Observer
Still an active participant.
But it is openly known that you are their to observe and study.
Reactivity
People know you are studying them. May not behave the same way.
Your actions can still have large effect on
what is going on.
3. Observer-as-participant (research role is known to others)
Not involved as a participant. Mere role of observer.
Simply there to watch, but they know you are there.
Can record what is happening while it is going on
Reactivity
People may not behave the same with someone
watching.
4. Complete observer
Again, like complete participant, role as researcher is completely hidden. And role as participant does not exist. You simply watch from a distance. Often not even noticed.
You do not participate.
Others are not aware of your watching.
Reactivity
Very little
May not gain, insights or as deep an understanding of what is going on as with the other approaches.
Potential for "ethnocentrism." Unlike
going native, problem here is not acquiring enough of an
insider's perspective. Rather you evaluate what is going on from
an outsider's point of view.
B Asking (Interviewing)
At times it is often important to find out exactly what people are thinking. Remember, the primary purpose of qualitative research is to describe a social situation in terms of the people involved.
Often observation alone, won't provide us with the information we need to make complete sense of what is going on. Sometimes we simply have to ask people what is going on in a given situation.
Consequently, the primary aim of using an interview is to:
* learn about things that cannot be directly observed
* understand a social actor's perspective
Qualitative interviews are a means of eliciting
a person's experience in the words that are natural to them.
1. Ethnographic Interview
(informal ways to gather information)
Can be thought of as an informal conversation between the researcher and a member of the group under study.
Often these types of interviews are very spontaneous and flow very naturally. Often the person being interviewed does not even realize that an interview is taking place.
Good when trying to hide the fact that you are
doing an interview (complete participant)
2. Informant Interviews
Informants serve a unique role in qualitative research. Informants are people who provide detailed insights and information regarding the situation at hand.
Interviewing informants is a valuable way to gain inside information. Typically researchers try to develop personal relationships with informants. Informant interviews usually take place several times throughout the study. Usually these interviews are in depth, lengthy, and pre-planned.
Good for getting a lot of detailed information.
3. Respondent Interviews
Respondent interviews are different from the previous types of interviews, in that they are much more structured.
For the most part, respondent interviews consist of a structured set of open ended questions.
In other words, respondent interviews are a lot like surveys, where the exact same set of questions are asked of large group of people.
Good for identifying themes across respondents.
4. Narrative Interviews
Narrative interviewing is the process of allowing people to tell their story about a given subject or event, or in some cases their life stories.
Stories are collected, because they represent
how people view critical events and how people make sense of
things that happen in their lives.
5. Focus Group Interviews
Focus group's involve getting 6 to 12 people to meet at a neutral site to discuss the subject being studied by the researcher.
The researcher asks the group questions, encourages debate and discussion, and listens to what people have to say about the topic being discussed.
The purpose of focus groups is to use
"group interaction" to produce unique perspectives and
insights on the topic that would be hard to obtain through one on
one discussions.
C Reviewing (Documents and Artifacts)
Sometimes researchers examine documents or artifacts in order to gain a better understanding of a social situation.
Most of the time documents and artifacts are used with data and information gained through observation and interviews. However, in some cases, documents and artifacts represent the only data technique used.
One of the primary advantages to reviewing documents and artifacts, is that they tend to be rather non-reactive. Unlike in observation and interview procedures, documents and artifacts do not change because they are being observed.
However, one of the primary disadvantages to using documents and artifacts is that their examination does not always provide us with an insider perspective. Thus, again ethnocentrism is possible.
What are some of the various types of documents
and artifacts that are commonly used.
1. Public Documents and Official Records.
Often organizations and groups that researchers
wish to study keep all sorts of official documents and records.
For example, A qualitative researcher might be interested in
examining minutes of a group's meeting, an organization's
official policies and handbooks, a group's advertising brochures,
campaign's slogans, posters, flyers, etc.
2. Private Documents
In addition to public information. Many groups or individuals produce private documents that are very revealing.
For example: diaries, letters, correspondence,
budgets, personnel files, etc. All contain a wealth of
information for individuals trying to gain insights into what is
going on in a given organization or group.
3. Mass media artifacts
In many cases, researchers investigate documents or artifacts created by the media.
This includes newspapers, magazines,
television, radio, and films.
4. Physical artifacts.
Often important to qualitative researchers are the types of artifacts associated with a given group.
These artifacts include items such as clothing, jewelry, art work, personal items, etc.