Research Methods Exam 3
Intersubjectivity
A mutual understanding shared between individuals We may understand generally what something means, but the meaning can vary greatly (ex. Colin Kaepernick kneeling)
Accuracy in reporting qualitative results
Accuracy is important when it comes to our data, the goal is not to be bias but to report things Credibility instead of validity and reliability
Concepts associated with Data Immersion, Data Management, and Data Reduction
Data immersion - to become one with the data, researchers engage in a close-read of their data several times over Data management - organizing your data into thematic categories, this can lead to subcategories Data reduction - reducing amount of data if there are large amounts
The functions and characteristics of ethnographic research, interviews, autoethnographies, and focus groups
Ethnographies - rooted in cultural anthropology studies, researchers immerse themselves fully into the community/group they wish to study, allows us to see how our participants "perform" culture as opposed to just having them talk about it Interviews - embraces the subjective nature of qualitative data by asking participants to speak about their own experiences/thoughts, allows researchers to gain knowledge about past events that they might otherwise be unable to cover, open ended questions are preferable Autoethnographies - the researcher is the participant, researchers reflect on significant life events and essentially tell a story Focus groups - allows us to get multiple perspectives at once, usually between 6-12 people, lasts about 1.5-2 hours, focused on interaction of participants, researchers must create interview guide for this process, a second or even third researcher is helpful for taking notes, moderators should be focused on managing the discussion but not dominating it
The strengths and weaknesses of ethnographic research, interviews, autoethnographies, and focus groups
Ethnographies - strengths = doesn't exclusively use self reported data, descriptions of social behaviors are more detailed weaknesses = lack of generalizability, resources needed for research are often steep, researchers may identify too much with participants which may hurt credibility Interviews - strengths = flexible, access to subjective perspectives, oftentimes the only way to learn more about certain phenomena in-depth weaknesses = time/work intensive, can quickly take unwanted detours, quality of work is limited by quality of researcher Focus groups - strengths = able to capture discussion about topic rather than one view at a time, gathering massive amounts of data at one time weaknesses = moderator's skill level is crucial, tensions can run high, moderator may have too much influence over answers
Traditions of qualitative research
Hermeneutics - interpreting the meaning of an object, determining what particular text means based on cultural background/knowledge, used to study religious, philosophical, and law based texts Phenomenology - the study of how we experience a particular event or phenomenon Transcendental - Breaking the characteristics of a phenomenon down into subjective/objective elements Social - the study of everyday experiences; embraces intersubjectivity Symbolic interactionism - how meaning develops through the use of symbols for communication, symbols include anything utilized for representation (images, nonverbals, words, etc.), focuses on the interplay of the mind, self, and society (significance symbols = symbols that most people as a society have an understanding of)
The subjective nature of Qualitative research
It is an interpretivist approach to understanding the world Does not aim to predict or control behaviors Attempts to understand identities, cultures, stories, individual experiences, etc. Relies on observation and interviews to generate data for analysis
Overall assumptions about the Qualitative worldview
Knowledge about our reality is generated from a subjective perspective Acknowledges the notion of intersubjective agreement between individuals We may understand generally what something means, but the nuances of meaning vary greatly CONTEXT IS CRUCIAL Other things play into research like living situation, cultural influences, personal experiences, financial strains, education level, etc. Certain things are difficult to actually quantify (ex. emotion) Subjectivity is inherent in qualitative research two ways: perspective of participants and data collection and analysis from ourselves Research is primarily inductive Can begin a project without a specific theory
Why Qualitative research is useful for concepts that aren't easily quantifiable
Qualitative research is subjective so there is more emotion, opinion, etc. Good for research on something like personal experience
Differences between the types of qualitative analysis (Thematic Analysis, Grounded Theory, Discourse Analysis)
Thematic - most accessible, researchers look into each category and make connections between themes Grounded - sees methodology and theory as uniquely intertwined, theories inductively emerge during the data analysis process, particularly useful for ethonographies since the goal is to represent the lived experiences of a community, relies on unique approaches to analyze the data Discourse - searches for meaning-making in the data, helps us better understand cultural influences, identities, and relational relevance
Characteristics of situational context
There are other factors that play into research other than what is seen on the surface like: Living situation, cultural influences, personal experiences, financial strains, relational history, education level, etc.
The primary purpose of data analysis in qualitative research
There is a good chance you will find something new each time you read your data, something may have been overlooked before To make sense of the data/search for a theme To discover theories To make sure data is credible and not bias
How we phrase qualitative research questions
Typically, qualitative researchers ask "how" or "what" questions to drive their investigations
Triangulation
Using multiple methods/data collection processes Triangulation can occur via a combination of observation/interviews or via multiple researchers
