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Summary Key words qualitative methods
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This document has all the keywords you can think of regarding the course Qualitative Methods.
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Interpretive method A method in which qualitative data are not taken at face value, but
which uses techniques for understanding what might have been meant while taking the
specific context and subjective intentions into account.
Representation Data that are not necessarily objective facts, but are at best representations
or expressions of factual situations.
Naturalistic approach An approach that studies things in their natural settings and
contexts.
Natural setting The specific historical and geographical context/situation which people try to
interpret and make sense of.
Context The specific historical and geographical context/situation which people try to
interpret and make sense of.
Subjectivity The way individual personal judgment is shaped by personal opinions and
feelings, as well as meanings allocated to the situation by the person being confronted.
Subjectivity of Researcher The way individual researcher's interpretations are shaped by
personal positionings, ideologies, interpretative/theoretical frameworks, opinions and feelings.
Subjectivity of Participants researched The way the participants subjectively interpret
their situation and how their actions are led by these interpretations.
Meaning The subjective significance allocated by a person to a situation, or the sense this
situation subjectively imparts to that person.
Induction Making an inference or drawing general conclusions based on empirical
observations in a particular situation.
Deduction Deriving a hypothesis by means of logical reasoning based on preset general
theoretical insights.
Exploratory Methodological approach attempting to discover the hitherto unknown, and thus
to contribute to theory building.
Confirmatory Methodological approach attempting to find confirmation of theoretically
derived hypotheses.
Explanation Explaining phenomena by referring to the necessary and sufficient causal
relationships between causes and effects.
Understanding Understanding phenomena by referring to the subjective reasons people
have for their actions or the subjective sense people make of their actions.
Research Design Important decisions the researcher needs to make about the way the
researcher wants to answer the research questions, such as:
• general setting, like the temporal and spatial setting
• which general methods would help to find answers
• how to collect data (including sampling methods)
• what methods to use to analyse data
• ethical issues
• how to report results
Research Method The technical procedures governing how to apply a specific method.
,Validity The way the analysis results represent what they are supposed to represent in the
current situation, and how far they can be generally applied to other situations.
Reliability The way in which the results of the analysis can be reproduced, and are robust for
disturbing influences.
Credibility The confidence in the 'truth' of the findings.
Transferability The way the findings have applicability in other contexts.
Dependability The way the findings are consistent and could be repeated.
Confirmability The degree of neutrality or the extent to which the findings of a study are
shaped by the respondents and not by researcher bias, motivation, or interest.
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Research Design The overall research strategy to find the answers to your research
questions. It constitutes the blueprint for the collection of data and the analysis of data.
Societal Problem Science wants to contribute to a better world, and therefore wants to help
solve certain problems. So every research project starts with identifying a practical problem
we need to cope with, in society and to which solution science aims to contribute.
Societal Relevance The way research can contribute to the solution to a societal problem.
Note that science usually can not solve to the problem as a whole, but at best can only
modestly help to make a small step towards a solution.
Knowledge Problem Research produces new knowledge and insights. So the contribution of
science to society is always focussed on something we do not know already and which we
need to know to solve a certain practical problem. It is therefore important to explore what we
already know about the topic of our research and to identify the knowledge gap we are
confronted with when we try to solve a practical problem.
Scientific Relevance The scientific relevance of our research is the contribution we can
make to filling the knowledge gaps we are confronted with. This can be empirical knowledge
(empirical facts), but also conceptual/theoretical knowledge about relevant aspects and their
(causal) relationships.
Feasibility As engaged researchers, we are always ambitious and instantly would like to
improve the world. The time frame and budgetary and other limitations of our research
project, however, often do not allow this. We, therefore, need to be very attentive and modest
about what is really feasible within the framework of our research project.
Research Objective The research objective is the feasible goal we believe can be realised
within the framework of our research.
Research Question The knowledge problem we are addressing in our research can often be
translated into a number of concrete research questions, which we seek to find an answer to
in our research.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework The research questions we formulated, often involve a
number of concepts/variables and propositions about the relationships between these
concepts/variables. They might be inspired by existing theories and proposed adaptations or
enhancements or alternative formulations of these existing theoretical insights. This is usually
the basis of a theoretical/conceptual framework exemplifying your first thoughts about how to
conceptualise and theorise your research questions.
, Unit of Analysis In science, we often cannot produce knowledge which is universally true,
and we at best can only say something about a certain situation or a certain case under
specific circumstances. The unit or entity we wish to say something about at the end of our
study is what we call our unit of analysis. The unit of analysis will be determined by your
research question.
Unit of Observation Within the unit of analysis, we often choose a or several unit(s) of
observation, which we actually empirically observe and collect data about, to be able to infer
conclusions about the (broader) unit of analysis. The unit of observation is determined largely
by the method of data collection that you use to answer your research question. In some
exceptional cases, the unit of observation might be the same as the unit of analysis, but in
most cases, it is not.
Research Sample The method for the selection of the units of observation is your sampling
method. A research sample is a group of people, objects, organisations, or situations taken
from a larger population or unit of analysis. The sample should be representative of the
population to ensure that we can generalise the findings from the research sample to the
population as a whole.
Method of Data Collection Because of the situational or contextual openness of qualitative
research methods, the method for collecting qualitative data is often seen as crucial. In our
research design, we need to underpin our specific method of data collection. However, in
contrast to some common research practices in qualitative research, this is certainly not
sufficient! We also need to underpin our method of analysis of qualitative data.
Method of Data Analysis In qualitative research it is sometimes forgotten, that one can
analyse qualitative data in many different ways, as we also learn in this course. In our
research design, we, therefore, need to be explicit about what method of analysis we are
using and need to underpin, why this method is suitable for finding the answers to our
research questions.
Time Schedule Collecting qualitative data and analyzing qualitative data is not an easy task,
and is certainly much more than a common conversation with participants and everyday
interpretations. Scientific research in the field of qualitative research is a tedious and time-
consuming job, which demand thorough and realistic time planning. A time schedule is,
therefore, an important element in your research design.
Research Ethics Research should be directed to helping to solve societal problems, and
therefore is an ethically responsible job. In doing so, it should also avoid causing harm,
distress, anxiety, pain or any other negative feelings to participants and participating
organisations. This does not imply that in the conclusions of your research you cannot criticise
the behaviour of participants or participating organisations, but it needs to be constructive.
Honesty Honesty means, among other things, reporting the research process accurately,
taking alternative opinions and counterarguments seriously, being open about margins of
uncertainty, refraining from making unfounded claims, refraining from fabricating or falsifying
data or sources and refraining from presenting results more favourably or unfavourably than
they actually are.
Responsibility Responsibility means, among other things, acknowledging the fact that a
researcher does not operate in isolation and hence taking into consideration – within
reasonable limits – the legitimate interests of human and animal test subjects, as well as
those of commissioning parties, funding bodies and the environment. Responsibility also
means conducting research that is scientifically and/or societally relevant.
Scrupulousness Scrupulousness means, among other things, using methods that are
scientific or scholarly and exercising the best possible care in designing, undertaking,
reporting and disseminating research.
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