Lecture 1 Introduction to qualitative research
Background of qualitative research
1. Het is belangrijk om je ervan bewust te zijn dat er geen enkele, geaccepteerde manier is om
kwalitatief onderzoek uit te voeren. Hoe onderzoekers verder gaan, hangt af van een reeks
factoren, waaronder hun overtuigingen over de aard van de sociale wereld (ontologie), de aard
van kennis en hoe deze kan worden verworven (epistemologie), het doel (de doelen) van het
onderzoek, de kenmerken van onderzoeksdeelnemers, het publiek voor onderzoek, de
financiers en de posities en omgevingen van de onderzoekers zelf. Verschillen in de mix van
deze factoren hebben geleid tot talrijke variaties in benaderingen van kwalitatief onderzoek.
2. Visies op de vraag of en hoe kwaliteit in kwalitatieve onderzoekspraktijken kan of moet
worden beoordeeld, hangen gedeeltelijk af van de standpunten die mensen innemen op
sleutelgebieden van het filosofisch debat. Met andere woorden, de mate waarin een onderzoek
wordt aanvaard en door wie, zal deels afhangen van de specifieke houding (en) die de
betrokkenen (onderzoekers, financiers, deelnemers, enz.) Nemen.
Checking your presumptions
Mostly associated with induction. Non Random. Specific. Exploratory. Interpretative.
Op een algemeen niveau wordt kwalitatief onderzoek vaak omschreven als een naturalistische,
interpretatieve benadering bezig met het verkennen van verschijnselen ‘from the interior’ en rekening
houdend met de perspectieven en ‘acounts of’ de (rekeningen) van onderzoeksdeelnemers als
uitgangspunt.
Denzin en Lincoln stellen dat, ondanks de inherente diversiteit binnen kwalitatief onderzoek, het kan
worden beschreven als:
A set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. The practices transform the
world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including fieldnotes, interviews,
conversations, photographs, recordings and memos to self … qualitative researchers study things
in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of or interpret phenomena in terms of the
meanings people bring to them.
It should be recognized that a comprehensive definition of qualitative research is difficult to attain,
because of the wide array of approaches and beliefs it encompasses.
Philosophical debates underpinning the development of social research in
General (epistemology or ontology). Difference in researchers’ answers to these questions have
led to the divergent ‘schools’, ‘interpretive frameworks’, and approaches to qualitative research.
Empirical cycle
,Characteristics
Research goals
Functions of qualitative research to social research (in any of the applications)
1. Contextual or descriptive or exploratory (a new field of research) → insight in particular
phenomena.
• Refers about describing in detail, or explorating the phenomena as
experienced by the participants. In their own terms.
• Allows unpacking issues, to see what is inside and to explore how they are
understood (investigating and capturing the interpretations of social
phenomena as experienced and understood by participants).
Ex:
- elements, classes or positions within a social phenomenon.
- shows the nature or characteristics of a phenomenon.
- describes the meaning that people attach to an experience.
- identify and define typologies, models and groups.
2. Explanatory (connection between variables)
• Examines the reasons for, or associations between, what exists.
• Refers about why phenomena occur and the forces and influences that make
• Studies what lies behind a decision, attitude, behavior or other phenomena.
Ex:
- factors or influences behind a particular attitude.
- motivations that lead to decisions, actions or non-actions.
- the origins or formation of events, experiences or occurrences.
- contexts in which phenomena occur.
3. Evaluative
• Refers to how well something work (effectiveness)→ very important for policy related
investigation.
• What processes and outcomes do occur?
• Because of its methods of investigation, qualitative research (unlike quantitative research) is
very good at looking at the dynamics of how things operate and even reveal (onthullen) the
factors that shape a programme or service).
1. Formative evaluation: provide information to help to change or improve
a programme/system and its organizational effectiveness (either as it is being introduced or
where there are existing problems with its implementation).
2. Summative evaluation: concerned with the impact of an intervention or policy in terms of
effectiveness and the different outcomes that have resulted.
Ex:
- describe in detail what a programme consists and what are the assumptions and theories
underpin the belief that it will lead to particular incomes.
- identify the factors that contribute to successful or unsuccessful delivery for a programme,
service or intervention.
- examine the nature of requirements of different groups within the target population.
- explore the contexts in which the interventions are received and their impact in
effectiveness.
4. Generative
• Produce new ideas as a contribution to the development of social theory/strategies/actions or
to refinement or stimulus of policy solutions.
• Come up with ideas to policy changes on new hypothesis.
Ex:
- Participatory Action Research (PAR): has the purpose to generate new contributions to
social and political debate taking into account that participants are experts on their own lives.
, - develop new conceptions or understandings of social phenomena.
- develop hypothesis about the nature of the social world and how it operates.
- suggestions or strategies.
- generate new solutions to persistent social problems.
Abundance of research questions in book!
Research objectives
Application of qualitative research to social research
A. Fundamental or theoretical/pure/basic research:
- Start: knowledge problem
- Contribution to scientific knowledge, theory
- Gap, contrast, error
(resp. gap logic, contrast logic, error logic)
• Its goal is to test existing theories or build new theories
• Is the application (toepassing) done in universities
B. Applied/ policy research (in our field) (most of time quantitative and qualitative are mixed)
- Start: policy or practice problem
- Contribution to approach or solution of problem
- Initiative outside scientific community (policy, practice)
→ generating new theory
• Its goal is to use the knowledge acquired (on the research) for understanding
a contemporary issue. Is done mostly in applied science universities.
• Developing, monitoring or evaluating policy.
• Nowadays qualitative research is more used in this field in order to
understand more the nature problems that policies have to address and to
evaluate those policies, once implemented (in history it started in the UK,
specially in the health field).
• Q.R in social policy research: a way of understanding how programmes and
policies work in practice and the processes and factors that lead to success or
failure.
EVERY RESEARCH is based on theoretical assumptions/concepts/theories. They
could be implicit, unacknowledged or ill-formed.
Case: Smoking cessation during pregnancy
(you have selected the topic), next step: focus on question;
What type of research questions can we ask?
C. What percentage of women smokes during pregnancy
D. How much do they smoke?
E. What is the effect of interventions that support pregnant women to quit smoking?
F. Is there an association between social economic status and smoking during pregnancy?
➔ Kwantitatieve vragen
Can we also ask a different type of question?
G. How do woman experience the support they receive when they try to quit smoking?
H. What are the reasons of women not to quit smoking during pregnancy?
I. What challenges do women face when they try to quit smoking during pregnancy?
➔ Nieuwe theorieën en ideeën ontwikkelen
Working definition
, Qualitative research is a naturalistic (not conducted in some kind of manipulated setting),
interpretative (measuring something to generate results) approach, concerned with exploring (to get
some inside in something) phenomena ‘from the interior’ and taking the perspectives and accounts
of research participants as a starting point
Foundations of research
J. Qualitative methods generally fit assumptions interpretative paradigm
K. Quantitative methods generally fit assumptions (post-)positivistic paradigm
They do not understand each other (the two methods) → two different worlds.
Qualitative research as an independent research strategy:
It happens when the phenomena that is going be studied has the following characteristics:
• Ill defined- not well understood
Q.R. is used before statistical enquiry when the subject matter need to be
more clearly understood or defined before it can be measured.
- when newly developing social phenomena (ex: cyber-bullying within schools)
- where previous knowledge has not fully explained occurrences or circumstances that are
known to be widespread (ex: teenage used of drugs)
- where refinements to understanding are needed (ex: changing understandings
of citizenship in a multicultural society)
• Deeply rooted
Some subjects areas of the phenomena have to be study within the participant´s personal
knowledge or understanding of themselves. Participants will need delicate and responsive
questioning to explore the issue for themselves.
- related to origins of long-standing values or beliefs (ex: beliefs about personal
autonomy or assisted suicide)
- to formative influences on particular attitudes or behaviors (ex: gender roles)
- responses to events that have been very distressing, joyous or emotional.
• Complex
Complex phenomena that are innately intricate or conceptually difficult to relate. Since it is
too complex, participants need some time to explore it so participants need questions that help
them in the process.
- complexity may lie in the nature of the subject itself (ex: technical matters like fiscal policy
and philosophical questions)
- when cognitive processes like judgements or decisions are the focus of the
study.
• Specialist
Collection of information from individuals or groups that have a singular or
highly specialized role in society (their perspective might be uniquely held).
• Delicate or intangible
Subjects are fragile in their manifestation (zwak in openbaring).
