This document includes an overview of all concepts for the course Qualitative Methods at Radboud University. The information is based on the information given in the online course at the Edx-platform.
Pay attention! It will not include new information, however in the document I tried to organize ...
Qualitative Methods Overview
Important Concepts
Inhoud
H1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................1
H2 Theoretical background of qualitative methods......................................................................................5
H3 Research Design....................................................................................................................................17
H4 Collecting Qualitative Data....................................................................................................................25
H5 Analysing Qualitative Data....................................................................................................................32
H6 Reporting Qualitative Data....................................................................................................................47
H1 Introduction
Qualitative research
1
, Assumptions and the use of interpretive/theoretical frameworks
o 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.
Frameworks inform the study of research problems addressing the meaning individuals or groups
ascribe to a social or human problem.
o Meaning = The subjective significance allocated by a person to a situation, or the sense
this situation subjectively imparts to that person.
For a in-depth contextual understanding of human action and of the reasons that govern human
action (the why and how)
o Understanding = Understanding phenomena by referring to the subjective reasons
people have for their actions or the subjective sense people make of their actions.
To study this problem, qualitative researchers use an emerging qualitative approach to inquiry
Collection of data in a natural setting sensitive to the people and places under study
o Naturalistic approach = An approach that studies things in their natural settings and
contexts.
o Natural setting = The specific historical and geographical context/situation which people
try to interpret and make sense of.
Data analysis that is both inductive and deductive
o Induction = Making an inference or drawing general conclusions based on empirical
observations in a particular situation. (specific general)
Exploratory = Methodological approach attempting to discover the hitherto
unknown, and thus to contribute to theory building.
o Deduction = Deriving a hypothesis by means of logical reasoning based on preset general
theoretical insights. (general specific)
Confirmatory = Methodological approach attempting to find confirmation of
theoretically derived hypotheses.
Data analysis establishes patterns or themes.
Need for smaller, focused samples
Data like oral communications, texts, sounds, images, videos
Context and individuality of interpretations is important
o Context = The specific historical and geographical context/situation which people try to
interpret and make sense of.
Seeks to grasp situations as a whole
The final written report or presentation includes the voices of participants, the reflexivity of a
researcher, a complex description and interpretation of a problem, and its contribution to the
literature or a call for change.
Important concepts:
Representation= Data that are not necessarily objective facts, but are at best representations or
expressions of factual situations.
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.
2
,Explanation = Explaining phenomena by referring to the necessary and sufficient causal relationships
between causes and effects.
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
Important requirements for your research:
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.
Construct Validity = The measurement procedure of the concepts we try to measure are indeed
measuring what they are supposed to represent.
Internal Validity = The research set up makes sure that the causal relations under investigation
can be unambivalently be determined.
External Validity = The research set up makes sure that the results can also be representative for
other cases/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.
3
, Research Method = The technical procedures governing how to apply a specific method.
Most common methods within qualitative research:
Case studies
Grounded theory
Phenomenology
Discourse analysis
Ethnography
Visual data analysis
Objective hermeneutics
Content analysis
4
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