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Introduction To Qualitative Research Methods

This document provides an introduction to qualitative research methods. It discusses what qualitative research is, what it can achieve, and some fundamentals like meaning over numbers and context being important. It also covers planning qualitative research and when a qualitative approach is needed, such as when little is known about a topic.

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303 views

Introduction To Qualitative Research Methods

This document provides an introduction to qualitative research methods. It discusses what qualitative research is, what it can achieve, and some fundamentals like meaning over numbers and context being important. It also covers planning qualitative research and when a qualitative approach is needed, such as when little is known about a topic.

Uploaded by

Aisa karatuan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

Bridget Young, PhD, University of Liverpool Darko Hren, PhD, University od Split

What is qualitative research?

• A broad approach encompassing many research methods

• Systematic collection, organization and interpretation of textual information (also images/video)

• Inductive approach to generating novel insights into phenomena that are difficult to quantify

• Not a single thing:

• Techniques for data collection and analysis • Wide framework for conducting research

• Big Q and small q

What can qualitative methods achieve?

• Generate comprehensive description of processes, mechanisms, or settings

• Characterize participant perspectives and experiences

What are the products of qualitative research?

• Recurrent themes or hypotheses

• Survey instrument measures

• Taxonomies

• Conceptual models (or theories)

Fundamentals of qualitative research: Meaning, not numbers

• Capturing some aspect of social or psychological life

• Putting an organizing framework on the messiness of real life (Braun & Clarke, 2013)
Fundamentals of qualitative research: No single answer

• Telling one story among many that could be told about the data

• Doesn’t mean that the story is fictiona

l • Plausible

• Coherent

• Grounded in the data

• Truth can be compelling without claiming to be absolute

Fundamentals of qualitative research: Context is important

• Data does not come „out of ether”

• It is produced within contexts by participants who are located and come from specific contexts

• Contrast with positivist/quantitative ideal of obtaining „uncontaminated” data or knowledge,

with all biases removed

• In qualitative research we recognize the subjectivity of the data we analyze and incorporate

it in the analysis (instead of taking it as a bias to be removed)


Fundamentals of qualitative research: Underpinned by ontological and epistemological
assumptions
Fundamentals of qualitative research: All sorts of data

• Production of data – by what we get participants to do

• Selection of data – from existing materials, naturally occuring data

• Rich and shallow data

• Rich data are generally preferred

• Most important issue is that data serves the purpose of research

Planning and designing qualitative research

When is qualitative approach needed?

• …little is known or present understanding is inadequate

•…making sense of complex situations or social processes

• …learn from participants about their experiences (beliefs, motivations, opinions, practices…)

•…construct a theory from data

• …understand phenomena deeply and in detail


Planning and designing qualitative research

•A well formed question is key to good research

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