Chapter 9 Qualitative Research

Qualitative Procedure
● Emergent design—The research
● Qualitative procedures demonstrate a process for qualitative researchers is
different approach to scholarly inquiry emergent. This means that the initial
than methods of quantitative research. plan for research cannot be tightly
prescribed, and all phases of the
● Qualitative inquiry employs different process may change or shift after the
philosophical assumptions; strategies of researcher enters the field and begins to
inquiry; and methods of data collection, collect data.
analysis, and interpretation.
● Theoretical lens—Qualitative
● Although the processes are similar, researchers often use lens to view their
qualitative procedures rely on text and studies, such as the concept of culture,
image data, have unique steps in data central to ethnography, or gendered,
analysis, and draw on diverse strategies racial, or class differences from the
of inquiry. theoretical orientations

● Interpretive—Qualitative research is a
form of interpretive inquiry in which
Characteristics researchers make an interpretation of
what they see, hear, and understand.
● Natural setting—Qualitative
researchers tend to collect data in the ● Holistic account—Qualitative
field at the site where participants researchers try to develop a complex
experience the issue or problem under picture of the problem or issue under
study. study. This involves reporting multiple
perspectives, identifying the many
● Researcher as key instrument— factors involved in a situation, and
Qualitative researchers collect data generally sketching the larger picture
themselves through examining that emerges.
documents, observing behavior, or
interviewing participants.

● Multiple sources of data—Qualitative Strategies of Inquiry

researchers typically gather multiple
forms of data, such as interviews, ● researchers might study individuals
observations, and documents, rather (narrative, phenomenology); explore
than rely on a single data source processes, activities, and events (case
study, grounded theory); or learn
● Inductive data analysis—Qualitative about broad culture-sharing behavior of
researchers build their patterns, individuals or groups (ethnography).
categories, and themes from the bottom
up, by organizing the data into ● Identify the specific approach to inquiry
increasingly more abstract units of that you will be using.
information.
● Provide some background information
● Participants’ meanings—In the entire about the strategy, such as its discipline
qualitative research process, the origin, the applications of it, and a brief
researcher keeps a focus on learning definition of it
the meaning that the participants hold
about the problem or issue, not the ● Discuss why it is an appropriate strategy
meaning that the researchers bring to to use in the proposed study.
the research or writers express in the
literature ● Identify how the use of the strategy will
shape the types of questions asked (the
form of data collection, the steps of data
analysis, and the final narrative.)
The Researcher‘s Role ● the investigator may collect qualitative
documents. These may be public
● Qualitative research is interpretive documents (e.g., newspapers, minutes
research, with the inquirer typically of meetings, official reports) or private
involved in a sustained and intensive documents (e.g., personal journals and
experience with participants. diaries, letters, e-mails).

● Indicate steps taken to obtain ● Qualitative audio and visual materials.

permission from the Institutional Review This data may take the form of
Board to protect the rights of human photographs, art objects, videotapes, or
participants. any forms of sound.

● It is important to gain access to research

or archival sites by seeking the approval
of gatekeepers, individuals at the Data Analysis and Interpretation
research site that provide access to the
site and allow or permit the research to ● It is an ongoing process involving
be done. continual reflection about the data,
asking analytic questions, and writing
memos throughout the study.
Data Collection Procedure ● Data analysis involves collecting open-
ended data, based on asking general
● The data collection steps include setting questions and developing an analysis
the boundaries for the study, collecting from the information supplied by
information through unstructured or participants.
semistructured observations and
interviews, documents, and visual ● the researcher collects qualitative data,
materials, as well as establishing the analyzes it for themes or perspectives,
protocol for recording information. and reports 4-5 themes

● Identify the purposefully selected sites

or individuals for the proposed study.
The idea behind qualitative research is Levels in Interpretation
to purposefully select participants or
sites (or documents or visual material) ● Organize and prepare the data for
that will best help the researcher analysis. This involves transcribing
understand the problem and the interviews, optically scanning material,
research question. typing up field notes, or sorting and
arranging the data into different types
● Indicate the type or types of data to be depending on the sources of
collected. In many qualitative studies, information.
inquirers collect multiple forms of data:
● Read through all the data. A first step is
● Observations, Interviews, Documents & to obtain a general sense of the
Audio-Visual Materials. information and to reflect on its overall
meaning.

● Begin detailed analysis with a coding

Qualitative Data process. Coding is the process of
organizing the material into chunks or
● Qualitative observations are those in segments of text before bringing
which the researcher takes field notes meaning to information.
on the behavior and activities of
individuals at the research site.

● Qualitative interviews, the researcher Reliability, Validity & Generalizability

conducts face-to-face interviews with
participants, interviews participants by ● Qualitative validity means that the
telephone, or engages in focus group researcher checks for the accuracy of
interviews, with six to eight interviewees the findings by employing certain
in each group. procedures,
● While qualitative reliability indicates
that the researcher’s approach is
consistent across different researchers
and different projects