QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION
QUAN data inquiry 2 phases:
data collection & data analysis
QUAL data inquiry Flexible Emergent Thus, circular & overlap
QUAL data can come from many
sources Transformed into textual form 2 main characteristics of QUAL data set: Tendency to become increasingly long Unfocussed and heterogeneous
Bulky & messy Challenge: to generate useful data Focus on an in-depth understanding
of the ‘meaning in the particular’ Field notes, transcripts, documents Processing data involves a lot of work
Less systematic & standardised QUAL research focuses on describing,
understanding and clarifying a human experience Main goal of sampling is to find individuals – provide rich and varied insights into phenomenon under investigation Purposeful or purposive sampling
Sampling ď‚—Describe the sampling parameters
(participants, settings, events, processes) ď‚—In line with the purpose of the study
Terms Iteration (p. 136) Saturation (p. 127) Sample size (p. 127)
Sampling strategies Homogeneous (p.
127) Typical (p. 128) Criterion Maximum variation Extreme or deviant
Critical case Snowball or
chain (p. 129) Opportunistic Convenience
Within-case sampling Need to extend sampling plan to include
‘wcs’ selecting data from the potentially available data pool concerning a participant To make regular decisions about when and how to collect data from a particular respondent
Ethnography research Branch of anthropology that involves trying to understand how people live their lives. Unlike traditional market researchers, who ask specific, highly practical questions, anthropological researchers visit consumers in their homes or offices to observe and listen in a nondirected way.
Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2UyJWwOWnA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBIdwhrnIZw
Main features Focusing on participant meaning Participants’ subjective interpretation is crucial to understanding specific culture Prolonged engagement in the natural setting Researcher immerses oneself in the culture and spends an extended period living there Emergent nature Exact focus of research will evolve contextually and emerge ‘in situ’
Main phases A complex process or ‘getting in’ and ‘getting
out’ 1.Enter a strange environment 2.Set the routines – nonparticipant observation Start analysing initial ideas and concepts 3. Acculturation completes & researcher feels ‘at home’ 4. Withdrawal – data analysis and collect additional data
Strengths p.133
Weaknesses
Interviews P. 134-143 Single or multiple sessions Structured Unstructured Semi-structured
Strengths p.143
Weaknesses
Focus group interviews Characteristics: (p. 144-145) 1.Composition 2.Number or parallel focus groups How to conduct (p.145-146)
Strengths p.146
Weaknesses
Introspective methods Verbal reporting or protocol analysis Individual as the source of information Subsumes different approaches to
help respondents to vocalise what is/was going through heir minds when making a judgement, solving a problem or perfroming a task
Introspective data ď‚—Verbal report ď‚—Verbal protocol
Introspective methods Think-aloud technique (p. 148) Retrospective interview or stimulated
recall (-p. 149) Analysing introspective data (p. 150) S & W (pp. 150-151)
Others Case studies (pp. 151-155) Diary studies (pp. 156-159) Research journals (pp. 159-162)