Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research

QUALMET Module 2

Content

I.            Historical Perspective of Research

II.           What makes Qualitative Research Good Research?

III.          Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

IV.         Becoming Qualitative Researchers

Poll

Technology is _____ for qualitative research

• THREAT

• OPPORTUNITY

There are three immense changes happening right now

• Digital revolution

• Explosion of academic theories

• Emergence of big data is making qualitative research imperative

History of Qualitative Research

Pre-1946

Tom Harrisson, Charles Madge and Humphrey Jennings founded the Mass-Observation movement that pioneered an anthropological approach that is echoed today in the use of various ethnographic techniques

Paul Felix Lazarsfeld (1901–1976)

- set up the Austrian Forschungsstelle (Research Agency) in 1925, arguably the world’s first market research company

Paul Felix Lazarsfeld (1901–1976)

• managed to advise in favour of depth interviewing, probing for answers to ‘why?’ questions, and psychological interpretation, and even hinted at the value of developing a topic guide, at a time when ‘questionnaire’ was the only term available

1946-1959

• The Ernest Dichter age.

• Dichter founded his Institute for Motivational Research in 1946

• The term “social research” has come to identify a great deal of work in advertising, also known as motivation research, and is often intended to designate research using projective techniques

• Brown (1955) credits psychology as making a contribution to marketing research in the provision of techniques for analysing the basic and more fundamental motives which lie behind marketing behaviour

• Dichter was successful that the journalist Vance Packard was prompted to write The Hidden Persuaders

Ernest Dichter (1907–1991)

• His contribution to advertising, particularly in the American context

• For the present purposes, it is important to recognise three aspects of Dichter’s output: first, that it is rooted in (Freudian) psychoanalysis, and the post-Freudian psychotherapy of Alfred Adler and the Gestaltists, such as Karl Bühler; second, that motivational research relies on insightful interpretation (for which Freud and Adler had provided the core interpretative model); and, third, that an end objective of marketing success is intended.

Motivation Research

as introduced into the UK in the preceding decade, depended heavily on procedures and interpretations rooted in psychoanalysis and post-Freudian psychotherapy. Projective techniques featured heavily, and it had always been argued that these should be entrusted only to trained psychologists: ‘some competent users of projective techniques say all interviewing in connection with these methods must be done by experienced clinical psychologists

1960s

• On 12 October 1960, Ernest Dichter, the great populariser of motivational research, gave a lecture in London, sponsored by the MRS, entitled ‘The use of projective techniques’

• Dichter was required to deal with the question ‘Why must we ask why?’ – a question that appears to resurface from time to time, and seems currently to be troubling enthusiasts for ‘big data’

• Dichter installed Bill Schlackman at his UK operation, the Motivational Research Centre, at the start of the decade

1970s

"Qual versus Quant" argument raised.

As late as 1977, commercial research proposals were telling the client what the psychologist would do in the group discussion, rather than what the moderator would do

The establishment of qualitative research legitimacy, and thus the trigger for the 1980s expansion, owes much, if not most, to the Schlackman Research Organisation

1980s

Notable financial turnover was achieved by The Research Business, headed by Wendy Gordon and Colleen Ryan, which, in the Market Research Society (MRS) Yearbook for 1988, was able to declare ‘The Research Business is the most successful of the new generation of research companies.’

Also of note was the Strategic Research Group, led by Roddy Glen and Barry Ross, with a strong line in the knowledgeable interpretation of advertising research

From the 1990s to the present

• Qualitative research is normally recognizable via the use of methods that include, at least, in-depth interview and group-moderation techniques; researchers who offer expertise and knowledge to cover the procedures they use and the interpretations they derive; a particular objective to answer ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ questions; and an agency context (either commercial or academic) through which sundry clients can obtain such work and services

• The volume of qualitative research work – under both ‘consumer’ and ‘social’ research labels – undertaken by market research companies nowadays is very substantial

What makes Qualitative Research Good Research?

• -      Choosing the research topic

  -      Defining the research question

  -      Justifying the research appropriateness

  -      Outlining the research design

  -      Choosing the sample and sampling strategy

  -      Methods of data collection

  -      Data analysis

  -      Applying consideration to research ethics

  -      Demonstrating data trustworthiness

  -      Reflexivity

What makes Qualitative Research Good Research?

Research Topic

The selection of a research topic in qualitative research is heavily reliant on the researcher’s views of his world.

Once the research topic has been picked, then the researcher must be transparent about why the topic was chosen in the first place.

A well-selected research topic to be investigated as well as clear details as to why it was chosen along with a detailed account of the researcher’s reflexivity in the process, lays bare before the eyes of readers of qualitative work compelling reasons to consider the research as good qualitative research

Research Question

The researcher needs to clearly spell out a soundly constructed and designed research question/hypothesis

Theory

Theory in qualitative research acts as an initial guide, for instance, to the adoption of the research design, which guides the data collection process as well as the kind of data collection techniques the researcher intends to use

Qualitative Research Design

Well-articulated qualitative research spells out in very simple language, the research design that the research will embrace, coupled with the detailed rationalized method criterion the research will employ and how the data gathered will be analysed

Sampling

Sampling in qualitative research plays a vital role, as the essence of most qualitative researches is to study a phenomenon in its natural setting. It has been suggested that sampling in qualitative research helps the researcher to identify persons or localities rich in information and can be studied in much depth.

Data Collection Methods

The availability of such different methodological techniques for exploring the phenomenon affords the researcher an opportunity to collect an abundant amount of information which would help to lessen bias and enhance data credibility in the research.

Data Analysis

During this stage of the research process, it is again incumbent upon the researcher to be transparent, and to be able to provide ample information about the journey from data to conclusions.

Ethical Considerations

Research can present risks to participants therefore the researcher has an obligation to ensure that their wellbeing is safeguarded throughout the research process.

Ethical considerations will be discussed under three ethical principles which include; (1) respect for person, (2) beneficence, and non-maleficence, and (3) justice.

Data Trustworthiness

Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) framework, which is frequently cited for evaluating naturalistic work or other frameworks can used to guide the development of rigor in the qualitative aspects of a research study.

Lincoln and Guba (1985) identified 4 criteria to judge the validity and reliability (more commonly referred to as trustworthiness) of the

qualitative data produced. These include: credibility (internal validity), transferability external validity/generalisation), dependability (reliability), and confirmability (objectivity)

Lincoln and Guba's framework

• Credibility refers to the accuracy of findings and how the researcher attempts to demonstrate that a true picture of the phenomenon being investigated is presented

• Transferability refers to how well the findings fit outside the study situation

• Dependability refers to the stability of the research findings and the researcher’s attempt to account for any changing condition in the phenomenon of study, design, or methodology as appropriate

• Confirmability refers to the steps taken by the researcher to demonstrate that findings emerge from the data and not their own predispositions.

Reflexivity

Reflexivity is a concept of qualitative research rigor, which provides direction for researchers to be aware of bias and control by making an explicit quest to limit the researcher’s effects on the data through self-awareness.

Multiple Choice

He managed to advise in favour of depth interviewing, probing for answers to ‘why?’ questions

• Paul Feliz Lazarfield

• Ernest Dichter

Multiple Choice

It refers to how well the findings fit outside the study situation

• Credibility

• Transferability

• Dependability

• Confirmability

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

• The researcher-participant relationship

• Research design

• Data gathering and data analysis

What are the values that a Qualitative Researcher must posses?

Go to PollEv.com/kateesguerra732

How to become a qualitatve researcher?

Becoming a Qualitative Researcher: A Narrative Account of Conducting My First Qualitative Study Involving In-depth Life History Interviews

Dr. Molefe Coper Joseph 

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted"

Albert Einstein