Showing papers on "Qualitative research published in 1998"

Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions.

Abstract: This book explores the philosophical underpinnings, history and key elements of five qualitative inquiry traditions: biography, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case study. John W Creswell relates research designs to each of the traditions of inquiry and compares each of the research strategies for theoretical frameworks, writing introduction to studies, collecting data, analyzing data, writing the narrative, and employing standards of quality and verifying results. Five journal articles in the appendix offer fascinating reading as well as examples of the five different qualitative designs.

Qualitative research and case study applications in education

Abstract: THE DESIGN OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 1 What is Qualitative Research? 2 Case Studies as Qualtitative Research 3 Designing the Study and Selecting a Sample COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA 4 Conducting Effective Interviews 5 Being a Careful Observer 6 Mining Data from Documents 7 Collecting Data in Case Studies ANALYZING AND REPORTING QUALITATIVE DATA 8 Analytic Techniques and Data Management 9 Levels of Analysis 10 Dealing with Validity, Reliability and Ethics 11 Writing Reports and Case Studies

An Introduction to Qualitative Research

Abstract: PART ONE: FRAMEWORK Guide to this Book Qualitative Research: Why And How to Do It Qualitative and Quantitative Research Approaches to Qualitative Research Ethics of Qualitative Research PART TWO: THEORY IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Using the Existing Literature Theories Underlying Qualitative Research Texts as Data in Qualitative Research PART THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN Designing Qualitative Research The Qualitative Research Process Research Questions Entering the Field Sampling Triangulation PART FOUR: VERBAL DATA Collecting Verbal Data Interviews Focus Groups Using Narrative Data PART FIVE: DATA BEYOND TALK Collecting Data Beyond Talk Observation and Ethnography Visual Data: Photography, Film & Video Using Documents as Data PART SIX: QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS Qualitative Data Analysis Transcription and Data Management Grounded Theory Coding Thematic Coding and Content Analysis Naturally Occuring Data: Conversation, Discourse, and Hermeneutic Analysis Using Software in Qualitative Data Analysis PART SEVEN: GROUNDING, WRITING AND OUTLOOK Quality of Qualitative Research: Criteria and Beyond Writing Qualitative Research State of the Art and the Future

The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research Projects

Abstract: Introduction Part one: Strategies Surveys Case studies Internet research Experiments Action research Ethnography Phenomenology Grounded theory Part two: Methods Questionnaires Interviews Observation Documents Part three: Analysis Quantitative data Qualitative data Writing up the research References Index.

Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches

Abstract: Introduction Some Central Issues Research Questions From Research Questions to Data Quantitative Research Design Collecting Quantitative Data The Analysis of Quantitative Data Design in Qualitative Research Collecting Qualitative Data The Analysis of Qualitative Data Mixed Methods and Evaluative Criteria Research Writing

The basics of social research

Abstract: Part I: AN INTRODUCTION TO INQUIRY 1 Human Inquiry and Science 2 Paradigms, Theory, and Research 3 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research Part II: THE STRUCTURING OF INQUIRY: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE 4 Research Design 5 Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement 6 Indexes, Scales, and Typologies 7 The Logic of Sampling Part III: MODES OF OBSERVATION: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE 8 Experiments 9 Survey Research 10 Qualitative Field Research 11 Unobtrusive Research 12 Evaluation Research Part IV: ANALYSIS OF DATA:QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE 13 Qualitative Data Analysis 14 Quantitative Data Analysis 15 Reading and Writing Social Research Appendix A Using the Library Appendix B Random Numbers Appendix C Distribution of Chi Square Appendix D Normal Curve Areas Appendix E Estimated Sampling Error

Practical Strategies for Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Applications to Health Research

Abstract: This article describes a series of research designs for combining qualitative and quantitative methods, using a Priority-Sequence Model that relies on the principle of complementarity. First, a decision about the priority of the two methods selects either a qualitative or a quantitative approach to be the principal method. Second, a decision about sequencing determines whether the complementary method will serve as either a preliminary or a follow-up to the principal method. These two decisions yield four basic research designs: (a) preliminary qualitative methods in a quantitative study, (b) preliminary quantitative methods in a qualitative study, (c) follow-up qualitative methods in a quantitative study, and (d) follow-up quantitative methods in a qualitative study. The conclusions consider further research designs and the expertise necessary for multiple-methods research.

Research methods in education and psychology : integratingdiversity with quantitative & qualitative approaches

Abstract: Focused on providing as full a picture as possible of what is considered to be 'good' research, this book explains quantitative and qualitative methods, and incorporates the viewpoints of various research paradigms into the descriptions of these methods. Donna M Mertens not only covers two standard paradigms (postpositivist and interpretive//constructivist) but also explores a relative newcomer, the emancipatory paradigm, that is inclusive of the perspectives of feminists, ethnic//racial minorities and persons with disabilities. In each chapter, Donna M Mertens carefully explains a step of the research process through the literature review, research method and analysis to reporting the research. Each chapter: opens with examples and lists of topics to consider; contains sample studies to illustrate key ideas; has sequence steps to guide one through the research process; and has a question and answer section to elicit further reflection on the material covered.

Successfully completing case study research: combining rigour, relevance and pragmatism

Abstract: The organizational and social issues associated with the development, implementation and use of computer-based information systems have increasingly attracted the attention of information systems researchers. Interest in qualitative research methods such as action research, case study research and ethnography, which focus on understanding social phenomena in their natural setting, has consequently grown. Case study research is the most widely used qualitative research method in information systems research, and is well suited to understanding the interactions between information technology-related innovations and organizational contexts. Although case study research is useful as a means of studying information systems development and use in the field, there can be practical difficulties associated with attempting to undertake case studies as a rigorous and effective method of research. This paper addresses a number of these difficulties and offers some practical guidelines for successfully completing case study research. The paper focuses on the pragmatics of conducting case study research, and draws from the discussion at a panel session conducted by the authors at the 8th Australasian Conference on Information Systems, September 1997 (ACIS 97), from the authors' practical experiences, and from the case study research literature.

Using Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research

Abstract: Offering a broad description of qualitative research, this book facilitates the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in organizational research. It examines the methods and tactics for both generating and testing management theories, including guidelines for deciding whether to use qualitative methods and overviews of four specific research designs. It describes how qualitative data is collected and analyzed and when and how to quantitatively analyze qualitative data. The author articulates the critical roles for reliability and validity and in the final chapter offers conclusions and recommendations for writing articles that report qualitative studies.

Rationale and Standards for the Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature in Health Services Research

Abstract: Despite growing recognition of the need for qualitative methods in health services research, there have been few attempts to define quality standards for assessing the results. This article acknowledges the desirability of a plurality of standards. However, it is argued that three interrelated criteria can be identified as the foundation of good qualitative health research: interpretation of subjective meaning, description of social context, and attention to lay knowledge. These criteria can be examined in relation to different dimensions of any research report, including theoretical basis, sampling strategy, scope of data collection, description of data collected, and concern with generalizability or typicality. But if the concern is with the appropriateness of care and with understanding the factors that shape lay and clinical behavior, then these criteria must form the basis of a hierarchy of qualitative research evidence.

Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research: Challenges and Rewards

Abstract: Introduction The Researcher as Instrument Getting Started Choosing a Topic and Designing the Study Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Entering the Field and Sampling Strategies Data Collection Data Management and Analysis Rigor and Relevance in Qualitative Research Telling the Story Writing Up the Qualitative Study Multimethod Research The Synergy of Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods Epilogue Qualitative Methods in Social Work Education: Toward Developing an Infrastructure

Collecting and analysing qualitative data: issues raised by the focus group

Abstract: The focus group has gained considerable popularity as a means of gathering qualitative data in nursing research. This paper examines some of the methodological issues raised by the collection and analysis of focus group data. In respect of data collection, the role of the focus group moderator and the method of recording data are crucial considerations. In particular, the moderator's personal skills and attributes have a considerable influence on the nature and quality of the data gathered. When analysing the data, three principal issues arise. First, it is difficult, and probably misguided, to attempt to infer an attitudinal consensus from focus group data. An apparent conformity of view is an emergent property of the group interaction, not a reflection of individual participants' opinions. Second, measuring strength of opinion from focus group data is problematic. The indicators used to measure attitudes in orthodox survey research are largely inapplicable to the context of focus groups. When comparing data from different focus groups, inferences may be drawn as to the presence of absence of certain views or issues across groups, but not in terms of their relative strength. Third, both methodological and epistemological objections can be raised against attempts to generalize from focus group data. Theoretical generalization is likely to be more feasible than empirical generalization, and if the latter is considered fruitful, it is likely to be of a provisional nature. The effective use of focus groups as a means of gathering qualitative data in nursing research requires due attention to problematic methodological issues such as those explored in this paper.

Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction

Abstract: Preface PART ONE: THEORY AND DESIGN Qualitative Research An Introduction Theory in Research Approaches to the Use of Theoretical Perspectives Research Design Issues PART TWO: TECHNIQUES OF DATA COLLECTION Interviewing Observation PART THREE: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES Library-Based Methods Field-Based Methods Action-Based Methods PART FOUR: INTERPRETATION, ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA Interpretation and Analysis Computer-Assisted Analysis Presentation of Data

Investigating the social world : the process and practice of research

Abstract: Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. SCIENCE, SOCIETY, AND SOCIAL RESEARCH LEARNING ABOUT THE SOCIAL WORLD THE SOCIAL SCIENCE APPROACH SOCIAL RESEARCH GOALS STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS Chapter 2. THE PROCESS AND PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH SOCIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS SOCIAL RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS SOCIAL RESEARCH STRATEGIES SOCIAL RESEARCH ETHICS SOCIAL RESEARCH PROPOSALS, PART I CONCLUSIONS Chapter 3. THEORIES AND PHILOSOPHIES FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH THE ORIGINS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIAL SCIENCE SOCIAL RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES EXTENDING SOCIAL SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS CONCLUSIONS Chapter 4. CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT CONCEPTS MEASUREMENT OPERATIONS LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT EVALUATING MEASURES CONCLUSIONS Chapter 5. SAMPLING SAMPLE PLANNING SAMPLING METHODS SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS CONCLUSIONS Chapter 6. CAUSATION AND RESEARCH DESIGN TIME ORDER AND RESEARCH DESIGN UNITS OF ANALYSIS AND ERRORS IN CAUSAL REASONING THE MEANING OF EXPLANATION RESEARCH DESIGNS AND CRITERIA FOR CAUSAL EXPLANATION CONCLUSIONS Chapter 7. EXPERIMENTS TRUE EXPERIMENTS QUASI-EXPERIMENTS NON-EXPERIMENTS VALIDITY IN EXPERIMENTS COMBINING METHODS ETHICAL ISSUES IN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS Chapter 8. SURVEY RESEARCH SURVEY RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES WRITING QUESTIONS DESIGNING QUESTIONNAIRES ORGANIZING SURVEYS COMBINING METHODS ETHICAL ISSUES IN SURVEY RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS Chapter 9. QUALITATIVE METHODS: OBSERVING, PARTICIPATING, LISTENING FUNDAMENTALS OF QUALITATIVE METHODS PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATION INTENSIVE INTERVIEWING FOCUS GROUPS ETHICAL ISSUES IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS Chapter 10. EVALUATION RESEARCH BACKGROUND EVALUATION BASICS EVALUATION FOCI DESIGN ALTERNATIVES ETHICS IN EVALUATION CONCLUSIONS Chapter 11. HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE METHODS OVERVIEW OF COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL METHODS HISTORICAL SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS COMPARATIVE SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SPECIAL TECHNIQUES SECONDARY DATA SOURCES ETHICAL ISSUES IN COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL RESEARCH NEW REFERENCES Chapter 12. DATA ANALYSIS INTRODUCING STATISTICS PREPARING DATA FOR ANALYSIS DISPLAYING UNIVARIATE DISTRIBUTIONS SUMMARIZING UNIVARIATE DISTRIBUTIONS ANALYZING DATA ETHICALLY: HOW NOT TO LIE WITH STATISTICS CROSSTABULATING VARIABLES REGRESSING VARIABLES ANALYZING DATA ETHICALLY: HOW NOT TO LIE ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS CONCLUSIONS Chapter 13. QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS AND CONTENT ANALYSIS FEATURES OF QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OF QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS ALTERNATIVES IN QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS COMPUTER ASSISTED QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS CONTENT ANALYSIS ETHICS IN QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS Chapter 14. Reporting Research Proposing New Research, Part II Case Study: Treating Substance Abuse Comparing Research Designs Writing Research Reporting Research Ethics. Politics and Research Reports Conclusions REFERENCES APPENDIX A: SUMMARIES OF FREQUENTLY CITED RESEARCH ARTICLES APPENDIX B: QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT A RESEARCH ARTICLE APPENDIX C: HOW TO READ A RESEARCH ARTICLE APPENDIX D: FINDING INFORMATION APPENDIX E: TABLE OF RANDOM NUMBERS APPENDIX F: HOW TO USE A STATISTICAL PACKAGE APPENDIX G: HOW TO USE A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS PACKAGE APPENDIX H: ANNOTATED LIST OF WEB SITES

Studying Children in Context: Theories, Methods, and Ethics

Abstract: The art and science of doing qualitative research involving children is the subject of this book. Elizabeth Graue and Daniel Walsh discuss the research process, dealing succinctly with generic issues but emphasizing where work with children presents its own particular challenges. Part One looks across the research enterprise, conceptualizing it as an holistic activity. Part Two focuses on fieldwork, and the final part examines the interpretive and reporting aspects of qualitative research.

Qualitative research and evidence based medicine

Abstract: Qualitative research may seem unscientific and anecdotal to many medical scientists. However, as the critics of evidence based medicine are quick to point out, medicine itself is more than the application of scientific rules.1 Clinical experience, based on personal observation, reflection, and judgment, is also needed to translate scientific results into treatment of individual patients.2 Personal experience is often characterised as being anecdotal, ungeneralisable, and a poor basis for making scientific decisions. However, it is often a more powerful persuader than scientific publication in changing clinical practice,3-5 as illustrated by the occasional series “A patient who changed my practice” in the BMJ. 6 In an attempt to widen the scope of evidence based medicine, recent workshops have included units on other subjects, including economic analysis and qualitative research.7 However, to do so is to move beyond the discipline of clinical epidemiology that underpins evidence based medicine. Qualitative research, in particular, addresses research questions that are different from those considered by clinical epidemiology. Qualitative research can investigate practitioners' and patients' attitudes, beliefs, and preferences, and the whole question of how evidence is turned into practice. The value of qualitative methods lies in their ability to pursue systematically the kinds of research questions that are not easily answerable by experimental methods. We use the example of asthma treatment to illustrate how qualitative methods can broaden the scope of evidence based medicine. Although there is consensus over evidence based practice in the treatment of asthma,8 questions remain about general practitioners' use of clinical guidelines and patients' use of prescribed medication.9 #### Summary points Qualitative methods can help bridge the gap between scientific evidence and clinical practice …

Computer analysis and qualitative research

Abstract: Introduction Computer Analysis and Qualitative Research Approaches to Qualitative Data Analysis Why Use Computers in Qualitative Research? Managing Data in CAQDAS Analytic Pathologies Manipulating Coding Categories Computer Analysis and Qualitative Research New Directions The Evolution of Qualitative Data Analysis

Physical Activity and Minority Women: A Qualitative Study

Abstract: Few physical activity research studies have been conducted with minority women. The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of physical activity among minority women. Focus groups were conducted with volunteers older than age 40. Each group was led by a trained moderator familiar with the ethnic community targeted. The sessions were audiotaped and professionally transcribed. Constructs were researched and codes were developed. Data were analyzed using NUD*IST qualitative analysis program. While participants did not identify themselves as "exercisers," they indicated they got enough physical activity from caregiving, housekeeping, and workday activities. The most common environmental barriers to becoming more physically active included safety, availability, and cost. Personal barriers included lack of time, health concerns, and lack of motivation. Results indicate the importance of terminology and assessment when conducting physical activity research in these populations. Also, results suggest many barriers are changeable with policies and interventions.

Qualitative research: meanings or practices?

Abstract: With information systems (IS), as in other social sciences, the critique of quantitative research can lead to an oversimplified opposition between ‘positivism’ and ‘interpretivism’. This is one reason why qualitative IS research sometimes unnecessarily limits itself to the study of participants' meanings. A simple tabulation of published qualitative research is used to reveal the predominance of interview‐based studies in both sociology and IS. This is followed by a brief account of the limits of both quantitative studies of ‘objective’ variables and qualitative studies of ‘subjective meanings’. The emerging case for IS research on organizational practices is set out, coupled with an account of Suchman's (1987) study of how workers make use of a computer‐based system attached to a photocopier. The paper concludes with a call for an end to paradigm wars in organizational studies.

Positioning qualitative market research: reflections from theory and practice

Abstract: Discusses a number of important issues pertaining to the domain of qualitative market research. Attempts to define what qualitative research is about and discuss some of the difficulties involved in coming up with a clear definition of the qualitative paradigm. Suggests a number of issues relating to theory and practice that warrant the existence of a new journal devoted specifically to qualitative market research. Concludes with a discussion of validity and reliability in the context of qualitative research.

A critical examination of the use of interpreters in the qualitative research process

Abstract: (1998). A critical examination of the use of interpreters in the qualitative research process. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 197-208.

The Data are Out there, or are They? Implications for Archiving and Revisiting Qualitative Data:

Abstract: The usefulness of archived qualitative data has been questioned where contextual information surrounding the conditions of its production is not provided. It has been assumed that, without this bac...

Peer Debriefing in Qualitative Research: Emerging Operational Models:

Abstract: Using a qualitative research methodology detailed by Lincoln and Guba, peer debriefing sessions were examined by interviewing education graduate students who completed dissertations and who partici...

Mixing Qualitative Methods: Quality Assurance or Qualitative Quagmire?

Abstract: Although the advisability of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches has been questioned on the grounds of incompatibility of epistemological assumptions that underpin the two paradigms, mixing methods within the qualitative paradigm has been viewed as a more straightforward enterprise. This article challenges this view, highlighting the existence of several qualitative traditions, each with its own distinctive set of assumptions about what constitutes appropriate research questions; theoretical frameworks; research settings; relationships with those whom we study; techniques for eliciting data; form and content of data; and approaches to analyzing, presenting, and disseminating data. Multimethod qualitative approaches can be seen to occupy a contested domain. Analytical rigor would be strengthened by acknowledging and addressing the potentially contradictory assumptions on which one draws when seeking to combine qualitative methods. As qualitative researchers, it is incumbent on us to pay attention to context--not just in terms of the data collected but in terms of our own methodological positions.

Journal Writing as a Qualitative Research Technique: History, Issues, and Reflections.

Abstract: The author is writing this article as a journal to show how a journal may be used as a qualitative research technique in long-term qualitative studies. The history of journal writing within the context of the arts and humanities is described to illuminate our understanding of the tradition of this type of writing. For qualitative researchers, the act of journal writing may be incorporated into the research process to provide a data set of the researcher’s reflections on the research act. Participants in qualitative studies may also use journals to refine ideas, beliefs, and their own responses to the research in progress. Finally, journal writing between participants and researcher may offer the qualitative researcher yet another opportunity for triangulation of data sets at multiple levels: first, the interdisciplinary triangulation of journal writing as a trope of literature, and second, data triangulation in terms of journal writing of the researcher, participants, and interaction between both.