Qualitative research

About: Qualitative research is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 39957 publications have been published within this topic receiving 2390470 citations. The topic is also known as: Qualitative method.

Interviews in qualitative research.

Abstract: Interviews are a common method of data collection in nursing research. They are frequently used alone in a qualitative study or combined with other data collection methods in mixed or multi-method research. Semi-structured interviews, where the researcher has some predefined questions or topics but then probes further as the participant responds, can produce powerful data that provide insights into the participants' experiences, perceptions or opinions.

How to read a paper: Papers that go beyond numbers (qualitative research)

Abstract: Epidemiologist Nick Black has argued that a finding or a result is more likely to be accepted as a fact if it is quantified (expressed in numbers) than if it is not1 There is little or no scientific evidence, for example, to support the well known “facts” that one couple in 10 is infertile, or that one man in 10 is homosexual Yet, observes Black, most of us are happy to accept uncritically such simplified, reductionist, and blatantly incorrect statements so long as they contain at least one number Researchers who use qualitative methods seek a deeper truth They aim to “study things in their natural setting, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them,”2 and they use “a holistic perspective which preserves the complexities of human behaviour”1 #### Summary points Qualitative methods aim to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them Qualitative research may define preliminary questions which can then be addressed in quantitative studies A good qualitative study will address a clinical problem through a clearly formulated question and using more than one research method (triangulation) Analysis of qualitative data can and should be done using explicit, systematic, and reproducible methods Questions such as “How many parents would consult their general practitioner when their child has a mild temperature?” or “What proportion of smokers have tried to give up?” clearly need answering through quantitative methods But questions like “Why do parents worry so much about their children's temperature?” and “What stops people giving up smoking?” cannot and should not be answered by leaping in and measuring the first aspect of the problem that we (the outsiders) think might be important Rather, we need to listen to what people have to say, …

Philosophy of Educational Research

Abstract: Foreword to Third Edition 1. Setting the scene: criticisms of educational research 2. Doing philosophy: defining what you mean 3. The focus of educational research: practice and policy 4. Research methods: philosophical issues they raise 5. Quantitative and qualitative research: a false dualism 6. Key concepts and recurring conflicts 7. Competing philosophical positions 8. Research into practice: action and practitioner research 9. Quality of educational research 10. Ethical dimensions to educational research 11. Political context of educational research 12. Conclusion: the nature and future of educational research Bibliography Index

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