Module A: Qualitative Research
Chapter 1:
Inductive Observation à pattern à hypothesis à look at theory (Bottom up)
Deductive Start with theory à hypothesis à observation à confirmation (precise and
well ordered system)
Emic: Insider perspective
Etic: Outsider perspective
What is qualitative research: Understanding the mean people have constructed; being
how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have
Data: How do we get knowledge?
Qualitative researchers looking for meaning: Methods for questioning interpretation
- Interviews
- Ethnography
- Case studies
- Document analysis
Quantitative researchers looking for truth; methods for collecting frequency
- Surveys
- Polls
- Questionnaires
- Content analysis
Interpretivist approach to world
- Data is constructed with participants
- Data is expressed in language
- “Subjective”
- Seeking evidence of meaning
Positivist approach to the world
- Data is constructed from ‘real world’
- Data is expressed in numbers
- “Objective”
- Seeking evidence of frequency
, Qualitative researchers according to Merriam are interested in understanding how
individuals interpret their experiences, construct their worlds, attribute meaning to their
encounters
Chapter 2 – Merriam et al 2014: A guide to design and implementation
2.1 research categories
Basic research Applied research
- Motivation: driven by curiosity or - Motivation: Focused on solving
intellectual interest in practical problems or improving
understanding a phenomenon the quality of practices in a
- Goal: To increase/extend specific field
knowledge about the - Goal: Apply knowledge gained to
fundamentals of a subject address specific challenges or
- Nature: Theoretical; aims to improve processes, products,
gather new information without a technology, etc
specific application in mind - Nature: Practical; seeks to find
- E.g. solutions that can be
– Understanding laws of physics implemented in real world
– Exploring historical events - E.g.
– Improving educational methods
– Developing new medical
treatments
Aligned with ‘applied research’
Evaluation research: Collects data or evidence on the worth or value of a program,
process, technique.
Action research: Has its goal to address a specific problem within a specific setting
such as a classroom, a workplace, or program.
4 qualitative approaches summarized:
Type Purpose Type Reality
Positivist / Predict, control, - Quasi- Objective, external,
post generalize: experiments out there
positivist to find objective - Surveys
truths and build - Experiments
knowledge by - Observational
testing theories studies
Interpretive Describe, - Phenomenology - Multiple
/ understand, - Ethnography: realities
constructive interpret: learning about - Context
to understand the one’s culture by bound
subjective spending time with
meanings and them
complex realities - Hermeneutic:
behind the Interpreting &
numbers.
Chapter 1:
Inductive Observation à pattern à hypothesis à look at theory (Bottom up)
Deductive Start with theory à hypothesis à observation à confirmation (precise and
well ordered system)
Emic: Insider perspective
Etic: Outsider perspective
What is qualitative research: Understanding the mean people have constructed; being
how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have
Data: How do we get knowledge?
Qualitative researchers looking for meaning: Methods for questioning interpretation
- Interviews
- Ethnography
- Case studies
- Document analysis
Quantitative researchers looking for truth; methods for collecting frequency
- Surveys
- Polls
- Questionnaires
- Content analysis
Interpretivist approach to world
- Data is constructed with participants
- Data is expressed in language
- “Subjective”
- Seeking evidence of meaning
Positivist approach to the world
- Data is constructed from ‘real world’
- Data is expressed in numbers
- “Objective”
- Seeking evidence of frequency
, Qualitative researchers according to Merriam are interested in understanding how
individuals interpret their experiences, construct their worlds, attribute meaning to their
encounters
Chapter 2 – Merriam et al 2014: A guide to design and implementation
2.1 research categories
Basic research Applied research
- Motivation: driven by curiosity or - Motivation: Focused on solving
intellectual interest in practical problems or improving
understanding a phenomenon the quality of practices in a
- Goal: To increase/extend specific field
knowledge about the - Goal: Apply knowledge gained to
fundamentals of a subject address specific challenges or
- Nature: Theoretical; aims to improve processes, products,
gather new information without a technology, etc
specific application in mind - Nature: Practical; seeks to find
- E.g. solutions that can be
– Understanding laws of physics implemented in real world
– Exploring historical events - E.g.
– Improving educational methods
– Developing new medical
treatments
Aligned with ‘applied research’
Evaluation research: Collects data or evidence on the worth or value of a program,
process, technique.
Action research: Has its goal to address a specific problem within a specific setting
such as a classroom, a workplace, or program.
4 qualitative approaches summarized:
Type Purpose Type Reality
Positivist / Predict, control, - Quasi- Objective, external,
post generalize: experiments out there
positivist to find objective - Surveys
truths and build - Experiments
knowledge by - Observational
testing theories studies
Interpretive Describe, - Phenomenology - Multiple
/ understand, - Ethnography: realities
constructive interpret: learning about - Context
to understand the one’s culture by bound
subjective spending time with
meanings and them
complex realities - Hermeneutic:
behind the Interpreting &
numbers.
