Com 473--Baldwin—Communication—Illinois State University
Qualitative
Methods—The Logistics
[Lindlof & Taylor, 2002, Chapters 3 & 4]
Updated 8/25/09
Week 3: Objectives:
Students should be able:
Ø
to describe scientific, humanistic, and critical
fields of research
Ø
to differentiate b/t several key terms in
qualitative research
Ø
to articulate the link b/t methodology and
ontology/epistemology
Ø
to articulate the link b/t axiology and
ontology/epistemology
Ø
list and address some of the [supposed]
limitations of qualitative research
REVIEW:
1. Hey Buddy, can
you Paradigm?
Scientific, Humanistic, Critical (in review)
Potter’s summary of Knowledge [from Ch. 3]
Link b/t Qualitative methods and ontology/epistemology [Baldwin’s review of Potter 4 & 5]
2. Terms &
Methods
Summary of terms in qualitative research (
Sources of the Interpretive Paradigm [class exercise, see attached notes/overhead]
PLANNING & GETTING IN
Tracing a
study:
Interracial friendships Whites on “Race” Interracial Couples
DESIGN
- What are some differences in the general structure of research process b/t QT & QL research?
QT control QL unruly
Linear emergent, nonlinear
Deductive (prove hyps) deductive
Integrity of instruments (val/rel) human instrument
Find generalities Each scene unique, dynamic
Goal: “facts” Goal: insightful interpretation
- What are some characteristics of the good qualitative researcher? (p. 67, L&T)
- What are some sources of research ideas, and which of these inform your project (and how)?
Sources
- THEORY
- How does QL use theory cf QT?
- What is “tension” regarding use of theory? (bias vs. enhance sensitivity)
- What are “activity theories” (//grounded theory) and “poaching”?
- How do you know if you should build theory or use theory?
Foreshadowed
Problems
Resonance
Tests
Consolidating
Activities
Research Pass out IRB forms
Proposal Pass out copy of my form on marriages
GETTING IN
Human
Subjects Is it Ethical? [We’ll talk about
this next week!]
Protection
“Access” Some
questions about access
Do I let them know? (+/-)
Reciprocity?
Stance?
Sampling How
many, whom, how selected?
Overhead on sampling?
How do I know which?
COLLECTING DATA
What are the characteristics of a good researcher?
The basically good person?
THE ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER
Lincoln
& Guba, Ch. 8: “Doing What Comes Naturally”
[Sorry! Just to break
up the readings, this reading has been moved until after Labor Day! But I’m
leaving the notes here]
Some preliminary notes:
1. These present a series of choices. For each, you can ask how it might apply to your study, but you also must ask whether it is even appropriate, given your purposes, resources (constraints), and metatheoretical commitments.
2. That is, these choices do represent a specific set of metatheoretical commitments. The degree to which you adopt them will be determined in part by your agreement to those commitments. However, regardless of whether you agree, always ask yourself, “is it useful for my project”?
The terms
Qualitative Methods Which do I choose? How do I know?
Tacit Knowledge Where does it come from?
Bracketing
What is the role of prior theory, research?
Emergent Design What does this mean?
How does it relate to our standard mode?
How does it relate to structure of 473 course?
How can you “sell” it to a committee?
From old Lindlof: 4 types of designs
Linear
Funnel
Cycle
Expanding Frame
Inductive Analysis What is the relation of theory to research?
What are typical steps
Unitizing
Categorizing
“Constant comparative method”
Grounded Theory When would we want grounded theory?
What is the alternative?
Which
do L&G prefer and why?
“patterned, open-ended, extended”
“negative case” development
Problems & critiques? Save for a few weeks!
Sampling (L&T pp. 122 ff; L&G8) Representative/Stratified
Maximum variation
Snowball
Theoretical construct (e.g., Rawlins)
Typical case/extreme case
Critical case (L&G)/sensitive case
Convenience
How
many? redundancy
Serial sampling (emergent design)
How would these relate to textual studies?
Negotiated Outcomes What are they?
How do I get them?
Why (and when) do I want them?
At what point in the study…?
Case Report What is it?
Where does “thick description” occur?
What are the 3 objectives:
--thick description
--axiomatic representation
--vicarious reader experience
Ideographic Representation [p.s. hints of Burrell & Morgan!]
What is link of your report to Verstehen?
Will you provide subjective reality, or intersubjective?
Tentative Application What does this mean?
Why tentative?
Trustworthiness How can you know if it’s a good study? What are new standards for value (we will spend more time on these)?
Questions:
1) What are some of authors assumptions? (Review chapter headings)
2) To what degree do you agree or disagree with these? Defend your answer
3) What in the above do you find useful for YOUR study? (Ah—it’s Journal time!)
Staged Group Exercise
Qualitative Research Methods—COM 473
Stage 2:
Coffeehouse experience
1. Observe for a while. What is a possible topic of research you might engage in at this site?
2. Frame either a hypothesis or a research question.
RQs versus Hs in Qual Research (and
discussion of causal language, generalizability, reliability, etc.).
3. “Case the scene.” Based on what you know about coffee houses, would this, or a different location be a better place to answer your question? Why?
- What tools will you use? (analyzing gatekeepers, sponsors; imagining relationship, maps, visual media, documents, research diaries, quantitative resources (records, census or other data), briefing interviews
4. Assume this will be the place for your research. How might you “negotiate access”? Would you need gatekeepers, sponsors, and so on? How might access issues influence how you frame your proposal to the gatekeepers to gain access?
- Negotiating access—Gatekeepers? How get approval? (study org, care in proposal)
- Will permission from any others in scene be necessary?
- Any issues that will complicate your access to a scene or make it easier?
- Any quid pro quo? What cautions do you need to take?
- Sponsors: Who are they? Any role in this study or in your own?
5. What would your relationship with the participants of your research be? What would be their level of commitment and/or investment in your project? What “perspective” would you take in your project (and what are some other possible perspectives?)
- What will your role vis-à-vis participants be? (more on this in ethnography)
- How can you sell your study to participants?(social good, importance to group, desire to understand their view, part of their job)
- Any “reciprocal agreement”? Will you give anything back to the group, the sponsors or gatekeepers? (any possible dilemmas or issues here)?
- Cash, or no cash?
- Extent of involvement? “boundaries” (time, space, content) of data collection—“ground rules”
- Adopting a perspective: Why, how, issues, limits?
6. On the back, make a map of the location. Are any aspects of physical relevance pertinent to the understanding for your project? If so, how? What other sorts of materials could you choose from in this location?
- How actors move, gather, orient to each other
- Surroundings, artifacts, décor: What does it say about “culture” of organization?
- Lighting, windows, doors, hallways, floor coverings, window treatments?
Visual Media
- Motion pictures, video,
photography
- Digital cameras
- Documents
7. Define, in more detail, your “sample.” For example, if interviews, how many (and who); if observation, how long, where? If documents… and so on.
- Sites/settings, persons, activities and events
- Strategies
- Snowball
- Maximum variation
- Stratified/proportional
- Extreme/typical case
- Theoretical construct
- Is “random” a possibility?
- Limits on claims you can make with most sampling techniques
8. How might you “negotiate outcomes” for this
project? (