PPA 501 – Analytical Methods in Administration

1. PPA 501 – Analytical Methods in Administration Lecture 4a – Qualitative Research Design

2. Introduction to Qualitative Research • A set of nonstatistical inquiry techniques and processes used to gather data about social phenomena. • Qualitative data refers to some collection of words, symbols, pictures, or other nonnumeric records, materials, or artifacts that are collective by a research and have relevance to the social group under study. • The data are used for more than description; they are used for creating understanding, subjective interpretation, and critical analysis.

3. Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research

4. Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research • Qualitative researchers tend to interact with the individuals in the study group, recording and interpreting what they see; quantitative researchers maintain distance and objectivity from the study group. • Qualitative researchers tend to avoid numbers; quantitative researchers rely heavily on numerical measurement. • Qualitative researchers explicitly apply their subjective interpretations to what they see and hear; quantitative researchers attempt to be unbiased, neutral observers.

5. Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research • Qualitative researchers approach the process as flexible, following the data where it leads; quantitative researchers tend to be guided by a strict set of rules and formal processes. • Qualitative researchers seek understanding of social and interactions and processes in organizations; quantitative researchers are more often concerned about predicting future events and behaviors. • Qualitative research usually focuses on a situation or event that takes place in a single organizational context; quantitative research seeks to generalize from the study to other situations. • Qualitative researchers are as interested in the subjects interaction with the researcher as with each other; quantitative researchers seek to isolate subjects from the researcher process as much as possible.

6. Classes of Qualitative Research Strategies • Explanatory research. • Studies conducted to develop a causal explanation of some social phenomenon. The researcher identifies a consequence and then seeks the causes or factors that might explain it. • The goal is to build theories that might be used to predict future behavior. • The fastest way to develop a cumulative stream of knowledge in a new discipline. • Serves the same function as exploratory research in quantitative studies. • Goal: gain insights and ideas about a study problem.

7. Classes of Qualitative Research Strategies • Interpretive research. • Many researchers argue that you cannot human activity cannot be explained this way. They advocate interpretive research. • The researcher arrives at an interpretation of a phenomenon by developing (subjective) meanings of social events and actions. • The researcher is not looking for causes, but looking at how the situation conflicts with or reinforces the existing attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of the subjects. In short, the researcher builds his or her interpretation on not only his or her own interpretation of the meaning, but the interpretations of the subjects. • The researcher interprets the phenomenon for the reader, rather than just describing or explaining it: How do human beings make sense out of their environment? • All interpretive models are context-laden. Because meaning can change over time, the interpretation tend to be bound by time and situation. • Interpretive research is especially valuable in public administration as a means of understanding organizational culture.

8. Classes of Qualitative Research Strategies • Interpretive research. • Seven principles of interpretive research. • Hermeneutic circle (parts to whole to parts). • Contextual nature (time and situation bound). • Interaction between researchers and subjects they study (researcher becomes subject). • Abstraction and generalization. • Dialogical reasoning (assumptions and biases adjusted as part of interaction with subjects). • Principle of multiple interpretations (comparison of researcher’s preconceptions and biases against competing interpretations). • Suspicion (all preconceptions, conclusions, definitions, and meanings viewed with healthy skepticism).

9. Classes of Qualitative Research Strategies • Critical research. • Social critique that exposes harmful or alienating social conditions. • The job of the researcher is to help subjects identify for themselves alternative ways of defining the society or culture and for achieving human potential. • Critical research built around the definition of a crisis and the commitment of the researcher to help the people involved. • Two themes: • The goal of critical research is to integrate social theory and application or practice in such a way that the members of social groups become aware of distortions and other problems in their society or their value systems. The group is then encouraged to propose ways to change the system or values to improve their quality of life. • The refusal to accept the role of the scientist as a disinterested and neutral observer. The scientist acts as a change agent.

10. Qualitative Research in Public Administration

11. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Qualitative Data. • Collecting qualitative data. • Participation in the group setting. • Personal and group interviewing. • Observation. • Document and cultural artifact analysis. • Secondary (historical, live history, films, videos, photographs, kinesics, proxemics, unobtrusive measures, surveys, and projective techniques). • Analyzing qualitative data. • Selection of categories or classes (conceptualizing). • Power or influence analysis. • Interpreting qualitative data. • Interpreting the patterns and connections. • The researchers draws conclusions from the patterns revealed in the data. • Creating a meaningful report.