What is Qualitative Research? A Primer

1. What is Qualitative Research?A Primer Assessment TeamMarch 10, 2008

2. What is Qualitative Research?Session Overview Knowing what it is and isn’t? Understanding the journey from doubt to acceptance Steps to doing good research and documentation. Sample run-through with group

3. Major Types of Educational Research Quantitative: backed by numbers Qualitative: backed by documentation Essential to both Quantitative & Qualitative Researchers: Observational Skills Thanks to Dr.Cindy Williams for this content

4. Quantitative Research Quantitative research involves analyzing numerical data to gain insights into how variables influence other variables. Different types of quantitative research are used depending on: the type of questions asked and purpose of research the degree to which subjects are available to study/observe Thanks to Dr.Cindy Williams for this content

5. Qualitative Research Qualitative research involves collection of narrative data to gain insights into phenomena of interest. Data is collected: intensively over a period of time, in a naturalistic setting, without trying to control the events Usually on a smaller number of subjects than quantitative What might be some advantages to quantitative and qualitative approaches? Would you ever want to use both? Thanks to Dr.Cindy Williams for this content

6. Qualitative Researchers… Qualitative Quantitative Can research be done in the same manner as hard sciences? What is the primary source or focus of observation? What/Who is consulted that drives research? Thanks to Dr.Cindy Williams for this content

7. Quantitative or Qualitative? • A study in which the researcher carefully designs all aspects of the study before collecting data. • You know in advance what you are looking for. • The design emerges as the study unfolds. • What is the relationship between time spent on the simulator and operator error rate? • The researcher deals with data in the form of words. Thanks to Dr.Cindy Williams for this content

8. Quantitative or Qualitative? • The researcher deals with data in the form of numbers and statistics. • The investigator is the data gathering instrument. • Research methods involve the comparison of pre-test and post-test data. • Data collection and data analysis take place simultaneously

9. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research Humor

10. STEP 1: WHAT IS YOUR CONCEPTUAL TOPIC? What do you want to study and why?

11. STEP 2: BRIEFLY, WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC? WHAT RESEARCH ARE YOU DRAWING FROM FOR THIS KNOWLEDGE? WHAT DOES THE LITERATURE STATE? ? Be prepared to describe your findings

12. STEP 3: WHAT IS NEEDING ADDITIONAL EXPLORATION? WHAT IS MISSING FROM THE ANALYSIS IN STEP 2? What one or two big things do you really want to learn/discover?

13. STEP 4: DESCRIBE THE POPULATION YOU INTEND TO STUDY. WHAT ASPECTS, CHARACTERISTICS OR UNIQUE FACTORS DESCRIBE THIS GROUP? Who will you be inviting to your focus group/interviews?

14. STEP 5: DESCRIBE HOW THE POPULATION YOU INTEND TO STUDY WILL FILL THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS IDENTIFIED IN STEP 3? How is the population you describe in Step 4 really the best fit? How will you protect their anonymity?

15. STEP 6a: WHAT TYPES OF DATA WILL YOU BE GATHERING? PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH TO DATA COLLECTION?

16. STEP 6a: CRITICAL QUESTIONS: • Describe your collection techniques and questions? • Will you use word processing, tape recorders, interview notes, etc.?

17. STEP 6b: WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THIS DATA IS MANIPULABLE AND EDITABLE? WHO WILL BE YOUR SERVING AS YOUR OBJECTIVE REVIEWER OF YOUR FINDINGS?

18. STEP 6b: CRITICAL QUESTIONS • Have you thought through who will do the transcription and the amount of time it may take? • How is the person you are choosing to review your assumptions/conclusions independent from the process and objective? • How and when throughout the research do you intend to use this person?

19. Step 7: DESCRIBE HOW YOU INTEND TO WORK WITH THE DATA? WHAT TECHNIQUES WILL YOU USE TO HELP YOU DEVELOP YOUR ANSWERS TO SECTION 3? Do you intend to look for themes? Do you intend to code the data? How will you deconstruct the volumes of verbal notes into easily recognizable and substantive findings?

20. STEP 8: HOW DO YOU INTEND TO SHARE YOUR RESULTS? WHAT REPORTS WILL YOU PRODUCE? DO YOU INTEND TO PURSUE PUBLICATION FOR THIS STUDY? What existing UNT reporting structures or newsletters do you propose using? If you intend to publish, have you completed the IRB forms necessary for the project? Do you intend to post the results to any UNT websites?

21. IRB Alert!

22. The IRB Process IRB approval is required for studies in which human subjects are involved. In our case, the “study” is the survey or focus group and the “human subjects” are the survey respondents. For our purposes, IRB approval is required for any studies which are to be presented or published outside UNT (i.e. at conferences, in journals or theses etc.) For IRB approval, you must take the NIH human subjects training, have the parameters of your study determined (instrument, informed consent, sample population)

23. The IRB Process NIH human subjects training can be found at: http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php IRB Form Consent forms IRB Website http://www.unt.edu/ospa/compliance/humans.html

24. STEP 9: BEGIN TO FIND SUBJECTS Create an intake/interview survey for potential subjects. Does this individual fit your requirements above?

25. STEP 10: FIND SUITABLE INTERVIEW SPACE Is it accessible? Comfortable? What food and drinks will you have on hand? Where are bathrooms located?

26. STEP 11: DEVELOP FACILITATOR GUIDE Think through your questions. Share them with your member-checker, develop bolt-on questions. Set ground rules. Write introductory script.

27. STEP 12: DETERMINE FACILITATOR Ask yourself if you are the really the best person to facilitate? If no, who then? If yes, are you prepared and ready?

28. STEP 13: HOLD FOCUS GROUPS Remember your data collection techniques. Establish rapport, establish ground rules, let conversation build. Call out themes or contradictions as you hear them. Ask for clarification.

29. STEP 14: TRANSCRIBE & SHARE Within 72 hours transcribe proceedings and email transcription to focus group participants to confirm or clarify comments. Remember to associate names with comments whenever possible. Give a 72 hour window for comments.

30. STEP 15: CODE AND DEVELOP THEMES Using the data decisions you made earlier, crunch your transcribed notes to find themes, patterns or ways of knowing.

31. STEP 16: MEMBER-CHECK THEMES Share your preliminary findings with member-checking partner. Do they see the same patterns and themes?

32. STEP 17: WRITE UP AND PRESENT FINDINGS Look in common journal articles for examples of published qualitative research. Follow similar patterns and structure of these articles. Post to websites, newsletters, etc. Share!

33. Q & A

34. Questions:Sharon Karackattu : 8047Jason Simon : 8054References:Sibley, S. (2003). Designing Qualitative Research Projects. Workshop presented to the July 2003 NSF Workshop on Qualitative Methods in Sociology.Williams, C. (2008) EPSY 6010 Lecture. College of Education. University of North Texas.