Refining Qualitative Data

QRAM 9th National Seminar 2012

Consistency-questions model

What are questions or purposes of the research?

What then are the research methods? What are the underlying assumptions? What are the findings? What are the implications from the findings?

Qualitative method & methodology

‘Hypothesis’

Theory building

Research design

Data generation

Data analyses

Design validity criteria

Viable data Reliable method Generalisable analyses

truth value (credibility)

Viable data

Objectivity Prolonged engagement on-site Triangulation Member checking Structural relationships

Reliable method

Interviewing as method of generating data Ethics in researching (MUHREC) Theoretical sampling Data analyses (CAQDAS)—ATLAS.ti

Generalisable analyses

Applicability Context limited (transferability) Replicability (consistency) Leaving an audit trail

Sense of qualitative methods

Preference for qualitative data Preference for naturally occurring data Preference for meanings Preference for inductive research

(hypothesis-generating)

Quan-Qual continuum

Qualitative Data theory Grounded theory Empirical conceptual Inductive (theory-

building)

Political (value-laden)

Quantitative Theory data Hypothesis testing Conceptual empirical Deductive (theory

testing) Apolitical (value free)

Interviewing

‘purposeful conversation’ Method of generating data (interview

transcript as non-extant text) Semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face ‘paradigmatic feminist method’ Emancipatory paradigm: ‘praxis,

empowerment/ reciprocity

Interviewer-interviewee

Locating self in research Being transparent & accountable Epistemic privilege (who knows) Reciprocal reflexivity: Knower/ known

knower-known Theoretical sampling (Grounded Theory

Methodlogy) generalisability of analyses Elite interviewing

Ethics in interviewing

Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC)

High risk/ low risk research : Participants Types of activities Informed Consent (≠ implied consent) Collection, use and disclosure of information

Explanatory Statement

Sampling (how & why) Research aims Benefits Method of generating data Time involved Inconvenience/ discomfort Withdrawal from research Confidentiality Data storage (data for other purpose)

Consent Form

Data as information Agree to be interviewed Agree to allow interviewed to be recorded Agree to make myself available for follow-

up interviews Data as potential information Use of data for future research projects

(optional)

Sensitive topic

‘one that potentially poses for those involved a substantial threat, the emergence of which renders problematic for the researcher and/or researched the collection, holding, and/ or dissemination of research data’ (Renzetti and Lee 199: 5)

Researcher: stewardship of data

Grounded Theory Methdology

Data as source of theory (hypothesis-building)

‘Theory’: relationship among categories that is inductively generated from ‘units of meaning’ (Kelle 1997)

‘Hypothesis’: tentative and imprecise conjecture about possible relationships between two domains of interest (Kelle 1997)

Data analyses using CAQDAS

CAQDAS: Computer-assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (ALTAS.ti)

Data: interview transcript Data analyses: data management & interpretation

coding (code-and-retrieve) Codes: heuristic devices (units of meaning)

theory-building Coding: De-contextualise (data reduction) & re-

contextualise Fine-grained hermeneutic analysis