Qualitative Methods in Health and Human Performance

1
Chapter 10

• Qualitative Methods in Health and Human
  Performance

2
Qualitative Methods

• Qualitative research is an umbrella concept
  covering several forms of inquiry that focus on
  understanding and explain meaning of a social
  phenomena

3
Data Collection Methods

• Quantitative
• Objective
• Numeric
• Statistical analysis
• Large Ns
• Structured data collection
• Table/graphs to display results

• Qualitative
• Subjective
• Non-numerical
• Nonstatistical analysis
• Small Ns
• Open ended data collection
• Narrative for results

4
Qualitative Methods

• Eight characteristics of qualitative research
• Takes place in the natural setting travel to
  sites
• Researcher is the primary method of data
  collection
• Observation
• Interview
• Documents
• Audiovisual

5
Qualitative Methods

• Characteristic continued
• Emergent rather than tightly prefigured
• Based upon interpretation
• Hermeneutics deciphering meaning
• Views social phenomena holistically
• Qualitative researchers reflect and are
  explicitly regarding personal assumptions and
  values

6
Qualitative Methods

• Characteristics continued
• Uses both deductive and inductive logic
• Inductive going from specific to large
• Deductive Going from broad to specific
• Can use multiple methods

7
Qualitative Methods

• Grounded Theory Study
• Discover or invent theory grounded in real-world
  experiences
• Middle-range theories situation related
• Life histories
• Story of a single individual or groups of single
  individuals
• Recall significant events of ones life
• Significant understanding of the historical
  context

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Qualitative Methods

• Case Study
• Exploration of a bounded system (e.g., school)
• In-depth data collection involving multiple
  sources of information
• Phenomenology study
• Describes the meaning of a lived experience for
  several individuals about a phenomenon
• Explores the structures of human consciousness

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Qualitative methods

• Ethnography study
• Interpretation of a culture of social group
• Natural setting
• Basic/Generic
• Studies that illustrate characteristics of
  qualitative research

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Accurate Interpretations?

• Verification Interpretations are tested for
  plausibility, conformability and trustworthiness
  (7 strategies)
• Prolonged engagement Learning culture and
  building trust by being in a culture for a long
  time
• Triangulation use different methods for
  corroborating evidence

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Accurate Interpretations?

• Verification continued
• Peer review group of peers review work
• Clarification of research biases and values
• Member checks research participants check
  credibility of interpretations and data
• Rich description statements Provide evidence by
  detail in write up are findings transferable?
• External audit External person(s) examine
  process and interpretations

12
Multiple Methods

• Rather than taking sides on this recurring
  issue, we suggest that multimethods approaches
  can provide a more accurate and detailed research
  project than the traditional unidimensional
  (qualitative or quantitative) approaches provide
  
• -Mitra Lankford, 1999, p. 46

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Interviews

• Closed quantitative Questions and response
  categories are determined in advance responses
  are fixed
• Standardized open-ended The wording and sequence
  of questions are determined in advance same
  basic questions in the same order
• Interview guide Topics and issues to be covered
  are specified in advance, however, the
  interviewer decides the sequence and wording of
  questions during the interview
• Informal conversational Questions emerge from
  the immediate context and are asked in the
  natural course

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Observations

• Complete Participation Researcher conceals role
• Observer as Participant Role of researcher is
  known
• Participant as Observer Observational role is
  secondary to participant role
• Complete Observer Researcher observes without
  participating

15
Constant Comparison

• A technique for analyzing qualitative data
• Read through data (transcriptions of interviews)
  and find similar (constant) themes among people
• Gain perspectives relevant to the context in
  which the data was observed and recorded

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Steps in a Constant Comparison

• Read through interviews separately (among many)
  and make code/theme notes
• After reading through the differing
  transcriptions, integrate and compare
  codes/themes
• Delimit and refine the themes to find major or
  primary themes (can have secondary themes)
• Provide examples from the data that highlight the
  themes