Design types

1
Design types
2
Ethnographies

• 1. Description/definition Studies that are
  usually qualitative in nature which aim to
  provide an in-depth description of a group of
  people or community. Such descriptions are
  embedded by the life-worlds of the participants
  (actors) being studies and produce insider
  perspectives of the actors and their practices
• 2. Key research questions Exploratory and
  descriptive in nature

3

• 3. More specialized design types participant
  observation studies, field studies, naturalistic
  research (Denzin)
• 4. Meta-theory Various sociological theories
  (Symbolic Interactionism) and other more
  humanistic interpretive traditions
  (phenomenology, semiotics, cultural anthropology)
  are intellectually linked to ethnographic
  research.

4
(cont)

• 5. Selection of cases/sampling theoretical or
  judgment sampling
• 6. Mode of observation/sources of data
  participant observation semi-structured
  interviews (individual and focus groups) use of
  documentary evidence.
• 7. Analysis analytical induction (Znianiecki)
  grounded theory approach (Glaser Strauss)

5
(cont)

• 8. Strengths High construct validity in-depth
  insights establishing rapport with research
  subjects.
• 9. Limitations Lack of generalisability of
  results non-standardization of measurement data
  collection and analysis can be time consuming.
• 10. Main source of error potential bias of
  researcher lack of rigour in analysis.

6

• Bonnie Stone Sunstein Elizabeth
  Chiseri-Strater Fieldworking reading and
  writing research.
• Reading cultures understanding texts
• Researching archives locating cultures
• Researching place the spatial gaze
• Researching languages the cultural translator
• Researching people collaborative listener

7

• LeCompte Schensul The Ethnographers
  Toolkit-series
• Designing and conducting ethnographic research
• Essential ethnographic methods Observation,
  interviews, and questionnaires
• Enhancing ethnographic methods Audio-visual
  techniques, focused group interviews
• Mapping social networks, spatial data, and hidden
  populations
• Analysing and interpreting ethnographic data
• Researcher roles and research partnerships
• Using ethnographic data interventions, public
  programming and public policy

8

• Latest trends Critical Ethnographies the
  Politics of Collaboration (Foley Valenzuela)
• -do academic cultural critiques
• -write applied policy studies
• -involve themselves in political movements

9
Case studies

• Description/definition Studies that are usually
  qualitative in nature and that aim to provide an
  in-depth description of a small number of cases.
• Key questions exploratory and descriptive
  questions

10

• 3. Typical applications Case studies of
  companies or organizations (business studies)
  case studies in social work research (focus on
  the family, household, small community), case
  studies in political science where
  countries/nations or regions are studied as
  cases.

11
(cont)

• 4. Meta-theory Various sociological theories
  (Symbolic Interactionism) and other more
  humanistic interpretive traditions
  (phenomenology, semiotics, cultural anthropology)
  are intellectually linked to ethnographic
  research.
• 5. Selection of cases/sampling theoretical or
  judgment sampling

12

• 6. Mode of observation/sources of data
  participant observation semi-structured
  interviews (individual and focus groups) use of
  documentary evidence.
• 7. Analysis analytical induction (Znianiecki)
  grounded theory approach (Glaser Strauss)

13

• Sharan Merriam Qualitative Research and Case
  Study Application The Design of Qualitative
  Research, Collecting (and Analyzing) qualitative
  data.
• Robert Stake Qualitative Case Studies

14
Action Research

• 1. Description/definition Studies that involve
  the subjects of research (research participants)
  as an integral part of the design. Use mainly
  qualitative methods in order to gain
  understanding and insight into life worlds of
  research participants. AR projects usually have
  an explicit political commitment and to changing
  the social conditions of participants. Involves
  some for of intervention.

15

• 2. Key research questions exploratory and
  descriptive or action-related in focus.
• 3. Meta-theory critical Theory, neo-Marxist
  theories. Gender studies, Queer theory, etc.
• 4. Mode of observation/sources of data
  participation observation semi-structured
  interviews documents constructing stories and
  narratives.

16

• 5. Analysis Qualitative forms of analysis. In
  certain forms of AR, the data is viewed as a
  collaborative effort between the researcher and
  the participants.
• 6. Strengths Involvement of participants high
  construct validity. Ownership of findings.
• 7. Limitations The samll number of cases and low
  degree of control affect generalisability and
  possibility of strong causal and structural
  explanation.

17

• 8. Main sources of error Researchcer effects
  (overly emotional or subjective involvement)
  possible manipulation by research participants of
  research process to serve their own interests.

18

• Kemmis McTaggart Participatory Action
  Research Communicative Action and the Public
  Sphere.
• Myths, misrepresentations, mistakes

19
Grounded Theory

• 1.Definition Grounded theory stresses discovery
  of theory development rather than logical
  deductive reasoning which relies on prior
  theoretical frameworks. Grounded Theory may be
  used to generate substantive theory of formal
  theory. (Charmaz)
• 2. Data collection Analytical processes prompt
  discovery and theory development rather than
  verification of pre-existing theories. Processes
  and products of research are shaped from the data
  rather than from pre-conceived logically deduced
  theoretical frameworks.

20

• 3. Analysis Analysis of data happens
  simultaneously with data gathering. Initial codes
  are applied to the next set of data, identifying
  emerging theories, that are tried out on
  subsequent data sets.
• 4. Limitations Fails to give proper attention to
  data collection techniques and to the quality of
  gathered material (Charmaz). Discovery and
  verification are inseparable and leads to the
  notion that qualitative research is preliminary.

21

• Charmaz Grounded Theory in the 21st Century
  Applications for Advancing Social Justice.
• Grounded Theory a method of inquiry / a product
  of research / a way of analyzing the data.
• Confluence of paradigms constructivist and
  critical