Chapter 7 Exploratory Research and Qualitative Analysis

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Chapter 7 Exploratory Research and Qualitative
Analysis
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Exploratory Research What It Is and What It Is
Not?

• Exploratory Research is initial research
  conducted to clarify and define the nature of a
  problem.
• Much, but certainly not all, exploratory research
  provides qualitative data.
• Alternatively, the purpose of quantitative
  research is to determine the quantity or extent
  of some phenomenon in the form of numbers.
• Exploratory research may be a single research
  investigation or a series of informal studies to
  provide background information.

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Qualitative VS. Quantitative Research

• Purpose
• Exploratory versus descriptive and conclusive
• Small versus large samples
• Broad range of questioning versus structured
  questions
• Subjective interpretation versus statistical
  analysis

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Why Conduct Exploratory Research?

• Diagnose a situation (Situation Analysis)
• Screening of alternatives
• Concept Testing is a form of research that tests
  some sort of stimulus as a proxy for a new or
  revised program, product, or service.
• Discover new ideas

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Categories of Exploratory Research

• Experience surveys
• Secondary data analysis
• Case studies
• Pilot studies

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Experience Surveys

• An exploratory research technique in which
  individuals who are knowledgeable about a
  particular research problems are surveyed.

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Secondary Data Analysis

• Preliminary review of data collected for another
  purpose to clarify issues in the early stages of
  a research effort.
• Economical
• Quick source for background information

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Case Study Method

• An exploratory research technique that
  intensively investigates one or a few situations
  similar to the researchers problem situation.
• Investigate in depth
• Careful study
• May require cooperation

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Pilot Study

• A collective term used to describe any small
  scale exploratory study that uses sampling but
  does not apply rigorous standards.
• Types of pilot study include
• Focus Group Interviews
• Projective Techniques
• In-Depth Interviews

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Focus Group Interviews

• An unstructured, free flowing interview with a
  small group of people.
• Group interview
• Start with broad topic and focus in on specific
  issues

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Advantages of Focus Group Interview (10 Ss)

• Synergism
• Serendipity
• Snowballing
• Stimulation
• Security
• Spontaneity
• Specialization
• Scrutiny
• Structure
• Speed

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Group Composition

• 6 to 10 people
• Relatively homogeneous
• Similar lifestyles and experiences

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Environmental Conditions

• A coffee klatch or bull session atmosphere be
  established to ensure that the mood of the
  sessions will be as relaxed and natural as
  possible.

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Outline for a Focus Group

• Establish a rapport
• Begin with broad topic
• Focus in on specific topic
• Generate discussion and interaction

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Discussion Guide

• The moderators written prefatory remarks and
  outline of topics/questions that will be
  addressed.

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The Moderator

• Develops rapport - helps people relax
• Interacts
• Listens to what people have to say
• Everyone gets a chance to speak

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The Focus Group Moderator

• Maintains loose control and focuses discussion
• Stimulates spontaneous responses

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Advantages of Online Focus Groups

• Fast
• Inexpensive
• Bring together many participants from wide-spread
  geographical areas
• Respondent anonymity
• Transcript automatically recorded

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Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups

• Less group interaction
• Absence of tactile stimulation
• Absence of facial expression and body language
• Moderators job is different

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Projective Techniques

• An indirect means of questioning that enables a
  respondent to project beliefs and feelings onto a
  third party, , onto an inanimate object, or into
  a task situation.
• Word association test is the exploratory research
  technique in which the subject is presented with
  a list of words, one at a time, and asked to
  respond with the first word that comes to mind
• Sentence completion method is the projective
  technique in which respondents are required to
  complete a number of partial sentences with the
  first word or phrase that comes to mind.
• Third-person technique is the exploratory
  research technique in which the respondent is
  asked why a third person does what he/she does or
  what he/she thinks about an object, event,
  person, or activity. The respondent is expected
  to transfer his/her attitudes to the third person.

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Projective Techniques

• Role playing is an exploratory research technique
  that requires the subject to act out someone
  elses behavior in a particular setting.
• T.A.T. is a test consisting of a series of
  pictures shown to research subjects who are then
  asked to provide a description of the pictures.
  The researcher analyzes the content of these
  descriptions in an effort to clarify a research
  problem.
• Picture frustration is a version of T.A.T. that
  uses cartoon drawing in which the respondent
  suggests dialogue that the cartoon characters
  might make.

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Word Association Examples

• GREEN

• Money
• Lawn
• Eggs and Ham

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Word Association Examples

• CHEESE

• Kraft
• Cheddar
• Goat

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Sentence Completion People who drink beer are
______________________ A man who drinks light
beer is ___________________ Imported beer is
most liked by ___________________ A woman will
drink beer when____________________
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Thematic Apperception TestT.A.T.
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Depth Interview

• A relative unstructured, extensive interview used
  in the primary stages of the research process.

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A Warning

• The techniques may produce some interesting and
  occasionally bizarre, hypotheses about what was
  inside a persons mind.
• A woman is very serious when she bakes a cake
  because unconsciously she is going through the
  symbolic act of giving birth.
• A many buys convertible as a substitute
  mistress.
• Men who wear suspenders are reacting to an
  unresoved castration complex.