What is Qualitative Research?

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What is Qualitative Research?
A lecture by
Dr. Christopher Kollmeyer

• Sociology 3522
• 31 Jan. 2008

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Key Epistemological Question Can the social
world be studied with the same methods used in
the natural sciences?

• YES ? Positivism and deductive research
• Theory ?Hypothesis ? Collect Data ? Findings ?
• Hypothesis confirmed or rejected ? Revise theory
  
• Building blocks of positivistic research
• Theories, hypotheses, variables (proxies,
  measurement validity)

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In-Class Exercise

• 1) Write a one sentence hypothesis about the
  following social problems
• poverty
• gender inequality in the workplace
• anti-social behavior among teenagers
• 2) Identify the variables in your hypotheses
• 3) How you would measure these variables?

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Possible Answers for In-Class Exercise

• 1) Write a one sentence hypothesis about
  poverty.
• Answer Most families living in poverty are
  headed by individuals with low levels of
  education.
• 2) Identify the variables in your hypotheses.
• Answer Poverty and education
• 3) How you would measure these variables?
• Answer Poverty s by which a familys annual
  income falls below the national poverty line.
  Education number of years of formal education
  for head of household.
• 4) Whats the unit of analysis?
• Answer Families

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Key Epistemological Question Can the social
world be studied with the same methods and
principles used in the natural sciences?

• NO?Interpretativism (or Verstehen)
• Focuses on understanding motivations for
  actions rather than anonymous social forces
  operating beyond the individuals control
• Emphasizes the subjects point of view and how it
  influences his or her behaviour.
• Inductive research (usually qualitative research)
• General Interest ? Collect Data on Topic ?
  Develop Findings/Insights ? Revise or develop
  theories

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Example of Inductive Research

• Degiuli, F and C Kollmeyer. 2007. Bringing
  Gramsci back in Labor control in Italy's new
  temporary help industry. Work, Employment
  Society 21(3) 497-515
• http//wes.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/3/4
  97

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Key Ontological Question Does the social world
contain forces that operate wholly independent of
individual social actors?

• Yes Objectivism ? positivistic approach
• Social forces seen as external realities lying
  beyond our control
• No Constructionism ? interpretive approach
• People and groups often actively participate in
  creating and interpreting social forces. Thus,
  they are embedded in the social process. Its
  not external to them.

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Structure, Agency, and Reflexivity
Social Forces
Free Will
Social Reproduction or Social Change
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Example of Research in the Interpretivistic
Tradition

• Duneier, Mitchell. 1999. Sidewalk. New York FSB
• Basic Steps
• Interested in the Creation of Safe Urban
  Communities
• Broken Widows Thesis
• Informal Social Control
• Pick Field Work Site
• Participant-Observer
• Conceptualize Findings / Generate Theoretical
  Insights
• Reframe Original Research Question

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Key Differences Between Quantitative and
Qualitative Research