Qualitative Research

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Qualitative Research

• A Very Brief Introduction
• Nick Le Mesurier
• April 2006
• MSc Epilepsy.

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What is qualitative research?

• Qualitative research is multi-method in focus,
  involving an interpretative, naturalistic
  approach to its subject matter. This means that
  qualitative researchers study things in their
  natural settings, attempting to make sense of or
  interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings
  people bring to them.
• Denzin Lincoln, 2000

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What is qualitative research?

• It uses inductive reasoning, multiple methods,
  and unstructured / semi structured data
  collection techniques to develop hypotheses about
  the social world.

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What is Qualitative Research?

• Sampling
• Qualitative Research often involves small groups
  of people.
• Sampling strategies
• Purposive selected according to a known
  characteristic
• Snowballing selected by recommendation because
  information rich
• Convenience select whoever is available
  cheaper, quicker, but may have less credibility.

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The Place of Qualitative ResearchUse it when

• The topic is ill defined or poorly understood
• Exploring why people behave the way they do
• Exploring the perspectives / constructs of others
• Exploring sensitive topics
• Exploring complex topics
• When trying to generate rather than test a
  hypothesis

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The Place of Qualitative Research

• Can precede and inform quantitative work
• Can follow quantitative work to clarify and
  explore in greater depth
• Can work alongside quantitative work to help
  triangulate a study.
• Asks, how, why what questions

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Advantages

• Depth explores complex motives, perceptions and
  values that lie behind behaviours
• Sensitivity to the richness and variability of
  the subject matter
• Validity allows participants to speak in their
  own terms

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Disadvantages

• Large amounts of unstructured data
• Danger of sloppiness
• Researchers lose sight of what they are studying
• Reliability, generalisability, validity

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Overcoming disadvantages

• Reliability independent review of data
  analysis meticulous records of each stage of the
  research
• Generalisability be explicit about the studys
  sampling methods and findings
• Validity triangulation feedback from
  participants, negative case analysis supporting
  quotes, explicit contextualisation reflexivity.

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The Place of Qualitative Research

• Can precede and inform quantitative work
• Can follow quantitative work to clarify and
  explore in greater depth
• Can work alongside quantitative work to help
  triangulate a study.

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What qualitative research is NOT

• Easy to do
• Unsystematic
• A quick fix or a bolt-on extra / afterthought to
  more serious methodologies
• Able to provide statistically valid results

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Examples of qualitative research questions

• In what ways do formal informal carers
  negotiate care on an adult medical ward?
• What expectations of responsibility do GPs,
  consultant psychiatrists and family carers have
  in providing health care for people with severe
  learning disabilities?

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Examples of qualitative research questions

• How do women with LD explain their experience of
  menopause?
• What elements of satisfaction with primary care
  are experienced by people with schizophrenia?
• Why do patients agree to participate in
  Randomised Control Trials?

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Qualitative Research Strategies

• Case Study
• Single or small number of related cases of a
  situation, individual, or group.
• Studied in its natural context.
• Use a range of data collection techniques
  observation, interview, documentary analysis

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Qualitative Research Strategies

• Ethnographic methods
• Seeks to capture, interpret, and explain how the
  subjects of the research live, experience, and
  make sense of their lives and worlds.
• Researcher becomes immersed in the setting
• (Non) - Participant observation.

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Qualitative Research Strategies

• Grounded theory study
• Useful when there is little or no theory or
  concepts to explain phenomena.
• Sampling strategies / choice of participants /
  focus of study can change as findings develop.

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Qualitative methods

• Interviews
• One to one interviews
• Focus group interviews
• An interview is a structured conversation
• The interviewer is an active participant in the
  interview

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Interviews

• Structured interviews
• Semi-structured interviews
• Unstructured interviews
• (Group interviews)

• Quantitative
• Qualitative

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Semi-structured Interviews

• Topic Guide
• Open questions, designed to elicit a response, to
  open up a topic or theme.
• May contain no questions at all only a list of
  subjects to be covered in the interview
• Do not have to be asked or raised in a prescribed
  order.
• May be pre-determined by the topic of the study

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Semi-Structured Interviews

• The choice of questions / topics may change as
  the research progresses.
• An iterative process the researcher reflects
  upon the data obtained and the experience of
  gathering it, and reviews and revises his / her
  methods and / or informants as necessary.
• Analysis proceeds at the same time as data
  collection.
• It is a dynamic process!

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Focus Groups

• Also uses topic guide, semi-structured, iterative
  approach.
• Preferably 6-12 people
• Homogeneous members share a common background,
  position or experience (e.g all staff / service
  users).
• Heterogeneous members differ in background,
  position or experience (e.g mixed staff / service
  users)

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Focus Groups

• Researcher acts to facilitate interaction between
  group members not question / answer.
• Risky! What if members dont gel?
• Whole interview should be recorded and
  transcribed. Members should be identified.
• Ethical considerations must be transparent and
  effective voluntary participation, feedback to
  participants, confidentiality, right to withdraw,
  support if issues become sensitive.

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Practical exercise

• Experiencing a research interview
• Work in pairs
• One act as interviewer, one respondent.
• Conduct a short research interview
• Research Question WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO A
  POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR PATIENTS WHEN CONSULTING
  A GP?
• Respondent to act in the role of a patient,
  interviewer as a researcher.