Analysing data from multiple perspectives: A new resource for teaching qualitative research methods.

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Analysing data from multiple perspectives A new
resource for teaching qualitative research
methods.

• Stephen Gibson1, Sally Wiggins2, Mike Forrester3,
  Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson4 Rachel Shaw5
• Contact email s.gibson_at_yorksj.ac.uk
• 1York St John University 2University of
  Strathclyde 3University of Kent 4Liverpool John
  Moores University 5Aston University

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Acknowledgements

• Tanya Corker
• Colm Crowley
• Nigel King
• Sarah Riley
• Silvia Sbaraini
• Cath Sullivan
• HEA Psychology Network
• Mini-project funding
• Annie Trapp Marina Crowe

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Session outline

• Introduction to the TQRMUL group the common
  dataset project
• Example video transcript
• Illustration of how this might be used to
  introduce students to qualitative analysis
• Designing a learning activity
• Plenary discussion

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Teaching Qualitative Research Methods at
Undergraduate Level (TQRMUL)

• Working group (established 2005)
• http//www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk/html/resourc
  es_teach_qsm.asp
• Activities workshops developing resources
  survey of lecturers experiences of teaching qual
  methods

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Why?

• Increasing acceptance of qualitative methods in
  psychology
• ? QMiP section is the largest BPS section
• BPS now requires qualitative methods to be taught
  at undergraduate level on accredited degree
  programmes

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The common dataset project

• Aim To produce a dataset, suitable for analysis
  from multiple analytic perspectives, to support
  the teaching of qualitative methods at
  undergraduate level
• Analytic perspectives
• Discourse Analysis (DA)
• Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
• Grounded Theory
• Conversation Analysis (CA)

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The materials

• Semi-structured interviews on the topic of
  friendship
• Recorded on digital video
• Will be made available on the HEA Psychology
  Network TQRMUL webpage (Autumn 2008)
• Transcripts (play-script Jeffersonian)
• Available to lecturers
• Interviewers reflective notes
• Active learning materials
• Workbook to be published by Sage in 2009/10

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The interviews

• Nine one-on-one interviews
• Four/five will be selected for the final set of
  materials available on the web
• Length 42-77 mins (M 53 mins)
• 3 male 6 female
• All students

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Ethics

• Materials available on web obvious ethical
  issues around lack of confidentiality/anonymity
• BPS guidelines BPS1 (paragraph 7.1) advise that
  participants must be warned of this in advance
  of agreeing to participate.
• Institutional ethical clearance from York St John
  University Liverpool John Moores University
• 1 http//www.bps.org.uk/the-society/code-of-condu
  ct/ethical-principles-for-conducting-research-with
  -human-participants.cfmprinciples

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Example

• STU n so she was like the fifth person to move
  in
• (0.7)
• STU n then we just started chattin ?really and
  we found
• (0.2)
• STU quite a bit to talk about and then it went
  from th?e?re
• (0.3)
• STU so like
• (0.3)
• STU now weve formed like quite a good close
  friendship
• (0.3)
• STU cos we both smoke you see so that was our
  little
• (0.4)
• INT he he he he he yeah
• STU bonding thing it was like

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So how might this be used to illustrate, for
example, DA?

• STU n so she was like the fifth person to move
  in
• (0.7)
• STU n then we just started chattin ?really and
  we found
• (0.2)
• STU quite a bit to talk about and then it went
  from th?e?re
• (0.3)
• STU so like
• (0.3)
• STU now weve formed like quite a good close
  friendship
• (0.3)
• STU cos we both smoke you see so that was our
  little
• (0.4)
• INT he he he he he yeah
• STU bonding thing it was like

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What is discourse analysis?

• Language in traditional psychology
• Passive, information transfer
• Language as a medium
• turn to discourse and crisis in social
  psychology
• From language as communication
• to discourse as social action

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Discursive psychology (1)

• Mind, identity, memory, evaluations, etc.
• Key features
• Action orientation
• Constructed/constructive
• Situated
• Fact and interest

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Discursive psychology (2)

• Emotion categories
• Extreme case formulations
• Detail in narrative/generic vagueness
• Constructing corroboration and consensus
• Doing being ordinary
• Footing shifts
• Active voicing
• Listing/narrative structures
• Affect displays

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Questions

• From lecturers
• From students

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• How might these materials be incorporated into
  your teaching?
• How might they be used as the basis for learning
  activities and/or assessments?

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Limitations?

• Qualitative research not simply a matter of
  analysis
• Different approaches would lead to different
  types of data being collected
• Grounded Theory data collection analysis
  inter-related
• Conversation Analysis some forms of DA prefer
  working with naturally occurring materials

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• Materials available on HEA Psychology Network
  website from Autumn 2008
• http//www.psychology.heacademy.ac.uk/html/resourc
  es_teach_qsm.asp
• Sign-up sheet to receive email notification when
  materials are posted online