Qualitative Research Design

1. Qualitative Research Design Instructor: Julian Hasford Teaching Assistant: Keith Adamson PS398 Qualitative Methods in Psychology January 24, 2009

2. Agenda • Review • Group Exercise: Variations in Qual Inquiry • Lecture: Research Design • Glossary: Extreme Case Sampling • Course Check-in

3. Learning Objectives • By the end of this session, students should be able to

4. Review • Theoretical traditions covered last session • Symbolic Interaction • Narratology • Hermenuetics • Feminist Inquiry • Participatory

5. Group Exercise 4 groups Each group assigned one theoretical tradition Discuss the following Develop a qualitative research study of money based on a theoretical tradition Research question(s)? Methodology? Underlying philosophical assumptions (Ontological, Epistemological, Axiological)? Report back

6. Memo #2 What qualitative research tradition would I use to study money? Why? What possible research problem and question(s) could I study using this theoretical tradition? Based on this tradition, what methodology could I use to explore this problem? What would be my underlying ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions?

7. Symbolic Interaction • Philosophical Assumptions • People create shared meanings through their interactions, and those meanings become reality • 3 theoretical premises • Humans act toward things based on the meanings the things have for them • The meaning of things arises out of social interaction • The meanings of things can change through an interpretive process of the person dealing with them • Meaning and interpretation viewed as essential human processes

8. Symbolic Interaction • Foundational Question • What common set of symbols and understandings gives meaning to people’s interactions? • Focuses on symbols and social interactions to understand individual and group behaviour • Possible research questions • What is the meaning of particular symbols to individuals or groups? • How is are symbols and meanings produced through social interaction? • How do symbols, meaning, or social interaction influence human behaviour and experience?

9. Symbolic Interaction • Methodological approaches • Close interaction (e.g., participant observation, interviews) • Inductive analysis • “Panel of experts”

10. Narratology • Philosophical assumptions • Reality is constructed through personal and collective stories • People understand (know) their lives and the world through stories • Stories reveal psychological, cultural, and social patterns through the lens of individual experiences

11. Narratology Foundational question What does this story reveal about this person or community? Stories at the center of narrative analysis Possible research questions What is the lived experience of a particular person or community? How do stories reflect psychological and social processes? How do different types of stories shape human behaviour and experience?

12. Narratology • Methodological approaches • Narrative or life story interviews • Document analysis • Fieldwork • Narrative Analysis • Depends on purpose of the research and research questions • (Re-)Construction of stories (Description) • Deconstruction of stories (Interpretation) • Mixed methods

13. Feminist Inquiry Philosophical assumptions Reality and knowledge are mediated through power relations - particularly through gender Historically, the construction of knowledge and reality has been dominated by privileged men who marginalized other ways of knowing Research must challenge taken-for-granted and oppressive forms of knowledge

14. Feminist Inquiry Foundational questions How is gender reflected in this phenomenon? Gender (and power) are at at the center of analysis Possible research questions How do gender relations influence subjective experience and social processes? How does gender intersect with other social structures (e.g., class, race) to oppress/empower people?

15. Feminist Inquiry • Methodological Approaches • Participatory Action • Close research relationships • Reflexivity • Recognize multiple ways of knowing (e.g., emotions, intuition, embodied)

16. Heuristic Inquiry • Philosophical Assumptions • Subjectivity is central to knowledge and reality • There are essential meanings of various lived experiences • Researcher’s personal knowledge and experience at the core

17. Heuristic Inquiry • Foundational Questions • What is my experience of this phenomenon and the essential experience of others who also experience this phenomenon? • Focuses on intense human experiences • Methodological Approaches • Systematic dialogue with self and others • Depth interviewing • Immersion, incubation, illumination, explication, creative synthesis

18. Grounded Theory • Foundational Question: • What theory emerges from systematic and grounded comparative analysis so as to explain what is observed? • Disciplinary origins • Sociology (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) • Symbolic Interactionism • The most influential tradition in qualitative research

19. Grounded Theory • Philosophical Assumptions • Draw on multiple paradigms • Constructivist and objectivist approaches • Knowledge emerges through study that is grounded in the empirical world • Emphasizes rigorous, systematic, inductive/abductive methodology

20. Grounded Theory • Methodological approaches • Coding procedures to build theory, ratherthan test theory • Inductive analysis (Glaser) • Abduction (Strauss) • Analysis through inductive and deductive procedures for connecting through • Constant comparative method • Theoretical sampling • Testing emergent concepts with additional fieldwork • Memoing

21. Research Design • Research design is a plan for collecting and analyzing evidence that will make it possible for the investigator to answer whatever questions he or she has posed (Ragin,1994,p191 as cited in Flick p135)

22. Types of Designs • Case studies • Comparative Studies • Retrospective Studies • Snap Shots • Longitudinal Studies • Formative/Summative Evaluation • Action Research

23. Key Design Questions • What are the goals of the study? • Description—Theory—Action • What are the main research questions? • What methodological approach will be used? • What are the units of analysis • individual, family, group, communities • What will be the sampling strategy? • Types of data to be collected? • What analytic approach will be used?

24. Key Design Questions • Standardization vs emergence • How will rigor and quality be addressed? • How will logistics be handled? Time, resources? • How will ethical issues be handled? • Generalization – transferability?

25. Sampling • Random Probability • Purposeful • Convenience • Snow ball/chain • Criterion • Theoretical sampling • Maximum variation (on dimensions of interest) • Critical case • Deviant case/Intensity

26. Extreme Case Sampling Nicole Dimech and Jenny White

27. Definition Extreme case sampling is: A type of purposeful sampling generally used in qualitative research Singles out cases that are unusual or outstanding as opposed to simply focusing on the central tendencies of quantitative data Such as distinctive successes or notable failures (Patton, 2002) Allows for information rich data as the chosen subjects are assumed to provide a depth of information to the topic at hand (Haynes-Lawrence, 2008)

28. Theoretical and Methodological Significance Value oriented Can provide powerful lessons For example, Jim Paul’s book (1994) on What I Learned Loosing A Million Dollars (Patton, 2002) Can help enhance typical programs For example if an early childhood program is implemented nationwide, and all but one are effective, we can strategize to enhance the program for all (Patton, 2002) Actively seeks out to project the voices of marginalized or under-researched groups in society Generalizability is often limited (Robles-Pina, Defrance & Cox, 2008)

29. Examples from Patton (2002) Text Covey’s (1990) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Brown’s (1987) When Battered Women Kill Peter & Waterman’s (1982) Eight Attributes of Excellent Companies

30. Purpose To examine the ways in which parents have successfully facilitated friendships for their sons and daughters with a disability with friends who do not have a disability

31. Design and Methodology Participatory Action Research (PAR) was used to define the research focus as well as throughout the entire research process Eleven children were identified as having successful relationships Children/youth varied in terms of disability classification and disabilities Ages ranged between five years old and 19 These children were identified as a result of extensive examination on literature concerning social networks and friendships among children without disabilities

32. Design and Methodology Continued • Successful relationships were recognized by: • Minimum 6 month on-going relationship • Both children initiate activities • They share experiences in at least two settings • No more than 18 months separate them • Individual and group interviews of the children’s parents were done to collect data • Interviews were transcribed, coded and comprehensively analyzed for themes and patterns

33. Findings Turnbull, Pereira and Blue-Banning (1999) classified four parent facilitating themes: Foundational Theme –based on accepting the child unconditionally Creating Opportunities – advocating for inclusion in neighbourhood schools, supporting participation in community activities, initiation and facilitating a circle of friends, and setting sibling-consistent expectations

34. Findings Continued Making Interpretations – encouraging others to accept the child by addressing strength and ensuring that the child has an attractive appearance in terms of grooming and clothing Making accommodations – advocating for partial participation in community activities

35. References Haynes-Lawrence, D. (2008). Home visitors' perceptions of teen mothers: Using qualitative research to explore labeling theory. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(12), 1386-1394. Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Robles-Pina, R. A., Defrance, E., & Cox, D. L. (2008). Self-concept, early childhood depression and school retention as predictors of adolescent depression in urban hispanic adolescents. School Psychology International, 29(4), 426-441.

36. References Turnbull, Ann, Lourdes Pereira, and Martha Blue-Banning. "Parents' Facilitation of Friendships Between Their Children With a Disability and Friends Without a Disability." Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities 24.2 (1999): 85-99.

37. Class Discussion • Choosing a research question

38. Course Check-in