Lecture Communication research: Asking questions, finding answers (4e) Chapter 15: Designing qualitative research

Chapter 15

DESIGNING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
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IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH


Researcher is primary data collection
instrument



Participation and observation are integrated



Focuses on specific interactants in specific
communication contexts and events

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RESEARCHER SKILLS


Needs theoretical knowledge and social
sensitivity



Must be able to recognize his/her role in the
research experience



Must be able to think abstractly to make
connections among data

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FORMS OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION





Complete participant
Participant-as-observer
Observer-as-participant
Complete observer



Committed membership






Peripheral member
Active member
Complete member

Researcher as
interviewer

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DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE
AMONG THESE RESEARCHER ROLES?

IDENTIFYING THE RESEARCH FOCUS


Is the research question personally interesting or
compelling?



Should be contextually bound



Each project will result in a unique design solution



Develop a purpose statement as road map



Consider researcher’s flexibility to fit in

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CONSULTING THE LITERATURE


Become familiar with content literature
 Terminology
 Theories



or practices in this setting

that can be supported or challenged

Become familiar with research which used the
method you’re planning to use
 Become

familiar with research techniques before
gaining access
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CONCEPT MAPS


Sketchy or detailed



Helps in
 Grouping



ideas together

 Identifying

relationships among concepts

 Identifying

boundaries for the study

Use to aid creativity and thinking about the
project
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES


Qualitative emphasizes description and explanation



More common


Research question or series of questions



Research purpose or objective



Connected to context studied



Initially considered as tentative

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SAMPLING IN QUALITATIVE DESIGNS



Snowball sampling
 Ask



participants for referrals

Purposive sampling
 Seek



individuals who meet criteria

Maximum variation sampling
 Seek

participants until data are redundant

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SAMPLE SIZE
Cannot be predetermined

 Enough data when:


 New

information is not being added
 Existing information is not challenged
Not enough data will
limit interpretation

Too much data can
be paralyzing

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SAMPLING IN QUALITATIVE RESERACH


Impossible to observe every interaction of all
interactants



Identify settings, persons, activities, events, and time
periods



Distinguish between routine, special, and untoward
events



Randomly selecting days and times increases the
representativeness of your observations
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GAINING ACCESS


What would you tell the people you approach
that you wanted to study?
 What

if they asked why you want to study them?



Consider alternative ways of gaining access



Be careful of invading personal space or private
conversations in public settings

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GAINING ACCESS


If you take on a covert role, your acceptance by others
depends on your ability to play the part



Consider a gatekeeper or sponsor



Will your observations provide the data you need?


Is the setting suitable?



Can you observe what you want to observe?



Will your observations be feasible?



Can you observe in such a way that you are not suspect to
others?
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BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH PEOPLE AND PLACES

Draw a map of the interaction setting

Ask for a tour

Ask for relevant background

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DEVELOPING TRUST




Trust must be addressed due to researcher’s intimate
role with participants


Must be addressed in first contact



Trust is person-specific



Trust is established over time



Trust can be destroyed with one event

Trust between researchers and participants is
paramount
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DEVELOPING RAPPORT


Ask simple questions



Maintain positive conversation posture



Learn names and titles



Perform commitment acts



Locate key informants

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DESIGNING THE RESEARCH PROJECT


What communication phenomenon do you want to study?



What is the historical, economic, political, cultural background
of the phenomenon?



How will you determine what you are observing is that
phenomenon?



What is the physical setting of this phenomenon?



How will you enter the interaction environment?



Do you have the time to commit to the project?



Do you have resources to manage the data?
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WHAT CONSTITUTES DATA IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?


The concept of data is broadly cast
 ranges

from public to private



More continuous than discrete



Field notes



Recordings



Written or digital documents



Photographs or maps



Artifacts
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YOUR IMPACT AS A RESEARCHER


Your sex, age, and ethnicity affect what you
observe and how you observe it



Report similarities and differences that you
believe affected data collection or
interpretation



Research teams should be diverse

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