Qualitative data collection

• Whole world experience
• Individual experience
  
  

Explores how the participant experiences, perceives & attaches meaning to the experience.

• Design coherence NB
• Aligning your data collection, analysis & interpretation methods to your research goals & question.

-Observing phenomena in their natural environment.
-Assumes that the behavior of subjects has purpose, and is an expression of deeper feelings and beliefs.
-Participant rather than respondent.

1. Studying people in their natural environment
2. Repeated interaction with people over time
3. Developing theoretical concepts based on an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of people's environments.
   

-> Plan according to research process & choose accessible & applicable research process.

->Ensure that the phenomenon that you are exploring occurs with sufficient frequency in the setting you plan to use

->Points to keep in mind:

• Get to know the people you're studying
• Immerse yourself
• Make detailed notes
• Consolidate the data (focus on participant responses & not your personal feelings and opinions)
  

TYPES OF ETHNOGRAPHY

1. Anthropological Ethnography - Researcher spends lengthy periods of time immersed in foreign/unknown cultures and subcultures (field notes, journals, interviews)

2. Audience Ethnography - Researchers want to explore how audiences make sense of & derive pleasure from interaction with their favourite TV/ radio programmes.

3. Street Ethnography - Particular setting. Participants, by choice/ due to circumstances, spend their time on the streets. Homeless, street gangs, prostitutes. May present a physical danger to the researcher - have to earn trust of street group members to enter.

4. Authoenthnography - Ethnographical & autobiographical study about the cultural connection between an individual researcher & others in a specific social context. Focus: Relationship between self (researcher) and others. E.g researcher examines their own experiences as a political refugee in a foreign country.

5. Virtual ethnography - Researcher uses ethnographic techniques to gain an understanding of people's behaviour in cyberspace eg observing blog discussion

6. Institutional Ethnography - Late 70s from a critical feminist perspective. Applied as a frame of inquiry to understand how the workplace is shaping the subjective experience of people. Subjective experience of oppressed people in an institution. Researcher attempts to understand hidden and possibly oppressive activities.

GROUNDED THEORY

• Developed by Glaser & Strauss as an alternative to Positivism.
• Research grounded in the data the researcher is collecting rather than in existing theories
• Used when existing theories are scarce/ limited & in need of development
• Uses an inductive approach
• Theory emerges from the data
• Mostly used to study human behaviour by the way of comparative analysis
• Usually collects data through semi-structured interviews, field studies, participant observation & social interaction

CASE STUDY APPROACH

-> A thick & detailed description of a social phenomenon that exist in a real-world context
-> Rigorous description of real-life situation
-> Aims to present case authentically within a natural context
-> Method to give a voice to ordinary people
-> Illustrative / typical: Attempt to understand what happened in a specific case
-> Exploratory: A rigorous description of the case within its broader context in an attempt to understand the nature of the case.
-> Explanatory: Explain the particular circumstances & nuances of specific phenomenon

ONLOOKER

• Level of researcher involvement: No actual contact - simply observe a social process without becoming involved. Researcher remains concealed and covert
• Limitations: No relationships built, no questions can be asked, will hamper your chances of gaining in-depth insight. Ethical issues as well.
  
  
  

PARTIAL PARTICIPATION

• Level of researcher involvement: Researcher is known, overt. Involved but not immersed.

  
  

• Limitations: Makes detachment & objectivity possible - may not be able to immerse yourself sufficiently. Might undermine the depth of your study.

FULL PARTICIPATION

• Level of researcher involvement: Fully integrated, participation can be known or covert. Active member of the community -embrace all dealings, rites, behaviours.
• Limitations: Too much involvement might tarnish your objectivity & therefore your validity. Stay mindful and keep perspective.

ADVANTAGES =

1. Provide you with a deeper understanding

   
   

2. Participants can learn from each other which may generate a solution to a problem

   
   

3. Allows you to collect evidence about the feelings & opinions that are shared

   
   

4. It is very cost effective

   
   

5. Opportunity to explore & verify certain perspectives & experiences that come to light during the meeting

   
   

6. Concentrated insight into the participants' views on a topic

   
   

7. Allows you to clarify contradictory responses by participants

   
   

PLANNING A FOCUS GROUP MEETING:

• Determine whether there are sufficient funds & time

  
  

• Decide how many focus group meetings need to be conducted

  
  

• Determine the composition of the focus group

  
  

• Determine the level of involvement of the facilitator

  
  

• Consider political & ethical issues

CONDUCTING FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS:

-> Start meeting by asking general questions about the participants
-> Familiarise them with one another & with what experiences they share
-> Ensure that participants are comfortable & that they feel that their views & opinions are valued and important
-> If you use open-ended questions, participants may be more willing to express their views & opinions.
-> Prompt the participants to explain more & to give more details
-> Key considerations:

• Involvement of researcher
• Build rapport
• The bias of the researcher