Qualitative research methods Research MethodsGeog 316JA Yaroresearch strategy

Outline Some qualitative methodsThe qualitative individual interviewThe focus group discussionParticipant observationThe art of interviewingDesigning your research instrument the interview guide

Qualitative individual Interview It is a person-to-person discussion. Provides insight into people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviour on important issues Interview is often unstructured Flexible interview approach It aims to ask questions to explain the reasons underlying a problem or practice in a target group

Steps in Using In-depth Interview Step 1:Plan how you will conduct the in-depth interviews. Step 2:Decide who your respondents will be.Step 3:Prepare interview guide for each category of informants.Step 4:Read how to conduct interviews and the experiences of other researchersStep 5:Conduct the actual interviewsStep 6:Analyse the data.Step 7:Write a report and recommend intervention(s).

Qualities of a good interviewerKnowledge of topic under investigationSelf confidenceAbility to establish rapportConfident but not pompousUnassuming personalityPolitenessArticulate enough to prompt respondents to talkA good listenerAble to notice and react to nonverbal cluesFlexible, open minded, and willing to release power and control

Preparing an interview guidesemi-structuredCreate an order of topicsFormulate interview questions or topicsFull questions or summary of issuesUse comprehensible languageNo leading questionsHave a fact sheet- gender, age etcRecord the interview

Formulating questions for an interview guideGeneral research areaSpecific research questionsInterview topicsFormulate interview questionsReview interview questionsPilot guideIdentify novel issuesRevise questionsFinalize guide

Example of questionsPERCEPTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGEWhat changes in climate - rainfall, temperature and extreme events have you experienced/noticed over the past 20-30 years in this community? Why are these climate changes occurring?What resources and people are most at risk of climate related hazardsWhat parts of the community are most vulnerable to the hazards identified?Who are the members of the community who are most at risk? Why?Are the hazards different now than they were 20 years ago? How?What aspects of your lives are affected by the changing climate eg food security, diseases, etc.

Begin interview with a friendly and familiar greetingListen with attention to capture every piece of informationExplore key words, phrases, idioms, terms as they occur in the discussionListen to impressions, topics avoided by informant, deliberate distortions and misconceptions or misunderstandingsTake prompt action to explore each of theseEnsure a natural flow of discussion by guiding informant"Play dumb"(be silent) to give the respondent plenty of room to talk.Be open to unexpected information.

The "Dos in interviewing

DONT:Influence or bias responses by introducing one's own perceptions or asking leading questions which encourage a particular responseMove too quickly from one topic to the next Interrupt the informantMislead about the subject matter in order to obtain information

"The Don'ts of Interviewing

Focus group discussionsDenzin and Lincoln (1994, p.365) "focus group is a situation in which the interviewer asks group members very specific questions about a topic after considerable research has already been completed.

USES IMPORTANT FOR:Obtaining general background information about a topic generating research hypotheses Stimulating new ideas and creative concepts; Generating impressions of products, programs, services, etc.Learning how respondents talk about the phenomenon of interest which may facilitate quantitative research tools

How are focus groups different from regular groups? They are focused on a specific topicThey have a trained facilitatorMembers of the group are encouraged to talk openly about their opinions and respond to other members

6-12 participants with common experience

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Before the meeting:Before the meeting:Recheck your goalsConsider other methodsFind a good leaderFind a recorderDecide who should be invitedDecide about incentivesDecide on the meeting particulars.Prepare your questions.Recruit your members.Review the arrangements.

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Important aspects of good focus groupsA skilled moderator who has specific training for conducting focus groups, Specific eligibility criteria for participants, Formal speaking protocol to avoid bias, Questions that encourage a two to three minute thoughtful report or opinion. Encouraging interaction among groupGroup must not exceed 10 people

When the group meets:When the group meets:Thank people for coming.Review the group's purpose and goals.Explain how the meeting will proceed and how members can contribute.Set the tone by asking an opening question and making sure all opinions on that question are heard.

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When the group meets:When the group meets:Ask further questions in the same general manner.When all your questions have been asked, ask if anyone has any other comments to make.Tell the group about any next steps that will occur and what they can expect to happen now.Thank the group for coming!

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After the meeting meets:After the meeting meets:Make a transcript or written summary of the meeting.Examine the data for patterns, themes, new questions, and conclusions.Share the results with the group.Use the results.

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6-* 2007 Pearson Education CanadaStrengths and weaknesses of focus groupsStrengths:Open-ended questionSpontaneously deal with issues as they ariseCost-effective method of collecting dataLess time-consuming Weaknesses:One or two participants may dominateNot done in a natural setting, so little observation to help understand the experience of the participants

Participant observationObservation is when you are watching other people from the outside as an observerParticipant observation is when you are not only observing people doing things, but you participate to some extent in these activities as well The main idea of participant observation is that you are talking with people and interacting with them in an attempt to gain an understanding of their beliefs and activities from the inside

Most fieldwork of a qualitative nature tends to involve participant observation rather than observation

Participant Observation- NotesTypes of notes: Field (descriptive)--when observing, one should:

Describe the settingIdentify the peopleDescribe the content of the activitiesDocument the interactionsDescribe and assess Be alert to unanticipated things

Advantages of Participant Observation

Advantages:Direct information about behavior of individuals and groupsPermits researcher to enter and understand situation/contextGood opportunities to identify unanticipated outcomesNatural, Non artificially structured, and flexible setting.Reduces reactivity -- people changing behavior because they are being watched

DisadvantagesExpensive and time consumingNeed well-qualified, highly trained observers; may need content expertsDone poorly, may affect behavior of participantsSelective perception of observer may distort dataInvestigator has little control over the situationMay observe atypical behaviors

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