Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact

Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 9
Detailed Contents......Page 10
Preface: Is this book for me?......Page 16
CHAPTER 1 Developing contextual research that matters......Page 21
Self-reflexivity......Page 22
Thick description......Page 23
Strengths of qualitative research......Page 24
Foci of qualitative research......Page 25
Understanding groups and organizations......Page 26
Understanding mediated and virtual contexts......Page 27
Moving from ideas to sites, settings, and participants......Page 28
EXERCISE 1.1 Field/site brainstorm......Page 29
Sources of research ideas......Page 30
Compatibility, suitability, yield, and feasibility......Page 31
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 1.1 Feasibility challenges with hidden populations......Page 34
Moving toward a research question......Page 35
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 1.2 Published examples of research questions......Page 36
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 37
EXERCISE 1.2 Three potential field sites......Page 38
CHAPTER 2 Entering the conversation of qualitative research......Page 40
Inductive/emic vs. deductive/etic approaches......Page 41
Action and structure......Page 42
CONSIDER THIS 2.1 Why am I standing in line?......Page 43
Comparing qualitative and quantitative methods......Page 44
Gestalt......Page 45
Bricolage......Page 46
The funnel metaphor......Page 47
Key definitions and territories of qualitative research......Page 48
Ethically problematic research and the creation of the IRB......Page 51
Current controversies......Page 53
In summary......Page 54
EXERCISE 2.2 Research problems and questions......Page 55
CHAPTER 3 Paradigmatic reflections and theoretical foundations......Page 57
CONSIDER THIS 3.1 A paradigm parable......Page 58
Positivist and post-positivist paradigm......Page 59
Interpretive paradigm......Page 60
EXERCISE 3.1 Verstehen/understanding......Page 61
Critical paradigm......Page 62
Postmodern/poststructuralist paradigm......Page 64
CONSIDER THIS 3.2 Whose stylistic rules?......Page 65
Paradigmatic complexities and intersections......Page 67
Theoretical approaches that commonly use qualitative methods......Page 69
Geertz’s interpretivism and thick description......Page 70
Symbolic interaction......Page 71
CONSIDER THIS 3.3 How do I know myself?......Page 72
Ethnography of communication......Page 73
Feminism......Page 75
Participatory action research......Page 76
Sensemaking......Page 78
Structuration......Page 79
In summary......Page 80
CHAPTER 4 Fieldwork and fieldplay: Negotiating access and exploring the scene......Page 84
A participant observation primer......Page 85
Riding my mentor’s coattails: Citywest 911 emergency call-takers......Page 86
Becoming a full participant: Radiant sun cruise ship......Page 87
Accessing a closed organization: women’s minimum and Nouveau jail......Page 88
Do some homework before approaching the scene......Page 89
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 4.1 Contact information log......Page 90
Please don’t reject me! Seeking research permission......Page 91
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 4.2 Sample access proposal......Page 93
Negotiating access to a virtual site......Page 94
Abandoning the ego, engaging embodiment, embracing liminality......Page 95
Navigating those first few visits......Page 97
Encouraging participant cooperation......Page 98
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 4.3 Initial reactions speak volumes......Page 99
Seeking informed consent in the scene......Page 100
Briefing interviews and participant information table......Page 101
Member diaries......Page 102
Maps and narrative tours......Page 103
EXERCISE 4.2 Map and narrative tour......Page 104
In summary......Page 105
CHAPTER 5 Proposal writing: Explaining your research to institutional review boards, instructors, supervisory committees, and funding agencies......Page 107
Getting started with institutional review......Page 108
The IRB proposal: rationale, instruments, informed consent, and confidentiality......Page 109
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 5.1 Participant consent letter......Page 110
Exempt review......Page 112
Full-board review......Page 113
The quirks of IRB......Page 114
Title, abstract, and key words......Page 116
TIPS AND TOOLS 5.1 Research proposal components......Page 117
Rationale......Page 118
Literature review/conceptual framework......Page 119
Methods......Page 120
Budget/timeline......Page 121
Projected outcomes......Page 122
In summary......Page 123
CHAPTER 6 Field roles, fieldnotes, and field focus......Page 125
Field roles and standpoints of participant observation......Page 126
Complete participant......Page 127
Play participant......Page 129
CONSIDER THIS 6.1 Why “playing” = learning......Page 130
Focused participant observer......Page 131
Complete observer......Page 133
Raw records and head notes......Page 134
Formal fieldnotes......Page 136
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 6.1 Fieldnote header......Page 137
Showing (and using dialogue) versus telling......Page 138
Making the familiar strange and the strange familiar......Page 139
Noticing the data as evidence......Page 140
Analytic reflections......Page 141
TIPS AND TOOLS 6.1 Fieldnote writing tips......Page 142
Focusing the data and using heuristic devices......Page 143
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 145
In summary......Page 147
CHAPTER 7 Interview planning and design: Sampling, recruiting, and questioning......Page 150
CONSIDER THIS 7.1 Yin and yang: taijitu......Page 151
The value of interviews......Page 152
EXERCISE 7.1 Self-reflexive interviewing......Page 153
Convenience/opportunistic samples......Page 154
Maximum variation samples......Page 155
Theoretical-construct samples......Page 156
Typical, extreme, and critical instance samples......Page 157
Interview structure, type, and stance......Page 158
Structure of interviews......Page 159
Interview types......Page 160
Interview stances......Page 161
Creating the interview guide......Page 163
Wording good questions......Page 164
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 7.1 Research questions versus interview questions......Page 165
Opening the interview......Page 166
Generative questions......Page 167
Directive questions......Page 169
Interview question wrap-up......Page 171
In summary......Page 172
CHAPTER 8 Interview practice: Embodied, mediated, and focus-group approaches......Page 177
Negotiating access for interviews......Page 178
Conducting face-to-face interviews......Page 179
Interview logistics......Page 180
Why good interviewing is so much more than asking questions......Page 181
Strengths of mediated interviews......Page 183
Disadvantages of mediated interviews......Page 185
TIPS AND TOOLS 8.1 Mediated interviews: advantages and disadvantages......Page 186
The value of focus groups......Page 187
Conducting the focus group......Page 189
TIPS AND TOOLS 8.2 Planning a focus group......Page 190
Moderating the focus group......Page 192
Overcoming common focus group and interviewing challenges......Page 193
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 8.1 Remedial–pedagogical interviews......Page 195
Transcribing......Page 197
TIPS AND TOOLS 8.3 Common transcribing symbols......Page 199
In summary......Page 201
CHAPTER 9 Data analysis basics: A pragmatic iterative approach......Page 203
Organizing and preparing the data......Page 204
Manual approaches......Page 206
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 9.1 Manual coding visual display......Page 207
Data immersion and primary-cycle coding......Page 208
Focusing the analysis and creating a codebook......Page 210
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 9.2 Codebook excerpt......Page 212
CONSIDER THIS 9.1 Focusing the data analysis......Page 213
Secondary-cycle coding: second-level analytic and axial/hierarchical coding......Page 214
Synthesizing and making meaning from codes......Page 216
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 9.3 Analytic memos......Page 217
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 9.4 Loose analysis outline......Page 218
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 219
In summary......Page 220
EXERCISE 9.1 Iterative analysis basics......Page 221
CHAPTER 10 Advanced data analysis: The art and magic of interpretation......Page 223
Computer-aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS)......Page 224
Exemplars and vignettes......Page 227
Developing typologies......Page 230
Dramatistic strategy......Page 231
Metaphor analysis......Page 232
Visual data displays......Page 233
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 10.1 Table for organizing dissertation findings......Page 235
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 10.2 Matrix display......Page 236
TIPS AND TOOLS 10.1 Flowchart depicting iterative analysis process......Page 238
Explanation and causality......Page 239
Discourse tracing......Page 241
RESEARCHER’S NOTEPAD 10.3 Micro, meso, macro sources......Page 242
FOLLOWING, THEN FORGETTING THE RULES......Page 243
EXERCISE 10.1 Advanced data analysis/interpretation......Page 244
CHAPTER 11 Qualitative quality: Creating a credible, ethical, significant study......Page 247
The criteria controversy......Page 248
TIPS AND TOOLS 11.1 Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research......Page 250
Rich rigor......Page 251
Self-reflexivity......Page 253
Transparency......Page 254
Thick description......Page 255
Crystallization/triangulation......Page 256
Multivocality......Page 257
Resonance......Page 258
Aesthetic merit......Page 259
Significant contribution......Page 260
Ethical research practice......Page 262
Situational ethics......Page 263
CONSIDER THIS 11.2 Situational and relational ethics......Page 264
Meaningful coherence......Page 265
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 266
CONSIDER THIS 11.3 The ten lies of ethnography......Page 267
In summary......Page 268
CHAPTER 12 Writing Part 1: The nuts and bolts of qualitative tales......Page 271
The realist tale......Page 272
Creative, impressionist, and literary tales......Page 273
The confessional tale......Page 275
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 12.2 Dialogue as a powerful literary tactic......Page 277
Writing the framing material: title, abstract, key words......Page 278
Writing the introduction, the literature review, and the conceptual framework......Page 279
Writing the research methodology and method(s)......Page 280
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 12.3 Methods data display......Page 281
Themes/topics......Page 282
Convergence/braided narrative......Page 283
Separated text......Page 284
Layered/messy texts......Page 285
Writing the conclusions and implications......Page 286
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 288
In summary......Page 290
CHAPTER 13 Writing Part 2: Drafting, polishing, and publishing......Page 293
Writing to inquire......Page 295
Rich, luminous, and thick evidence......Page 296
Structuring the data in sections, paragraphs, and sentences......Page 297
Formatting qualitative work......Page 299
Visual representations......Page 301
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 13.1 Visual representation......Page 302
Setting yourself up for success by considering the audience first......Page 303
EXERCISE 13.1 Article format model......Page 304
TIPS AND TOOLS 13.1 Journals that have published qualitative communication research......Page 305
Submitting, revising, and resubmitting for journal publication......Page 306
How to write a lot......Page 308
TIPS AND TOOLS 13.2 Steps for writing an ethnography......Page 309
Addressing common challenges in qualitative writing......Page 310
In summary......Page 314
CHAPTER 14 Qualitative methodology matters: Exiting and communicating impact......Page 316
Navigating exit from the scene......Page 317
Don’t spoil the scene......Page 318
Give back......Page 319
Ethically delivering the findings......Page 320
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 321
Moving toward research representations with public impact......Page 322
Staged performances......Page 323
RESEARCHER'S NOTEPAD 14.2 Staged performance with impact......Page 324
Grant applications and reports......Page 325
TIPS AND TOOLS 14.1 White papers......Page 326
Media relations......Page 327
Websites and web relations......Page 328
Overcoming lingering obstacles to public scholarship......Page 330
EXERCISE 14.1 Making an impact via public scholarship......Page 331
FOLLOWING, FORGETTING, AND IMPROVISING......Page 332
In summary......Page 333
Appendix A......Page 335
Appendix B......Page 337
Appendix C......Page 341
References......Page 345
Index......Page 361