Lecture 2 Qualitative Research

Ontology

• Ontology is a theory of being
• Ontological positions influence how we approach and deal with the world
• Examples of ontological positions: Men and women are different; You are poor because you are lazy

Epistemology

• Epistemology relates to a belief about what we can know about the world
• It is about how we know things
• Epistemology is the theory of knowledge

Influences on Social Research

• Social research is influenced by theory, practical considerations, epistemology, and ontology.

Linking Theory to Research

• Theory leads to a hypothesis
• The hypothesis is tested using data collection
• Findings from data collection either confirm or reject the hypothesis
• The theory is then revised based on the findings

Qualitative Research

• Qualitative research attempts to understand political actors as conscious social beings who shape the world of politics. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of those shaping and being shaped.
• It assumes the social world as a human creation, not a discovery.
• Interpretive science seeks to interpret how respondents experience reality.

Assumptions of Qualitative Methods

• The social world is a human creation, not a discovery
• Interpretive science aims to understand reality as it is experienced by respondents

Features of Qualitative Methods

• Captures reality in interaction
• Studies a small number of respondents
• Uses no random sampling
• Presents information verbally, not in numbers or formulas
• Recognizes that language is not neutral
• Approaches reality without preconceived ideas and pre-structured models
• Percieves the researcher and the researched as equally important
• Aims to study reality from the inside, not from the outside
• Aims to interpret meaningful human interactions and interpretations
• Aims to understand social action
• Attempts to capture meaning and regularities of social action. -Aims to comprehend. not measure, individuals
• Employs procedures that generate descriptive data in respondents own words and experiences.
• Leads to an interpretive inquiry, which is essentially moral.

Research Foundations

• Interpretative
• Naturalistic
• Communicative
• Reflective
• Qualitative

Central Principles of Qualitative Methods

• Openness
• Research as communication
• The process-nature of research and the object
• Reflexivity of object and analysis
• Explanation
• Flexibility

When to Use Qualitative Research

• Research delving into complexities and processes
• Research to identify relevant variables
• Research exploring why policies, wisdom, and practices don't work
• Research on unknown societies or innovative systems
• Research on informal and unstructured linkages/processes in organizations

Strengths of Qualitative Research

• Researching people in their natural settings
• Emphasizing meanings and interpretations
• Achieving a deeper understanding of respondents' views
• Humanizing the research process
• Allowing higher flexibility
• Presenting a more realistic world view

Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

• Problems with reliability due to subjectivity and bias
• Risk of collecting meaningless or exaggerated information
• Time-consuming nature
• Challenges in representativeness and generalizability
• Difficulty in maintaining objectivity
• Ethical challenges in entering the personal sphere of subjects

Rigorous and Robust Qualitative Research Practices

• Interviewing with question lists and transcripts
• Analytical frames
• Observation with guided questions and logs and analytical devices
• Computer assisted analysis

Steps in Qualitative Research

• General research question
• Select relevant site and subject
• Collect relevant data
• Interpret data
• Develop conceptual and theoretical framework (additional data needed)
• Refine research questions
• Write up findings

Picking Your Research Strategy (Quantitative vs. Qualitative)

• Qualitative: Inductive (evolving theories from data), interpretive
• Quantitative: Deductive (testing pre-existing theories), natural science model, objectivism