Qualitative Research

qualitative research is often associated with an

interpretive philosophy
depends on people's interpretation and
conceptualisation; qualitative data are likely to be more
complex than quantitative data
closer to the real meaning from the
respondents/informants

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 Importance of Qualitative Research

to make sense of the subjectivity

socially constructed meanings expressed and
interpreted by the respondents/informants about the
phenomenon being studied

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 Qualitative data

Primary data
Written
Non-written
data management skill
Audio/ verbal
Video
interpersonal skills

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Qualitative Data Analysis Approaches
Deductive
Deductive

Sample

Inductive
research
Theory Objectives
questions

Inductive

Ground Theory
Approach

Sample
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 Inductive Approach

I. Formulate research objectives

II. Large number of respondents
III. Aimed at the specific body of knowledge
IV. Variables, questions and hypotheses or propositions
V. Data analysis to call for the emergence of the theory
VI. Revise/refine research objectives

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 Disadvantages:

Deductive: Inductive:
it may limit the Time-consuming and
exploratory studies resource-intensive
it does not encourage
divergent thinking
risk of reproducing the
similar research work
false concept is deduced

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 Benefits
Deductive: Inductive:
links the research into the helps to produce concrete
existing body of knowledge conclusion
helps you get started can increase creativity
provides you with a solid and encourages exploratory
theoretical sound initial studies
analytical framework
allows identification of the
significance and correlation of
the variables involved

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 How can you manage ???
Qualitative data (oral) to word-processed text
1. Transcribing Qualitative Data
Time-consuming
Highly reliable and accurate
Allows further communication with respondents
Higher motivation of transcription work completion
Allows internal reflexivity
Higher accuracy of forthcoming data analysis
Full Transcription or Selective Transcription
Missing part of the data
Saves time and resources

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 How to manage
2. Data Cleaning
Final checking with respondents
3. Aids to Help Data Analysis
make a record of contextual information during your data
collection
interim or progress summaries;
transcript summaries;
document summaries;
self-memos;
a research notebook;
a reflective diary or journal

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 How to manage

4. Qualitative data analysis

- Distinction between using a deductive or
inductive approach

Exhibit 2: Dimensions of Qualitative Data Analysis

Source: Saunders et al. (2012)

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 How to manage
5. Categorising data
Rearrange data into analytical categories:
literature (concept- driven)
from the data collected (data-driven), or
both

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 How to manage
6. Unitising Data
. Recognising Relationships and Developing
Categories
Generating categories and reorganising data accordingly
.Developing Testable Propositions
Test the appearance of an apparent relationship or connection
between categories
Hypothesis testing
Give alternative explanation
conduct an additional round of data collection
.Effective Planning
Data collection, data analysis and the development of testable
propositions happen simultaneously. This helps to achieve the
research objectives and to answer the research questions
established.

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 How to manage
7. Reporting Qualitative Data
Analyse collected raw primary data.
the quotations must be able to support the analysis, not
replace your analysis;
Select quotations precisely and clearly related to the finding;
Present the quotations;
not all qualitative results will need to be supported by
quotations;
Protect the anonymity of the person who attributes the
quotation, unless he/she agreed to reveal such attribution.
Avoid stringing together a number of quotations;
Avoid using quotations in a formulaic way, such as starting or
ending a section of findings with a quotation.

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 Specific Approaches to Qualitative Data
Analysis: Inductive Procedures

commence an exploratory project

the scope of your research may be constrained by adopting
theoretical propositions that do not reflect your participants'
views and experience
however, this allows a good fit to develop between the social
reality of the research participants and the theory that
emerges
theory may be used to suggest subsequent, appropriate
action to be taken
theory's generalisability may also be tested in other contexts

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Corbin and Strauss 2008;
| Glaser and Strauss 1
 Inductive procedure
Irrelevant for the types of narrative that exhibit less transparent,
or more complex structures, or which do not follow a linear
timeline, or do not exhibit identifiable cause-and-effect
relationships

1. Analytic Induction
explanation-budding procedure

2. Narrative Data Analysis

.Temporal sequence - that is the order in which events
occurred.
.Logical sequence. This involves describing the issue or
complicating variable at the centre of this situation, the events
or actions that occurred in relation to this situation and the
way in which the situation was resolved, or the outcomes and
De Fina and Georgakopoulou (2008
consequences associated with this situation. Business Research Methods
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 Inductive procedure
3. Discourse Analysis (analysis of language )
different discourses will produce different explanations of the
practice
This also produces different versions of discourse with the same
concept
Do not accept research data at face value

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 Specific Approaches to Qualitative
Data Analysis: Deductive Procedures

Specify theoretical propositions

Commencement of data collection
Analysis

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 Deductive Procedures

1. Pattern Matching
predicting outcomes based on theoretical propositions
To explain findings:
develop an analytical framework
utilise existing theory
test the adequacy of the framework

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 Deductive Procedures
2. Explanation-building
To test a theoretical proposition:
.Devise a theoretically-based proposition
.Undertake data collection through an initial case study in order
to be able to compare the findings from this in relation to this
theoretically-based proposition
.Where necessary, amend the theoretically-based proposition in
light of the findings from the initial case study
.Undertake a further round of data collection in order to
compare the findings from this in relation to the revised
proposition
.Where necessary, further amend the revised proposition in
light of the findings from the second case study
.Undertake further iterations of this process until a satisfactory
explanation is derived
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Yin (2009)
 Software
Using CAQDAS (Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis
Software )
To increase transparency and methodological rigour
Structure of work
Closeness to data and interactivity
Explore the data
Code and retrieve
Project management and data organisation
Searching and interrogating
Writing memos, comments, notes to record thoughts systematically in
relation to the data
Output

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| Lewins and Silver