Philosophies of Qualitative Research

Research Methods UnitNovember 2007

Dr Carol TaylorCPD and Postgraduate Division

School of Health, Psychology and Social CareManchester Metropolitan University

•What do we mean by ‘philosophy’?

Paradigms• Dark ages• Enlightenment (18th C)– Positivism• Post positivism 1940s

• Constructivism• Modernism• Post-modernism• Feminism

Interpretivist

Research Paradigms

Experim ental / SurveyAim ing to find facts / 'truth'

Quantitative

Positivism

Malinowski

Ethnography

Husserl HeideggerGadam er

Phenom enology

MeadBlum er

Sym bolic interactionism

Interpreting m eaningAim ing to understand subjective 'reality'

Qualitative

Interpretivism

Research pradigm s

Research ParadigmsPositivism

• Experimental RCTs,

• Surveys questionnaires

Establishing facts / truthHypothesis testingQuantitativeDeductive

Interpretivism

• Ethnography• Phenomenology• Symbolic interactionism

Understanding meaningHypothesis generatingQualitativeInductive

Ethnography

• Definition: The scientific description of races and peoples with their customs, habits and mutual differences. (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)

• In qualitative research it is now used to mean, the study of human behaviour in its natural setting.

Ethnography: Principal methods of data collection

• Participant observation + interviews and conversations / ‘going native’

• Compare with surveys – it generates a different epistemological focus, a different type of knowing.

Phenomenology

• Definition:The science and study of phenomena.

• Complex and often misunderstood

• Undergone considerable change over the years

Phenomenology• Husserl (1859-1938)- Essence of the phenomenon

was important rather than the experience of it.

• Heidegger (1889-1976) - added meaning and interpretation (hermeneutics)

• Gadamer (1900–2002) - added context (hermeneutic circle) and even the researcher’s perspective

Phenomenological study into ‘stroke’

• Husserl: What is ‘stroke’? (as perceived by the stroke victim only)

• Heidegger : What is the stroke victim’s interpretation of ‘stroke’?

• Gadamer: What is it like to be a stroke victim?

Total description of the phenomenon…

• The phenomenon = ‘stroke’• The lived experience = What is it

like to be a ‘stroke’ victim?

• Phenomenology is neither inductive nor deductive. It neither generates theory nor tests theory

E.g. Field (1981) Giving an injection

Symbolic Interactionism

• Definition: The way humans act towards things is based on the meaning those things have for them. Those meanings emerge from social interaction and are modified and dealt with through an interactive process.

• It is a lens or framework for understanding behaviour

Symbolic Interactionism

• Mead (1863 – 1931)

• Blumer (1900 – 1987)

• Glaser (b 1930) and Strauss (1916 – 1996)

HomelessnessWhat it means to live as a homeless

person

Strategy Question Type of results

Ethnography What is it like living as a homeless person?

Day to day description of life for homeless people

Phenomenology

Homelessness In depth experience of what it is like to be homeless.

Symbolic Interactionism

Being homeless What is going on in the experience of being homeless. An understanding of homelessness.

Approaching research questions

What do I want to know?

Research question

Research Method

Philosophy

What is my world view?

What is the best way to find out?

Approaching research questions

What do I want to know?

What is the best way to find out?

Research question

Research Method

Philosophy

How do we know that this will address the question?

Data collection or generation?

Generate Quality Data• Ask relevant questions

• Explore concepts and ideas

• Consider the context of the data

• Clarify meaning, establish common meaning

• Make field notes

Qualitative data…

• Observation – social groups, behaviour, interaction

• Conversation – naturally occurring talk• Narrative• Interview• Documents – diaries, letters, reports• Pictures / paintings• Body language

Is this science?

Positivism

Results structured round

numerical measurement,

statistical analysis.

Checked by reliabilityand validity.

Interpretivism

Find regularities inphenomena,

consistencies,patterns of observed

events.

Checked by rigour