Rapid Qualitative Inquiry (RQI): Field Guide to Team-Based AssessmentJames Beebe

Portland State University and the Center for Rapid Qualitative Inquiry

Expanded Version August 2015

RQI, RAP, Mini-RAP, Related Approaches

RQI-Newest generation rapid qualitative research methodology

RAP-Rapid Assessment Process, qualitative research methodology, direct forefather of RQI, (see Beebe 2001) but with significant differences

Mini-RAP- Educational activity for learning RQI and qualitative research. NOT a research methodology.

RQI, RAP, Mini-RAP, Related Approaches

Other related research methodologies and approaches- Sharing many, but not all, of the characteristics of RQI. Rapid Assessment Procedures, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Rural Appraisal, Rapid Rural Appraisal, Rapid Appraisal, Rapid Ethnography, and others.

Second Edition published October 2014.

Can be ordered from Rowman and Littlefield or from Amazon.com.

The Rowman and Littlefield web site includes prepublication reviews and other updates.

Link to the Rowman and Littlefield website

http://rapidqualitativeinquiry.com

Rapid Qualitative Inquiry

A way to investigate complicated situations:

Where issues are not yet well defined.

Where there is not sufficient time or other resources for long-term, traditional qualitative research.

Rapid Qualitative Inquiry

Is Qualitative Research.

Shares many of the characteristics of case study and ethnography.

Differs from traditional qualitative research

INSTEAD OF LONG-TERM FIELDWORK

Uses intensive, team interaction.

Explicitly divides time between data collection and data review/ analysis before additional data collection.

RQIis a team-based, applied research method that (a) focuses on getting the insider’s or emic perspective, (b) uses multiple sources and triangulation, and (c) uses iterative data analysis and additional data collection to quickly, usually in less than several weeks, develop a preliminary understanding of a situation.

RQI cannot be done by one person.

The objective of RQI is to

develop understanding

as opposed to finding a

single truth.

Emic and Etic

The goal is to understand the categories the local people use for dividing up their reality and identifying the terms they use for their categories.

The categories used by the local people are referred to as “emic.” The categories used by outsiders including researchers who are not insiders, are “etic” categories.

Examples: colors, land “ownership,” soils.

Emic and Etic

Qualitative research such as RQI can improve quantitative research by identifying the categories used by the insiders.

RQI can be used

• to make preliminary decisions about interventions or changes.

• to make decisions about additional research.

• for monitoring and evaluation.

• in qualitative research classes to develop expertise and skills.

Examples of the Use of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Higher Education New Dean for Student Services

Obvious divisions and discord among staff

Qualitative RQI showed:

All staff committed to service but no agreement on what service meant.

All staff committed to students but no agreement on who were the students.

Examples of the Use of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Proposal to convert agricultural cooperatives to for-profit organizations.

Assumption that all cooperatives failing, results of focus group interview of managers of selected cooperatives.

RQI showed:

Tremendous variability with some successes

Confusion by managers on difference between productivity and production

Examples of the Use of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Labor as a constraint to increased agricultural production

Observation that many farmers close to urban centers spend increasing time off the farm.

Questions include role of off-farm labor in farm production, categories of farmers, innovations most relevant to different categories

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Fish consumption in culturally distinct communities (Driscoll et al. 2012)

Social science in the Pacific fishery management (Gilden 2005)

Sharks of Southeast Asia (Lam and deMitchson 2011)

A commercial fishing community in California (Pomoroy and Stevens 2008)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Appraisal approaches for agricultural extension (Toness 2001)

Corporate social responsibility and gold mining (Gillord et al. 2010)

The impact of the Internet on news and music business models (Krueger 2006)

Targeting Australian parents of young children with attachment issues (Aylward et al. 2010)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Retention of Fulani Muslim girls in school (Balde 2004)

Mobil learning to teach reading to 9th grade students (Brown, L 2008)

Exploring HIV/AIDS knowledge and behavior of university students in Botswana (Brown, M et al.2008)

Education and identity formation in Zimbabwe Mpondi 2004)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Youth, trash, and work in an African city (Thieme 2010)

Adult learning experience in a teacher certification program (Walsh et al. 2005)

Evidence-based nursing practice (Angus and O’Brien-Pallas 2003)

Computerized clinical decision support (Ash et al. 2013)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Sampling hard-to-reach youth on sexually transmitted diseases (Auerswald et al. 2004)

Home delivery in rural Ethiopia (Bedford et al. 2012)

Use of prenatal micronutrients supple-mentsby working class Filipino women (Daack-Hirsch and Gamboa 2011)

Prescription opioid abuse in an urban setting (Inciardi et al. 2009)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

HIV-infected patients in a clinical care setting (Morin et al. 2004)

Patient care using a panel approach (Neuwirthet al. 2007)

Rapid assessment of existing HIV pre-ventionprograms (Solomon et al. 2007)

Community interventions and AIDS (Trotter and Singer 2005)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Developing cross-cultural competency in the military (Caligiuri et al. 2011)

Perspectives on rehabilitation of patients with polytruma (Friedemann-Sanchez et al. 2008)

Rapid assessment and security sector reform (Last 2005)

Provider perspective on treating veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (Sayer 2009)

Published Examples of RQI(and very similar approaches)

Rapid ethnographic assessment in the military (Schultz et al. 2009)

Evaluation of total force fitness programs in the military (Walter et al. 2010)

Improving the credibility of weather forecasts (Pennesi 2007)

The private press and democracy in Ethopia(Bonsa 2003)

Qualitative Research including RQI

Should not be used for estimating numbers or percents.

Quantitative research is the appropriate research methodology when numbers or percents are needed

Results can be produced in

• as few as about five days, • but usually requires several

weeks.• Longer time in the field

usually produces better results.

Definitions of rap that apply to RQI

To talk freely and frankly.

To communicate with participants using their vocabulary and rhythm.

Stories NOT Answers

The goal is to get the insiders to tell their stories and NOTanswer the questions of the outsiders.

Purposeful Sampling Requires the Team to Seek Out:

• the poorer,

• less articulate,

• more upset, and

• those least like the members of the RQI team.

Teamwork

The success of RQIdepends upon the quality of the teamwork.

Intensive teamwork

Intensive teamwork for both the data collection and analysis is an alternative to prolonged fieldwork.

Team interviewingRQI uses group discussion involving the entire team and the local participants (team interviewing), NOT sequential interviewing by individual members of the team.

Semi-structured Interviews

Relaxed, semi-structured

interviewing that provides respondents with time to think is often effective in eliciting stories.

Technology to Improve Quality and Speed

Transcribing software

Social media

nalysis software

File collaboration

Document capture

Video

SMART PHONES

Successful RQI

Members of the RQI team need to recognize:

• They don’t know enough to ask questions,

• They don’t know enough to provide the answers, but

• They do know enough to want to empower others to solve their own problems.

Iterative Analysis and Additional Data Collection

Time is divided between

• blocks used for collecting information and

• blocks when the team does data analysis and considers changes in the next round of data collection.

Analysis

Analysis begins with the first round of data collection.

Analysis involves:

• Coding the data,

• Displaying relationships in the data, and

• Drawing conclusions.

Practice Group Discussion/Interview

Possible topic: What is the biggest threat to the quality of higher education?

NOT DESIGNED TO BE RESEARCH! Practice using a team to conduct interview/discussion

Mini-RAP

A Mini-RAP is not a research methodology. It is a way to learn to do Qualitative Research and RQI

Groups of 4 or 5 persons

Topic: What would be necessary to improve gender equity in your organizations

Mini-RAP

One member of the group will be the person interviewed during the first interview.

A second member of the group will be the person interviewed during the second interview.

The other members of the group will be the research team

Mini-RAP

The interview team prepares for the interview by identifying a list of topics (often confused with a list of research questions, but should not be in the form of questions).

Importance of getting stories and not answers to questions.

Mini-RAP

Round one. Limited to 15 minutes.

STAY RELAXED!

Keep up with time.

TAKE NOTES. Normally would use a voice recorder-maybe smart phone.

Mini-RAP

After the first round. Entire team meets to discuss (a) what needs to be changed in the way interview was conducted (speed, interaction between members of the team, leading the witness, focus on getting stories). (b) what was learned in the interview, how does this influence what is asked in the second round. (c) what might be some tentative preliminary conclusions.

Mini-RAP

Round two:

Different person is interviewed

Build on lessons learned in round one.

Mini-RAP

After the second round, the team reviews lessons learned and continues to work on identifying possible conclusion.

May decide qualitative research is not appropriate for the type of questions being investigated.

Entire team working together produces the report

Mini-RAP vs RQI

RQI is the research approach.

Mini-RAP is an way to learn qualitative research or RQI.

RQI requires multiple interviews over many days.

Mini-RAP is based on two interviews.

RQI implemented with rigor can make significant contributions to understand an issues.

Ethical Issue: Bogus Empowerment

Encourages people to falsely believe that their input will be acted upon.

The RQI team needs to keep their promises and make promises that they can keep.

The RQI team needs to avoid the temptation of engaging in hyperbole about the democratic nature of the situation.

The major challenge

Confusing rapid with

rushed.

RQI/RAP is an idea whose time has come.

?Only if it not oversold and only if it is

implemented rigorously.

The Second Edition

The second edition of the book reflects changes in qualitative research and the experience of more than a decade of use including insights based on the review of 165 articles or reports that made explicit reference to the first edition of the book.

New chapter on the insider’s perspective.

Expanded reference to the contribution of case study and ethnography approaches.

The Second Edition

Expanded and updated references and other resources.

A new chapter on the use of technology.

Significant expansion of the chapter on the RQI family tree to provide context.

A final chapter organized around key points relating to rigor and some thoughts about the future of RQI.

Additional Information

Visit the web site:

http://rapidqualitativeinquiry.com

Contact me:beebe@gonzaga.edu

Facebookhttp://facebook.com/rapidqualitativeinquiry

Blog http://rapidqualitativeinquiry.blogspot.com/