© 2011 pearson prentice hall, salkind. nonexperimental research: qualitative methods
TRANSCRIPT
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Nonexperimental Research: Qualitative Methods
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative research.
Discuss the different types of research sources that are regularly used in qualitative research.
List the advantages and disadvantages of the case study method.
List four ways ethnographies differ from case studies.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
List six steps involved in historical research.
Discuss primary and secondary sources.
Given an historical data source, identify whether the source is primary or secondary.
Explain why authenticity and accuracy are important to historical research.
Discuss internal and external criticisms of historical research.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Conducting Qualitative ResearchResearch SourcesCase StudiesEthnographies Historical ResearchQualitative Research Tools
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Qualitative research ◦Uses descriptions rather than
numerical measurements of behavior
◦Asks different kinds of questions
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Documents are often saved to provide a record for later use◦Public documents are usually readily
available
◦Availability of internal documents may be restricted
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Provide descriptive data about an organization
Can be a “gold mine” of useful information
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Physical traces that are usually not purposely left behind
Can provide insight into behavior that cannot be observed directly
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Researchers actually watch the behavior of interest
Usually unobtrusive—the researcher does not interfere with or participate in the behavior
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Observers are members of the group being observed
Observers can become biased—maintaining objectivity is essential
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Focus groups are formed to address specific issues
A focus group has four main functions:◦Gather information
◦Generate insight
◦Understand how a group’s members reach decisions
◦Encourage interaction
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Study one (or a few) persons, institutions, or events
Are designed to gather as much detail about a subject as possible
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Limited focus allows detailed examination of subject
Use several different techniques to gather data
Best way to gather detailed information about subject
Can suggest directions for future research
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Time-consuming Subject to biases in observing and recording data
Lack breadth Cannot demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships
Limited generalizability
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
A good way to study a cultureProvide rich detail about their subject
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
The holistic perspective is more concerned with the “big picture”◦Looks at the entire group’s behavior rather than
at individual behaviors
Frequently uses participant observation Ethnographers avoid proposing hypotheses
◦Researchers begin with only enough information to “fit in”
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
“Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it!” (George Santayana, 1905)
Historical research is also called historiography
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Define a topic Form a hypothesis Decide on useful and appropriate sources Determine how to evaluate evidence Integrate and synthesize data Interpret results with reference to the
original hypothesis
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Primary sources
◦Originate with the people or animals actually involved in the historical event
◦Are direct results of the historical event
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Secondary sources
◦Are at least “once removed” from the historical event
◦Result from “after-the-fact” reports of an historical event
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Authenticity or external criticism asks whether data originated as described◦Did the person who signed a document
actually write it?
◦Was an artifact found where it was left, or was it “planted” or moved?
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Authenticity or internal criticism asks whether the source of the data was objective and trustworthy◦Do archival documents “fairly” represent
what actually happened?
◦Do surviving artifacts adequately reflect an entire culture or only a small part of it?
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Generalizability is limitedData are not observed by trained observers, and so may be questioned
Time-consumingEvaluated by different criteria than quantitative research
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Help manage large, qualitative data sets
Enable plain text analysisLink between documentsSearch documentsCode and analyze data
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?
Discuss the different types of research sources that are regularly used in qualitative research?
List the advantages and disadvantages of the case study method?
List four ways ethnographies differ from case studies?
© 2011 Pearson Prentice Hall, Salkind.
List six steps involved in historical research? Discuss primary and secondary sources? Given an historical data source, identify
whether the source is primary or secondary? Explain why authenticity and accuracy are
important to historical research? Discuss internal and external criticisms of
historical research?