Qualitative Research Approaches Flashcards

What is 'discourse analysis' primarily concerned with?

Answer: Examining how language constructs social reality and power relations

Discourse analysis examines how language use in texts and talk constructs versions of reality, social identities, and relations of power.

In qualitative research, what is a 'field note' and why is it important?

Answer: A written record of observations, reflections, and contextual details made during fieldwork

Field notes capture descriptive observations, methodological decisions, and analytical reflections while in the field, serving as primary data and an audit trail.

What is the key difference between deductive and inductive approaches in qualitative analysis?

Answer: Inductive analysis starts from data to build theory; deductive applies pre-existing theory to data

Inductive analysis moves from specific observations to broader patterns and theory, while deductive analysis applies an existing theoretical framework to explain observed data.

Which technique is used in grounded theory to explore a concept's range of variation?

Answer: Dimensional analysis

Dimensional analysis examines how a concept or category varies along a continuum of properties, helping to develop nuanced theoretical propositions.

What does it mean when qualitative researchers describe their work as 'interpretivist'?

Answer: They believe knowledge is subjectively constructed and context-dependent

An interpretivist paradigm holds that social reality is subjectively meaningful, context-bound, and must be understood from the perspectives of those being studied.

In which scenario would 'snowball sampling' be most appropriate?

Answer: Reaching hidden or hard-to-access populations where participants refer others

Snowball sampling is ideal for hard-to-reach or stigmatized populations (e.g., undocumented immigrants, illicit drug users) where participants recruit others from their networks.

What is the purpose of an 'audit trail' in qualitative research?

Answer: Documenting methodological decisions to allow external review of the research process

An audit trail is a transparent record of the researcher's decisions, methods, and analytic moves that enables an external reviewer to evaluate the trustworthiness of the study.