research study

1. MPU 1024
Qualitative Research
Sampling & Data Analysis

2. Who will be studied? Purposeful
Sampling
Random “Quantitative” Sampling
Select Representative individuals
To generalize from sample to population
To make claims about the population
To build/test “theories” that explain the population
Purposeful “Qualitative” Sampling
Select people/sites who can best help us understand our
phenomenon
To develop detailed understanding
That might be “useful”: information
That might help people “learn” about the phenomenon
That might give voice to “silenced” people

3. Types of purposeful sampling
When Does Sampling Occur?
Before Data Collection After Data Collection
has startedWhat is the intent?
To develop
many
perspectives
Extreme
Case
Sampling
To describe
particularly
troublesome
or enlightening
cases
Typical
Sampling
To describe what
is “typical” to
those unfamiliar
with the case
What is the intent?
To take advantage
of whatever case
unfolds
Opportunistic
Sampling
To locate
people or
sites to study
Snowball
Sampling
To explore
confirming or
disconfirming
cases
Confirming/
Disconfirming
Sampling
Maximal
Variation
Sampling
To generate a theory
or concept
Theory or Concept
Sampling
To describe some
sub-group in depth
Homogenous
Sampling
To describe a
case that
illustrates
“dramatically”
the situation
Theory or Concept
Sampling

4. Sample size?
Small for in-depth perspective
◦ 1 individual / one school
◦ 4 cases
◦ 20-30 interviews

5. Qualitative Data Analysis
 Prepare and organize the data for
analysis
 Explore and code the data
 Develop description and themes from
the data
 Represent and report the findings
 Interpret the findings
 Validate the accuracy and credibility of
the findings

6. What is the Process of Data
Analysis?
Codes the Text for
Description to be Used
in the Research Report
Codes the Text for
Themes to be Used
in the Research Report
The Researcher Codes the Data (i.e., locates text
segments and assigns a code to label them)
The Researcher Prepares Data for analysis
( e.g., transcribes fieldnotes)
The Researcher Collects Data (i.e., a text file, such as
fieldnotes, transcriptions, optically scanned material)
The Researcher Reads Through Data
( i.e., obtains general sense of material)
SimultaneousInteractive

7. How do You Prepare and Organize the
Data?
 Develop a matrix or table of sources
that can be used to organize the
material
 Organize material by type
 Keep duplicate copies of materials
 Transcribe data
 Prepare data for hand or computer
analysis (and select computer
program)

8. How do you Explore and Code the
Data?
 Obtain a general sense of the data by
performing a preliminary exploratory
analysis
 Memo ideas
 Consider whether more data are
needed
 Coding the data

9. Steps in Coding
 Read through all transcripts
 Start with one transcript
 Identify text segments – ask “what is this
person saying?”
 Bracket text segment
 Assign code word
 Reduce redundancy
 Collapse codes into themes

10. A Visual Model of the Coding Process
in Qualitative Research
Reduce Codes to
5-7 Themes
Initially read
through data
Divide text
into segments
of information
Label
segments of
information
with codes
Reduce
Overlap and
redundancy
of codes
Collapse
codes into
themes
Many
Pages
of Text
Many
Segments
of Text
30-40
codes
Codes
reduced
to 20

11. How do You Use Codes to Identify
Themes?
 Ordinary themes
 Unexpected themes
 Social science themes
 Layering and connecting themes

12. How do You Report Findings?
 Multiple perspectives for each theme
 Metaphors and analogies
 Quotes
 Detail
 Tensions and contradictions

13. How do You Interpret
Findings?
 Interpretation is not neutral
 Reflect about the personal meaning of
the data
 Compare and contrast personal
viewpoints with the literature
 Address limitations of the study
 Make suggestions for future research

14. How do You Validate the
Accuracy of Your Findings?
 Member checking: Members check
the accuracy of the account
 Triangulation: Using corroborating
evidence
 External: Hiring the services of an
individual outside the study to review
the study