The document provides an overview of qualitative research methods. It discusses key concepts like the strengths of qualitative approaches, the role of the researcher, and underlying assumptions of naturalistic work. It also examines ethical concerns in qualitative research including informed consent, deception, and ensuring confidentiality and anonymity of participants. The document serves to introduce principles of qualitative methods for students.

1. Principles of
Qualitative Method
PRESENTED BY TAZEEN TARIQ
BSIM-7TH SEMESTER (AFTERNOON)
PRESENTED TO PROF. DR. NOSHEEN FATIMA W.
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2. Context and Content
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Introduction to Qualitative methods
Strengths of the qualitative approach
Role of the researcher
Underlying assumptions of naturalistic work
Ethical Concerns

3. Introduction to Qualitative methods : Background
 “Advocated as the best strategy for discovery , for exploding a new area, and for developing
hypothesis as opposed to hypothesis testing ”
Galliers and Huang : conducted interviews to find that positivist paradigm and quantitative
method dominate the field and there is a lack of education in qualitative methods.
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Cibangu : only 5.6% of authors mentioned qualitative methods in their
abstracts . He Concluded that there should be “a tighter and long term
investment”. Also advocated “increasing interdisciplinary research using
qualitative method”

4. Introduction to Qualitative methods : Definitions
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Corbin & Strauss
 Methodology :“A way of thinking about and studying and social phenomenon ”
Methods: “techniques and procedures for gathering and analysing data”
 “ a form of research in which a researcher or designated co-researcher collects and
interprets data, making the researcher as much a part of the research as participants
and the data they provide ”

5. Introduction to Qualitative methods : Definitions
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Denzin & Lincoln
Noted that there are competing definitions of qualitative research
• “A field of inquiry in its own right, it cross-cuts disciplines, fields, and subject matter”
•“a type of scientific research that shares these characteristics with quantitative research as an
investigation”
•Seeks answers to a question
•Systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question
•Collect evidence
•Produces findings that were not determined in advanced
•Produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study
• Triangulation originally identified by Denzin in the 1970s

6. Introduction to Qualitative methods : Differences
QUANTITATIVE
1. Deductive and subjective
2. Singular truth
3. allow you to systematically measure
variables and test hypotheses
4. large sample of population
FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT BUT NOT FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED
1. Inductive & subjective
2. Multiple paths to the truth .
3. allow you to develop hypotheses
4. Relatively smaller number of participants
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QUALITATIVE

7. Strengths of the Qualitative Approach
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Miles, Huberman and Saldaña
• Naturally occurring, ordinary events in natural settings, so we have a strong handle on what
real life is like
• Local groundedness: data is collected to close proximity to a specific situation.
•Allows for the exploration and understanding “Latent, underlying and non-obvious issues”
•More Flexible : methods can be changed and adapted as data collections proceeds
•Richness and holism
•Assess causation
•Has the ability to determine meanings people place on events and
then connecting these meanings to the social world around them

8. Role of the Researcher
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•Corbin and Straus stated that “ role of researcher is key as a fundamental part of the
research, and is a contrast to quantitative approach ”: “Human Instrument of Data
collection”
•Richards: Concerns of subjectivity are unwarranted as researcher has their own
contribution
•A Good research design will take into account known information
•Mehra: “Researcher must be aware of biases, blind spots and cognitive limitation”
•Patton: Empathic neutrality as opposed to objectivity
• Allows for the exploration and understanding “Latent, underlying and non-obvious
issues”

9. Role of the Researcher
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•These perspectives are not mutually exclusive but and once used in combination tends to
yield a balanced “multidimensional view ”
Etic Emic
Important to be aware of what your emic and etic perspectives are .

10. Role of the Researcher
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•qualitative data collection techniques such as participant
observation, interviews, focus groups, and participatory
tools to collect emic
•Murchison (2010) explains that as a qualitative evaluator “ I
become the research instrument, and as such, we should
consider the impact of the researcher on the actual data
collected”
•we find ways to mitigate our own biases and interpretations
in trying to understand the emic and Etic
Julian Murchison, Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting your Research, San Francisco: Wiley, 2010”

11. Underlying assumptions of a naturalistic world
Naturalistic observation is a qualitative research method where you record the behaviours of
your research subjects in real world settings. You avoid interfering with or influencing any
variables in a naturalistic observation.
• Covert or overt: You either hide or reveal your identity as an observer to the participants
you observe.
• Participant or non-participant: You participate in the activity or behaviour yourself, or you
observe from the side-lines.
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https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412961288

12. Underlying assumptions of a naturalistic world
Naturalistic observation is a valuable tool because of its
flexibility, external validity, and suitability for topics that can’t
be studied in a lab setting.
The downsides of naturalistic observation include its lack
of scientific control, ethical considerations, and potential
for bias from observers and subjects.
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https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412961288

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Underlying assumptions of a naturalistic world
https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/naturalistic-observation

14. Informed consent is one of the founding principles of research ethics.
“ Its intent is that human participants can enter research freely (voluntarily) with full information
about what it means for them to take part, and that they give consent before they enter the research.”
The informed consent process involves three key features:
1. Disclosing to potential research subjects information needed to make an informed decision;
2. Facilitating the understanding of what has been disclosed; and
3. Promoting the voluntariness of the decision about whether or not to participate in the research.
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Ethical Concerns: Informed Consent
https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/resources/consent.

15. Deception is
“ the intentional misleading of subjects or the withholding of full information about the nature
of the experiment.”
 Investigators may mislead or omit information about the purpose of the research, the role of the
researcher, or what procedures in the study are actually experimental
In order to induce stress, study personnel tell subjects that they will give a speech that evaluators
will observe on video, when the subjects' speeches will not actually be recorded or observed.
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Ethical Concerns :Deception
https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/resources/Deception.

16. Confidentiality and anonymity are ethical practices designed to protect the privacy of human
subjects while collecting, analysing, and reporting data.
Confidentiality refers to separating or modifying any personal, identifying information provided
by participants from the data.
Anonymity refers to collecting data without obtaining any personal, identifying information.
1. keep their records secure through the use of password protected files,
2. encryption when sending information over the internet, and
3. old-fashioned locked doors and drawers.
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Ethical Concerns : Confidentiality and Anonymity
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483381411

17. Questions!
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