General Qualitative Research Terms

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Representation

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Part of the analytic process that raises the issue of providing a truthful portrayal of what the data represent (e.g., essence of an experience; cultural portrait) that will be meaningful to its intended audience.

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thematic approach; narrative approach; performative (creative analytic practices); visual approach

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Case study

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An intensive investigation of a case involving a person or small group of people, an issue, or an event.

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Biography

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An approach that produces an in-depth report of a person's life. Life histories an oral histories also involve gathering of biographical information and recording of personal recollections of one or more individuals.

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Critical inquiry

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Cultural critique guided by theories/approaches to the study of power interests between individuals and social groups, often involving hegemony (domination or control over others) associated with ideologies that operate to create oppression and constrain multiple competing interests in order to maintain the status quo.

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Feminist epistemologies

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A variety of views and practices inviting critical dialogue about issues arising in areas of social life that involve such concerns as inequality, neglect of diversity, exploitation, insensitivity, and ethical behavior.

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Interpretive ethnography

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Loosely characterized as a movement within anthropology that generates many hybrid forms of ethnographic work as a result of crossing a variety of theoretical boundaries within social science.

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Axial coding

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A process used to relate categories of information by using a coding paradigm with predetermined subcategories in one approach to grounded theory

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Emergence

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conceptually driven ("discovery") vs procedurally driven ("forcing") theory decelopment

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Theoretical sensitivity

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A conceptual process to accompany techniques for generating grounded theory.

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Discourse analysis

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Study of how meaning is created through the use of language (derived from linguistic studies, literary criticism, and semiotics)

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Semiotics

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The theory and study of signs and symbol applied to the analysis of systems of patterned communication

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Sociolinguistics

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The study of the use of speech in social life.

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Critical theory

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A blend of ideology (based in critical theory of society) and a form of social analysis and critique that aims to liberate people from unrecognized myths and oppression in order to bring about enlightenment and radical social change.

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Thick description

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Description that does more than describe human experiences by beginning to interpret what they mean.

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Qualitative description

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Description that "entails a kind of interpretation that is low-inference [close to the 'facts'] or likely to result in easier consensus [about the 'facts'] among researchers"

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Naturalistic research

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Commitment ot the study of phenomena in their naturally occurring settings (contexts).

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Field studies

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Studies involving direct, firsthand observation and interviews in informants' natural settings.

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Qualitative evaluation

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A general term covering a variety of approaches to evaluating programs, projects, policies, and so forth using qualitative research techniques.

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Action research

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A general term for a variety of approaches that aim to resolve social problems by improving existing conditions for oppressed groups or communities.

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Participatory action research (PAR)

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A form of action research that is participatory in nature (i.e., reserchers and participants collaborate in problem definition, choice of methods, data analysis, and use of findings); democratic in principle; and reformatory in impulse (i.e., has as its objective the empowerment of persons through the process of constructing and using their own knowledge as a form of consciousness raising with the potential for promoting social action).

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Observation continuum

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A range of social roles encompassed by participant observation and ranging from complete observer to complete participant at the extremes.

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Fieldnotes

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Self-designed observational protocols for recording notes about field observations.

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Analytic notes (memos)

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Notes that researchers write to themselves to record their thoughts, questions, and ideas as a process of simultaneous data collection and data analysis unfolds.

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Unstructured, open-ended interviews

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Informal converstaions that allow informants the fullest range of possibilities to describe their experiences throughts, and feelings.

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Semistructured interviews

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Formal interviews that provide more interviewer control and question format structure but retain a conversational tone and allow informants to answer in their own ways.

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Structued, open-ended interviews

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Formal interviews with little flexibility in the way the questions are asked but with question formats that allow informants to respond on their own terms (e.g., "What does...mean to you?" "How do you feel/think about...?").

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Focus groups

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This type of group interview generates data on designated topics through discussion and interaction. Focus group research is a distinct type of study when used as the sole research strategy.

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PUrposeful/purposive sampling

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Intentional selection of people or events in accordance with the needs of the study.

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Nominated/snowball sampling

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Recruitment of participants with the help of informants already enrolled in the study.

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Volunteer/convenience sampling

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A sample obtained by solicitation or advertising for participants who meet study criteria.

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Theoretical sampling

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In grounded theory, purposeful sampling used in specific ways to build theory.

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Qualitative data management

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The act of designing systems to organize, catalog, code, store, and retrieve data. (system design influences, in turn, how the researcher approache the task of analysis.)

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Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis

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An area of technological innovation that in qualitative research has resulted in uses of word processing and software packages to support data management.

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Qualtiative data analysis

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A variety of techniques that are used to move back and forth between data and ideas throughout the course of the research.

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Paradigm

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A world view or set of beliefs, assumptioms, and values that guide all types of research by identifying where the researcher stands on issues related to the nature of reality (ontolofy), relationshipof the researcher tot he researched (epistemology), role of values (axiology), and use of language (rhetoric), and process (methodology).

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Method

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The theory of how a certain type or research should be carried out (i.e., strategy, approach, process/overall design, and logic of design. Resarchers ofte subsume description of techniques under a discussion method.

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Techniques

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Tools or procedures used to generate or analyze data (e.g., interviewing, observation, standardized tests and measures, constant comparison, document analysis, content analysis, statistical analysis). Techniques are method-neutral and may be used, as appropriate, in any research design--either qualitative or quantitative.