Brymansrm 5e seminaroutline ch17 PDF

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Bryman: Social Research Methods, 5th edition

Chapter 17: The nature of qualitative research In contrast to the adoption of a natural scientific model in quantitative research, in qualitative research the emphasis is on the understanding of the social world through an examination of interpretation of that world by its participants. It is interpretivistic in nature. It implies that social properties are outcomes of the interactions between individuals, rather than phenomena which is separate from those involved in its construction. This seminar focuses on developing the students understanding of the nature of qualitative research, its aims, approaches and strengths and weaknesses. This will provide a good grounding for further study in this area. Learning objectives:  

To explore what the key features of qualitative research are and the qualitative research process To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research

Total length of seminar: 1 hour Preparation: Before coming to the seminar students should have read: Bryman, A. (2016) Social Research Methods (5th ed). Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 17 You will need: N/A LO1: To explore what the key features of qualitative research are and the qualitative research process (30 minutes) 1. In small groups encourage the students to spend some time identifying the key features of qualitative research. Get them to think about what a typical approach to qualitative research may look like. Then ask them to report back as a group on their thoughts. It is envisaged that they will highlight factors such as: • • • •

It takes an inductive view of relationship between theory and research theories and concepts emerge from the data; Interpretivist epistemology; Constructionist ontology; Emphasis on words/text rather than numbers;

© Alan Bryman, 2016. All rights reserved.

Bryman: Social Research Methods, 5th edition

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• • • •

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Seeing through the eyes of those studied - taking the role of the other and understanding the meanings people attribute to their world; Description and emphasis on context - detailed account of the social setting and ‘Thick descriptions’ of what is going on; Emphasis on social process - how patterns of events unfold over time and social worlds characterized by change and flux; Flexibility and limited structure - no ‘prior contamination’ by rigid schedules sensitizing concepts; Concepts and theory grounded in the data; It includes a diverse range of approaches: Ethnography / participation observation; Qualitative interviewing; Focus groups; Discourse / conversation analysis and Documentary analysis; Keys features of the research process often include: developing general research questions, selecting relevant sites/subjects, collection of relevant data, interpretation of data, collection of further data, conceptual and theoretical work, and writing up findings (it doesn’t always happen like this in practice).

LO2: To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research (25 minutes) 2. The next part of the seminar focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative forms of research. Ask them to discuss these in their small groups. In addition get them to think about feminist perspectives in relation to qualitative research. They are likely to discuss factors such as:       

Subjectivity; Replicatability; Generalization; Transparency. Thick description; Description and context; Inclusion of participants.

Concluding comments (5 mins) 1. The last few minutes should be spent summarising the seminar and the key messages to come from it. In particular it should reiterate the differences between qualitative and qualitative research but the fact that there are also some similarities. Emphasise that the choice of approach will depend on the

© Alan Bryman, 2016. All rights reserved.

Bryman: Social Research Methods, 5th edition

research topic, one’s epistemological stance and research skills. However, it is not a case of one being more important than the other. Both forms of research have value. Learning Outcomes: Students should now:  

understand the key features of qualitative research and the qualitative research process; be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research.

© Alan Bryman, 2016. All rights reserved....