Psy512 CH 5

TEXT6
Lesson 06
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
The type of research in which Information about behavior, in terms of quality rather than in
quantity is being looked for. The evidence is also analyzed and reported in qualitative form.
Quantitative versus Qualitative Research:

Quantitative Research:
In quantitative research the data are collected, dealt with, and presented/ reported in the form of
numbers. The numbers can be in the form of simple frequencies, percentages, scores,
measurements etc. If the phenomenon being explored can not be recorded in quantities, it is not
considered.
The tools of data collection e.g. questionnaires are designed in a way that the researcher ends up
with quantifiable Information.
Qualitative Research:
In qualitative research the Information collected is in the form of analytical narratives rather than
statistically treatable data. Qualitative methods basically belong to disciplines like Sociology, or
Anthropology.
Qualitative research primarily involves:
 In-depth, detailed, case studies

 In-depth interviews
 Basic observational studies
Qualitative or Quantitative Research?

Which of the methods needs to be employed for a research, is not a simple to decide, since the
answer to this question may vary at various occasions?
The research method to be employed depends upon:
 The nature of the problem.

 The accessibility of Information.
Using a qualitative- quantitative combination:

Some researches have used a combination of the two. Walker (1996) adopted this approach in a
study. Walker studied if gender differences in the control of a TV remote control would affect the
relationships of couples. She used semi-structured interviews as the main method (quantitative)
and supplemented the Information with a qualitative analysis. This analysis was based upon a
number of open-ended questions asked to the subjects, and quotes from the interviews. These
were used to illustrate the conclusions.
The conclusions of her study showed that when both partners are watching TV, it is men who
usually control what is being watched. In general a leisure activity, watching TV, can become a
source of conflict.
Limitations Of Quantitative Research:
 In surveys, the researcher depends upon self-reports and not direct observation of
phenomenon of interest. Therefore the respondents’ honesty, seriousness, accurate
memory, and interest in the research determine the accuracy of the findings.
 Co relational research does indicate the existence of a relationship, but gives no clue to
the causal relationship.
 Experimental research involves artificiality, and the researcher tends to ignore many
behaviors that can be important because they are not thought to be related to the variable
of interest.
Qualitative Research Methods
Case studies Interviews
Ethnography Focus Groups
Case studies
A type of research in which the focus of investigation is a single case or a small sample.
This approach is employed in rarely occurring cases, or when getting hold of a large
sample is practically not possible.
Rarely occurring condition:

Like cases of brain damage due to accidents, children lost in forests and grown up with
animals.
Situations where large samples are not possible:

Like it is difficult to get hold of a large sample of HIV/ AIDS patients, especially
females, because doctors do not disclose the identity of their patients and most sufferers
do not like to admit that their illness due to a fear of social stigma.
Therefore it will be sufficient if one can get one case each of both genders.
Cases that can be chosen for a case study:

 People who are typical cases of a certain syndrome, treatment regimen, condition, or
any other phenomenon, and represent many other people.
 Cases that is unusual or rare.
 Cases that are interesting
Interviews
Interviews are used both in qualitative as well as quantitative research. In depth
interviews reveal a lot about the case being studied. Interviews have an edge over
questionnaires because of the opportunity to observe non-verbal behavior and body
language of the subjects. Willingness of the subjects is an essential requirement of
interviews, besides the interviewer’s skill and training. When used as the sole source of
data, interviews typically contain more open-ended than close-ended questions.
For example, interviews of abandoned women, and female victims of domestic violence
residing in a shelter home.
Interviews can be conducted in order to:

 Gather oral or life histories and have a broad orientation.
 Investigate specific, narrow, issues or subjects of interest.
 In-depth interviews can be used to supplement case studies.
Conducting Interviews on Gender Issues:

 The following points need to be considered before you decide to employ interviews as
your preferred method:
 Sensitive issues need to be tackled carefully. Use carefully selected words, and carefully
phrased language.
 Time and place of Interview are very important. Privacy and time suitable to the subjects
is should be given priority.
 The people around may matter a lot to the Information yielded by the Interview. Try
interviewing in private, or make sure the people present do not interfere.
 For example when Interviewing women in a shelter home, one needs to make sure that
the administration or other inmates are not listening without the consent of the
interviewee.
Ethnography:
It is one of the methods most popularly used by anthropologists. It is gaining popularity among
psychologists, especially those studying gender issues. The researchers spend time in the
environment under study, in events of interest, or with people being observed in such a manner
that they get immersed in to the situation. The researchers become a part of the situation e.g. a
hospital, shelter home, prison, school, or orphanage, and gets the direct and real feel of the
context. It is a naturalistic observation that can be supplemented by concealed audio/video
recordings of behavior. The researchers record information soon after observations are made.
The researchers have to be particularly careful about not getting emotionally involved with the
subjects, or in the situation or behavior. They should also be cautious that their own behavior
should in no way alter or reinforce the subjects’ behavior or beliefs.
Example of ethnography: Becoming a student to study gender differences in private language of
male and female students in a university.
FOCUS GROUPS:
Focus groups are collective interviews conducted in a group setting. It is a discussion that
revolves around a specific issue. The researcher talks to the participants in order to learn about
their opinions, attitudes, preferences, likes or dislikes, and tries to find out reasons/ causes of
those. Focus groups are mostly used as a source of data collection in surveys but used otherwise
as well.
The nature of the subject group can be of one of these types:
 The subjects belonging to different spheres of life are brought together at one location for
discussion.
 Subjects with the same background are invited for discussion.
The usual size of the group is 6-8 participants. More people can be added if required, but it
rarely exceeds 12 discussants. The procedure is the same as interview but focus groups have an
advantage in terms of Interview-participant/within-group interaction.
Example: We can conduct focus groups to assess gender differences in hurdles faced in choosing
the preferred profession by male and female students.
A caution against gender bias in research:
 Researchers should be very careful in selecting the language and words in questionnaires,
interview schedules, and other research tools.
 Stereotype about gender, race, color, or other sensitive issues may be perpetuated and
reinforced by the careless use of language; it can also cause hurt to the party involved.
 APA Publication Manual provides guidelines on the use of gender- neutral language, and
addresses the issue of language that is considered as sexist, because it implies inequalities
between males and females.
 In 1977, APA for the first time developed guidelines for “gender- neutral” or nonsexist
language.
The use of gender –neutral language solves two problems:
The problem of designation:

Researchers often intend to refer to all humanity, but use words that imply men alone e.g. “man
is curious by nature” or ‘man has to be aware of the health hazards”.
Research shows that even when the researcher was totally nonsexist in approach and intention,
the readers took sentences including the word
“man’ or “his” as referring to men alone 86% of the times (Kidd, 1971).Therefore “they” should
be used instead of “his” or “her”.
The problem of evaluation:

The terms chosen to describe males and females imply inequality e.g. men’s college and girls’
college, men’s team and girls’ team. Using “women” instead of “girls” can solve the problem.
Choosing an appropriate research design
The following factors need to be kept in mind while designing a research:
 The nature of the problem
 The expected form of Information.
 The preferred form of Information…. Qualitative or quantitative?
 Your skills with numbers and narratives.
How to plan a content analysis pertaining to gender issues?

Consider the following before you decide to employ content analysis as your preferred method:
 Variable that you are looking for?
 Coding procedure for analysis?
 Content to be analyzed?

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TEXT6

Quantitative versus Qualitative Research:

Qualitative research primarily involves:

 In-depth, detailed, case studies

Qualitative or Quantitative Research?

 The nature of the problem.

Using a qualitative- quantitative combination:

Limitations Of Quantitative Research:

Case studies Interviews

Ethnography Focus Groups

Rarely occurring condition:

Situations where large samples are not possible:

Cases that can be chosen for a case study:

Interviews can be conducted in order to:

Conducting Interviews on Gender Issues:

The nature of the subject group can be of one of these types:

A caution against gender bias in research:

The use of gender –neutral language solves two problems:

The problem of designation:

The problem of evaluation:

How to plan a content analysis pertaining to gender issues?

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