CHAPTER 3

LESSON 1: DESIGNING A RESEARCH

PROJECT RELATED TO DAILY LIFE
 INTRODUCTION
• Closely tied to reality. Since qualitative research mostly investigates the
complexities of human situations, human behavior social phenomena and poses
inquiries about events in daily life.
• Do not use hypotheses . They merely state a problem or pose questions.
• Data Collection. Data are gathered through interview, participant observation and
focus group Discussion, etc.
• Sources of research topics are likewise tied to real life experiences.
• Research Project includes the goals of the study, theoretical frameworks, research
questions, ethics and methods.
 CONGRUENCE OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS,
DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS

• Qualitative research experts say that there

must be congruence between methods of
data analysis and the research questions,
and where the method of data collection
turns out data that are appropriate to the
method of analysis.
Types of Research Suitable Types of Data Suitable Difficulty Suitable Sample
Question with Real life Analytic Method Rating
Examples

Understanding and
perceptions such as:

Perceptions of the impact • Focus Group • Transactional Easy Moderate/large

of air travel on climate Discussion Analysis (large enough to
change (Becken, 2007) • Qualitative Surveys (TA) capture a range of
• Story Completion tasks • Grounded perspectives; not
• Vignettes and some Theory (GT) so large that you
Secondary Data • Pattern-Easy are drowning in
Sources (e.g. bulletin Discourse data)
board, personal blogs) Analysis
are ideal; (DA)
Types of Research Question Suitable Types of Data Suitable Difficulty Suitable Sample
with Real life Examples Analytic Rating
Method

Practices/Accounts of
Practice such as:

The Appearance and Interviews

• • TA Easy / Moderate/large
Clothing Practices of Non- Focus Groups
• • GT Moderate (large enough to
heterosexuals (Clarke & Qualitative Surveys
• • Pattern- capture a range of
Turner, 2007) Researcher-directed
• Easy perspectives; not
diaries based so large that you
The Gendered Dynamics of • Some secondary data DA are drowning in
Sleep ( Hislop & Arber, sources (e.g. bulletin data)
2003) board, personal
blogs)
Types of Research Question Suitable Types of Suitable Difficulty Suitable Sample
with Real life Examples Data Analytic Rating
Method

Influencing Factors such as:

Identifying the factors that • Interviews • TA Moderate Moderate/large

influence people’s decisions to • Focus Groups • GT (enough to
continue regular genetic • Qualitative identify relevant
screening ( Michie, 1987) ; Surveys influencing
• Researcher- factors; not so
Factors that influence parent’s directed diaries large that you are
food processing behaviours • Some secondary drowning in data)
(Maubach, Hoek, & data sources
McCreanor, 2009)
Types of Research Question Suitable Types of Data Suitable Analytic Difficulty Suitable
with Real life Examples Method Rating Sample

Representation such as:

Representations of male and • Secondary Sources • Constructionist Moderate / Small /

female sexuality in TA and GT Difficult moderate
women’s magazines • Pattern-based
(Farvid, & Braun, 2006); DA

Representations of
masculinity and the
metrosexual man in men’s
magazines (Hall & Gough,
2011)
Types of Research Suitable Types of Data Suitable Analytic Difficulty Suitable
Question with Real life Method Rating Sample
Examples

Construction such as:

Young people’s • Secondary Sources • Constructionist Moderate / Small /

constructions of eating • Story Completion TA and GT Difficult moderate
disorders in a story task • Pattern-based
completion task • Vignettes DA
(Walsh & Malson, 2010); • Interviews
• Focus Groups
Constructions of New • Qualitative Surveys
Zealander’s in accounts • Researcher-directed
of sexual health and risk diaries
(Braun, 2008)
Types of Research Suitable Types of Data Suitable Difficult Suitable
Question with Real life Analytic Method y Rating Sample
Examples

Language Practice such • Naturalistic data are ideal- • Discursive Small /

as: both mundane (e.g. audio psychology Difficult moderate
recordings of someone’s • Conversation
How people construct, home telephone s analysis
manage and undermine conversation) and • Some forms
conversations (Wiggins, institutional (e.g. audio or of narrative
2004); video recordings of analysis
counseling sessions);
How veganism is • Some secondary data
constructed ‘normal’ in sources (e.g. broadcast
online discussions media);
(Sneijder & Te, Molder, • interviews
2009) • focus groups
 RESEARCH TOPICS AND THEIR
SOURCES
1) Pressing issues on an individual, organizational or societal level or
success stories.
2) Wide Reading/Critical Film Viewing
3) Social Networking
4) Replication
5) Lectures, Talks, Seminars
6) Gray Areas – These are points of interest but very little is known about
them.
ENDS HERE