QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PART 2
TECHNIQUES
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
PROBABILITY SAMPLING
PROBABILITY SAMPLING ATTEMPTS TO GET A
RANDOMLY DRAWN AND REPRESENTATIVE
SAMPLE FROM A WELL-DEFINED POPULATION.
• ESSENTIAL FOR MAKING GENERALIZATIONS TO
A WIDER POPULATION
• ELECTION POLLS
• DRUG TRIALS
• REQUIRES PRECISE SELECTION PLANS AND
SIZES
NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
MOST COMMON TYPE OF SAMPLING IN THE
LITERATURE
PROBABILITY SAMPLING
SIMPLE RANDOM: EQUAL CHANCE OF BEING SELECTED FROM A POPULATION
DON’T CONFUSE WITH RANDOM ASSIGNMENT
STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE: A TECHNIQUE USED TO ENSURE THAT MINORITY
GROUPS AND CERTAIN PARTICIPANT TRAITS ARE INCLUDED IN A RANDOM SAMPLE.
• E.G., RACIAL OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION PERCENTAGES SHOULD EQUAL THE
POPULATION
RANDOM CLUSTER SAMPLE: USE OF CLUSTERS FROM A POPULATION
E.G., RANDOM SAMPLE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
•
CONVENIENCE SAMPLING
• USE OF INDIVIDUALS OR SAMPLES BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY AND CONVENIENCE.
• COLLEGE STUDENTS, CLINIC STAFF, CHILDCARE CENTERS, ETC.
• ACCIDENTAL
• VETERANS GATHERED FOR REUNION WHO WERE ALL EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE
COULD BE A SAMPLE USED BY SOMEONE INTERESTED IN THE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL
EFFECTS OF NEUROTOXINS.
• OPPORTUNISTIC: USING ON-GOING OR EXISTING GROUPS
• CLINICAL STUDIES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS OPPORTUNISTIC.
PURPOSEFUL SAMPLES
PARTICIPANTS ARE SELECTED BECAUSE THEY HAVE CERTAIN TRAITS OR SPECIAL INSIGHT TO
OFFER.
• SNOWBALL TECHNIQUE: WAY TO GET AT SPECIFIC BUT HARD-TO-REACH PARTICIPANTS.
• IDENTIFICATION OF A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO HELP THE RESEARCHER GET TO OTHERS THROUGH A
NETWORK OF CONTACTS.
INTERVIEWING BASICS
UNSTRUCTURED/ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWING
• NEITHER THE QUESTION NOR THE ANSWERS ARE STRUCTURED IN ADVANCE.
• CONVERSATIONAL METHOD WHEREBY THE INTERVIEWER FORMS QUESTIONS BASED ON THE
RESPONDENT’S NARRATION.
• ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY IN RESPONSE TO EMERGING ISSUES
• RECORDING THE INTERVIEW IS NECESSARY SINCE NOTE-TAKING WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE
FLOW.
• THIS IS THE MOST TIME-CONSUMING DATA TO ANALYZE
STRUCTURED AND SEMI-STRUCTURED
• INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR PROMPTS AND SPECIFIC ANSWER
FORMATS.
• DESIGNED TO MATCH THE RESEARCH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
• PROTOCOLS CAN BE VETTED AND PRACTICED AHEAD OF TIME. NOTE-TAKING CAN BE DONE
DURING THE INTERVIEW. EASIEST FORM OF DATA TO ANALYZE.
• SEMI-STRUCTURED COMBINES THE FLEXIBILITY WITH THE STRUCTURE.
• OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS WITH SUPPLEMENTAL PROBES
• POSSIBILITY FOR INTERVIEWER DRIFT: SUBTLE SHIFT IN FOCUS OVER TIME
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
• INTRODUCTIONS AND INFORMED CONSENT
• QUESTIONS SHOULD BE PERTINENT AND WORDED IN WAYS THE RESPONDENT CAN
UNDERSTAND
• QUESTIONS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENTLY SPECIFIC THAT THEY CAN BE INTERPRETED SIMILARLY BY
ALL RESPONDENTS. ALL AMBIGUOUS TERMS SHOULD BE DEFINED.
• MORE THAN ONE PERSON SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING QUESTIONS AND THERE
SHOULD MULTIPLE QUESTIONS FOR EACH MAJOR CONSTRUCT.
ACTIVE INTERVIEWS
• CONVERSATIONAL INTERVIEW IN WHICH BOTH THE RESPONDENT AND INTERVIEWER
ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH THE OVERALL RESEARCH QUESTION.
• RESPONDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO “QUESTION THE QUESTIONS” AND THE
INTERVIEWER IS FREE TO DISCUSS HIS OR HER RATIONALE FOR POSING CERTAIN
QUESTIONS.
• DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDING IS ADVISED SINCE THE RESULTS ARE MORE OF A PROCESS
RATHER THAN EASILY CODED OUTCOME.