Sean Bruna-Lewis, MA, PhD(c) Ethnology & Linguistics Department of Anthropology University of New Mexico GRC Fall Lecture Series October 9, 2012

Transcription

1 Qualitative Research Sean Bruna-Lewis, MA, PhD(c) Ethnology & Linguistics Department of Anthropology University of New Mexico GRC Fall Lecture Series October 9, 2012

2 Photos from field research. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (left); Community Garden in Albuquerque (top right), HSHPS Internship in Atlanta, GA (center right); Napo Runa Amazonian Ecuador (bottom right),

3 Overview What is qualitative research? Key differences between qualitative and quantitative research Different research designs Types of data: 3 Examples Data collection Data analysis

4 What Methods are you comfortable with? Quantitative (rank from 1 to 3, with 3 as the highest) Qualitative (I m really comfortable. This one time.) Mixed (I m the #1 expert) Neither (If a tree falls..) I m not sure

5 Definitions Qualitative research is concerned with developing explanations of social phenomena among groups of people. Why people behave the way they do in a given context (structure/agency) How opinions and attitudes are formed How people are affected by the events that go on around them and how they shape events (opportunities/limitations) How and why cultures have developed in the way they have The differences between social groups

6 Differences Between Qualitative & Quantitative Research Quantitative research asks questions that begin include How many? In what way? Qualitative research asks How much? Preference? How /Why so often? To what extent? When? Qualitative research is also interested in: social phenomena, in situ, not in the lab opinions, experiences and feelings Holistic, not variable Inductive not deductive theoretical development of world around us (deductive test a theory, for example)

7 Differences Between Qualitative & Quantitative Research Qualitative Empirical Holistic (expanding) Phenomenological Descriptive Inductive Subjective Natural Quantitative Empirical Reductionist (minimizing) Structured Scientific Experimental Deductive Objective Contrived Both approaches are valuable, built on certain assumptions and have weaknesses.

8 Which Approach Would You Choose? Qualitative or Quantitative Compare the effectiveness of drug A versus B? National survey about car seat use by rural Latina mothers? Compare the effectiveness of a promotora led hypertension education program for frontier Latinos plus clinical care vs. only clinical care? Examination of how non-diabetic American Indian adults explain the cause of diabetes and their experience preventing it?

9 Key Aspects of Qualitative Research Qualitative Research is: Focused on groups of people Contextualized in a specific research setting Built on researcher-participant relationships Immersed and impacted by the real world Guided by emic perspectives Described using Thick Description

10 4 Types of Qualitative Research Designs Phenomenology study seeks to explore a phenomenon (neck pain and computer use, feeling awkward ) Ethnology seeks to understand the beliefs and practices of a specific group of people (religious gardens for diabetes prevention) Grounded Theory understanding meaning in context (not being lazy is the reason why youth don t get diabetes) Case Study a specific unit of study as a case (how different Latino communities respond to soda prohibition )

11 Types of Data (there are many types) Qualitative Primary Key participant interviews Focus Groups Participant-Observation Dietary Food Recalls Sorting Photo, Video, Audio Secondary Document/Policy Analysis Archival Research Texts Primary Quantitative Closed Survey Questions Observational counts Data extraction from medical records Secondary existing data sets Numbers

12 Sowing the seeds to honor Tigua History and Tradition : A CBPR Study of Type II diabetes Prevention at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Dissertation research by Sean Bruna-Lewis and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo

13 Dissertation Research: Sowing the Seeds for the Future to Honor Tigua History and Tradition : A Community Based Participatory Research Study of Type II Diabetes Prevention Practices at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo

14 Tribal Property Map, El Paso County, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, 1999.

15 Community based participatory research begins with a research topic of importance to the community with the aim of combining knowledge and action for social change to improve community health and eliminate health disparities. W.K. Kellogg Community Scholar s Program (2001)

16 Interviews Structured Semi-structured Unstructured Experimental in-situ or walking* Simple Audio (if recorded) Learn How To Ask: (Lawyer vs. Mom, DC vs. YDSP) Researcher Needs Personable Skills Impacted by Gender, Place, Ethnicity * note.

17 Focus Groups Good when you have limited resources Insights via group interaction Discussion and Consensus Researcher needs facilitation skills 6-10 participants Enhanced audio recording equipment Participant IDs for Tracking Participants share something Groups are natural or convened Multiple Groups w/ different populations

18 Participant - Observation Require extended time (1 mo. 2 years) Specific field/boundary and activity to observe (people, activity, environment, public private, etc.) Research needs people skills Advanced Ethnographic Skills Participants share something Written, Video, Photography

19 Data Collection Monolingual, bi/tri-lingual, code switching, or other special language? Interview location and impact? Doctors office vs. Dinner Table vs. Community Garden.. vs. Taco Cabana music (doh!) Notes or no notes during interview? Record or not to record? Transcribe or not transcribe? (1 to 4 hour ratio for transcription. Fees = $100+/ hour) How to transcribe: He was a good CHR. He was a GOOD CHR. (He was very good) HE was a good CHR. (He was the only good one) He WAS a good CHR. (He once was a good CHR) How to back up recordings?

20 Data Analysis Software or highlighters Format transcripts for software Decide on a Coding technique Decide on a content analysis process Reliability Triangulation

21 Resources QualQuant.org, National Science Foundation AdademyHealth.org, Academy Health Field Methods (FMX) Journal. fmx.sagepub.com/ Research Methods in Anthropology. By H. Russell Bernard - AltaMira Press (2011) Ethnographers Toolkit. By Jean J. Schensul, Margaret Diane LeCompte, G. (eds) - AltaMira Press (1999) Research Methods for Community Change. By Randy Stoecker - Sage Publications (2012) Community-Based Participatory Research for Health: From Process to Outcomes. By Meredith Minkler and Nina Wallerstein Jossey-Bass 2 nd Edition, (2011) Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods. By Shawn Wilson. Fernwood Publishing Company, (2009) Indigenous Research Methodologies. By Bagele Chilisa. Sage Publications (2011) Mobile Ecology Tools. List compiled by Dr. Emilio Bruna.

22 Software Recommendations: Mobile Field Tools And Digital Analysis Digital Data Collection iphone/pad Electronic Surveys Type Field Notes Transcribe interviews Digital Photos Analysis & Management Software Nvivo student - $199 or single user - $650 Atlas.ti - student - $99 or single user - $1,800 Transana - TAMS - hyperresearch - MAXQDA - Dedoose - Post-It Notes -

23 Sean Bruna-Lewis MA, PhD (c) Andrew W. Mellon & RWJF Fellow Department of Anthropology University of New Mexico twitter: bruna_lewis

24 Questions?