1 QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am not an expert I am sharing what I have learnt from others Especially Julie Tinson (Stirling) Leyland Pitt (SFU) I learnt in the preparation of this seminar! 2
THE PLAN: Main Categories of qualitative data collection techniques: Interviews Focus groups Observation Mixed methods My objective to expose you to the different tools, not to teach you how to use them 3
INTERVIEWS Types: Structured open-ended questions from interview guide. No prompting. Neutral interviewer Semi-structured questions with probes In-depth / unstructured = conversation / dialogue but with a purpose Objectives: Explore the context in which you find a phenomenon, Explain behaviour Evaluate Generate theories / typologies / strategies 4
PROS AND CONS OF INTERVIEWS Pros Depth of information Complex / sensitive topics Verbal & non-verbal Flexibility of venue and timing Follow-up is possible Can get beyond socially accepted view Cons Expensive time & money Bias Not generalizable Qualified and experienced interviewers needed Subjective interpretation Relies on ability of participant to recall and articulate answers 5
INTERVIEWS CONTINUED Some points to consider: Sacrifice bias for trust and depth of information Nb to build rapport & trust Greater skill needed the less structure Long interviews are currently popular Permission to record Get transcripts checked 6
PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES Outside of my area of experience! Usually conducted by professionals Aim at surfacing deeper, unconscious thoughts NB for capturing emotionality rather than rationality Exploratory Types (Wiid & Diggines, 2009): Association techniques Completion techniques sentence, story Construction techniques - Thematic appreciation, cartoon technique, collages, draw-write Expressive techniques role play Others: laddering, personification, brand mapping 7
FOCUS GROUPS Group-based semi-structured interview 6-10 participants Participants selected purposefully Moderator guides the discussion, ensures participation and elaboration Interaction among participants is NB Looking for group views Useful for developing ideas Composition varies Increasingly combined with projective techniques Online developments 8
FOCUS GROUPS Pros Surfaces a wide range of attitudes and opinions Surfaces differences Want interaction Creativity is enhanced Cons Often influenced by group chemistry Need a well trained moderator Scheduling and venue decisions are more complex Reputation Useful to generate questions for quantitative research Not representative of population Can use to interpret quantitative data More cost effective than interviews 9
OBSERVATION Systematic recording of observations Narrative / numeric data Unobtrusive / obtrusive Collected manually / electronically Natural / controlled Participant and observer roles Privacy issues Special forms of Observation: Ethnography Content Analysis 10
ETHNOGRAPHY Characteristics (Tinson 2012): Multiple data sources Everyday experience Emerging themes Natural setting Relevance of cultural space Netnography 11
CONTENT ANALYSIS DATA SOURCES Obtains data from analysing content / message / images Examples of useful content: Business reports Adverts Brochures Blogs Social media comments Interview transcripts Mission statements Corporate communication Product instructions Training manuals Policies Journals Cartoons User generated content This is all free data! How to analyse this data is discussed later 12
OBSERVATION CONTINUED Pros Respondent acts naturally (unobtrusive) Does not reply on willingness and ability of participants / respondents Research bias eliminated Helps increase confidence in questionnaire data Cons Can t ask why? Time-consuming Restricted to public domain (mostly) 13
SOME FINAL POINTS A researcher s responsibility is to their participants first Always be ethical Be transparent in reporting your methods Make your research dependable, credible and valid. I m looking forward to reading your published articles 14
SOURCES: Aaker, D., Kumar, V & Day, G. Marketing Research Berg, B.Qualitative research methods for the social sciences Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. Marketing Research Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. Qualitative Research. Hair, J., Money, A., Samouel, P. & Page, M. Research Methods for Business Maree, K. First Steps in Research Patton, M. Qualitative Research. Pink, S. Doing ethnography: Images, media and representation in research. Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R. Research Methods for Business Silverman, D. Qualitative Research. Wiid, J & Diggines, C. Marketing Research 15