Qualitative Methods

Lisa Harrison: Chapter 5

Qualitative and Quantitative (74)

Quantitative: Focuses on the analysis of numerical data (statistics, polling), and uses large sets of data to make generalizations and predictions. It is more detached (a large survey, for example).

Qualitative: focuses on the study of political behavior and attitudes and examines in depth a small number of cases, which are seen as interesting or illuminating. It seeks depth rather than breadth. Researcher immerses themselves in their topic.

…

Qualitative and Quantitative

Can be used Together Can use both approaches, yet they often use different types of evidence to

research the same question.

Examples:Polls and focus groupsStatistics and interviews

…

Advantages of Qualitative Research

Advantages:1) Greater opportunity to explore beliefs and attitudes 2) Can explain “why” and “how” rather than just “what” 3) Greater reliance upon the respondents actions and thoughts.

Versatility: Qualitative works provides a more open, and varied means of studying a subject (in-depth interviews, focus groups, for example).

In Quantitative research, interaction between researcher and reached is limited, and the Quantitative methods reflect this. (Polls can only provide a limited number of options, and time, for example.)

Advantages of Qualitative Research

Ethnography: Importance of Meaning and ContextQualitative research seeks to not only “what happened” but also “why” and

“how.”

Why Something HappenedIt is not satisfied with simply why a certain number of people voted, or that

party enrollment has declined, but why? As such, ideas and culture of research populations become key, since all meaning is derived from context.

Emphasis, then, is on explanation, rather than description or prediction. …

Types of Qualitative Methods

Focus Group: involves bringing together a small group (8-10 people) of carefully selected individuals for an in-depth discussion of some topic, guided by a moderator, to learn how people think about a topic.

Advantages: 1) Ensure questions are actually answered.2) Solve the problem of wording: you can ask for elaboration.3) Allow researchers to probe respondents.4) Can measure effects of word order and context.

Importance of Observing Group Interaction: Focus groups rely on interaction between the participants to generate insights into

the subject. It allows researchers to test the strength of an opinion. …

Focus Groups: Policy Application

Policy Application: Focus groups allow researchers to see how people respond to certain questions, language.

Example: Frank Luntz

…

Disadvantages of Qualitative Research

Disadvantages of Qualitative Research

1) Data can be atypical, and thus cannot be generalized.2) Problems of interpretation.3) Researcher involvement, they may be come too involved,

they might “go native.”4) Time-consuming.

…

Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative

Differences between Qualitative and QuantitativeA key difference between the two approaches relates to sampling.

Sampling: Quantitative: the sample can be random. Qualitative: is much less likely to be random. Instead, rely on contrasts within a group under investigation in search

of trends.>>>