This presentation, presented to senior thesis students at UC Berkeley, reviews the uses of qualitative research methods such as ethnography in public health, walking students through methods, sampling, ensuring rigor, and analysis with CAQDAS software such as Atlas.ti
Predicting HDB Resale Prices - Conducting Linear Regression Analysis With Orange
Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health
1. Why Qualitative Public Health?
WHEN AND HOW TO DO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN PUBLIC HEALTH
CELIA EMMELHAINZ – ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARIAN – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY – OCT 2016
2. ‘Real science’ does not begin with numbers,
quantification, and statistical analysis…
in medicine, scientists work with non-
numerical data… qualitative data are by no
means a weak form of data;
rather, they are a different form that requires
different, complex, and systematic analysis.
“
“
Kuckartz and McWhertor (2014) Qualitative Text Analysis, p.2
3. Qualitative research is an inquiry process of
understanding
based on distinct methodological traditions of
inquiry that explore a social or human problem.
The researcher builds a complex, holistic
picture, analyses words,
reports detailed views of informants, and
conducts the study in a natural setting.
“
“
- Creswell (1998) Qualitative inquiry and research design.
4. In public health research…
•Impact
•Outcomes
•Generalize
Quant
•How?
•Why / not?
•Replicate
Qual
Aisha Tucker Brown (2011) Using Qualitative Methods to Evaluate Public Health Programs, CDC program
5. Uses of Qual. Research in Public Health
1. To study the social, cultural, economic, and political
factors that influence health and disease
2. To examine interactions between stakeholders
3. To capture the “whole person” in their lifeworld
4. To explore how people and communities interpret
health and disease
5. To explore unanticipated meanings and connections
1-2,4 from Isaacs (2014) “An Overview of Qualitative Research Methodology for Public Health Researchers,” 318
7. “Key Elements” of Qual Health Research
1. Full literature review of background information
2. Choose a conceptual framework
3. Choose a sampling strategy
4. Recruit participants ethically
5. Collect data in focus groups or interviews
6. Analyze data by immersion, coding, grouping, linking to theory
7. Present; publish; give feedback to community
Isaacs (2014) “An Overview of Qualitative Research Methodology for Public Health Researchers,” p. 318-21
8. Sampling in Qualitative Health Research
Not a goal of representative or fully generalizable;
instead, the goal is to interpret a particular context and
apply results to that or similar contexts.
1. Deviant sampling (study the extremes)
2. Maximum variation (most diverse views)
3. Homogenous sampling (study characteristics in depth)
4. Snowball sampling (hard to reach)
Isaacs (2014) “An Overview of Qualitative Research Methodology for Public Health Researchers,” 319-20
10. Daly et al 2007 A hierarchy of evidence for assessing qualitative health research, p. 45
11. Tips for Ensuring Qualitative Rigor
1. Prolonged engagement (multiple visits or interviews)
2. Method and analysis grounded in theory
3. Extensive and diverse sample
4. Multiple methods (interviews, observation, casual discussion)
5. Triangulation across different sources, perspectives
6. Negative case analysis; highlight what contradicts your theory
7. Diverse interviewers, peer debriefing, and multiple coders
8. Respondent validation (community reviews your findings and reports)
9. Clear documentation and data trail of all methodological decisions
Gilson 2011, adapted in Stoto ea 2012 … Using Qualitative Methods in Public Health Systems Research
12. Five Methodological Approaches
Phenomenology: studies how humans make sense and meaning
Ethnography: develop nuanced picture of social system or culture
Institutional Ethnography: explore relations between
organizations and human experience
Grounded Theory: build up from the data to theoretical insight
Discourse Analysis: what people are doing/building with language
16. What to know about qualitative
analysis with CAQDAS software
HOW DO I ACTUALLY ANALYZE MY INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS?
CELIA EMMELHAINZ - ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARIAN – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
17. Data type and data analysis are not the same!
Kuckartz and McWhertor (2014) Qualitative Text Analysis, p.3; table from Bernard & Ryan 2010
18. Qualitative Data Analysis
a. Typically starts with individual cases and builds up to a
hypothesis or argument.
b. But depends on whether qualitative study is exploratory,
descriptive, hypothesis-testing, or evaluative (Diekmann 2007)
c. Often begins with a close reading, and moves on to building
themes, case studies, categories, or concepts, which are
shared along with descriptions and evocative quotations.
d. Most useful to provide a “rich understanding” for practitioners
or to develop ideas to be tested using representative sample.
Kuckartz and McWhertor (2014) Qualitative Text Analysis, p.5, 9
20. Whether to use qualitative analysis software:
Reasons to use
•Build complex codes
•Test relationships
•Handle large data
•Good for teams
Reasons not to use
•Cost
•Learning curve
•Simple or few
interviews
21. Questions to ask before using software:
* How many interviews, observations, photos, news clippings,
or fieldnotes have I collected?
* How in depth does my analysis need to be?
* Does my advisor recommend a certain method of coding?
* Have I studied a given method of coding or analysis?
* Is software likely to help with this method for this project?
* Do you need software skills for the job market?
22. Major CAQDAS software packages for students
Atlas.ti
• $99/2 yrs
• Flat codes
MaxQDA
• $115/2 yrs
• Hierarchy
NVIVO
• $120/1 yr
• Hierarchy
Dedoose
• $11/month
• Web based
• Big project
slows site
23.
24.
25.
26. Most programs can:
Takes many
file types
Merge two
versions (not
Dedoose)
View codes in
margin
Import
demographics
from Excel
Print reports
Add
comments
and memos
Run searches
(X and Y, near)
Auto-code
27. Atlas.ti in Action
A WALKTHROUGH
CELIA EMMELHAINZ - ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARIAN – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
Welcome, etc.
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Creswell JW. Qualitative inquiry and research design; Choosing among
fi ve traditions. California: Sage publications; 1998, cited in Isaacs 2014 on qual methods in PH
But why use qual?
Quant: is it working? data useful to measure impact, health outcomes, and to generalize – CDC lady
Qual: how and why does it work/not work? What’s actually going on, on the ground?
Qual methods – know it’s effective but don’t know how to replicate – ask “how”
Process evaluation for why a program isn’t working ; Qual lets us replicate
Replicate; identify problems
1,2 4 are Direct quote from Isaacs (2014), p 318
3 is from Faltermaier 1997 357 – for personal meaning, life course, social and biographical context – Whole person in lifeworld, subjective reports and expriences, meaning in life
Unanticipated meanings and connections, knowing that all data are interpreted
Love 2005 286 – ‘enrichment of undersatnding’ – assumption that quant results are generalizable but isn’t neutrla comparison group a scietnfiic fictoin?
This isn’t perfect, but it’s an image of the circles we go in, again and again—and again! as we develop and deepen our research. When I’m thinking about the ‘research lifecycle’—which is kind of a library term—this is what I’m thinking of. Why would librarians get involved? Well, we help you find contextual information for your research, especially rare and obscure items—and we also help the next generation. So we have a vested interest in seeing that you’re thinking of how to organize, store, and safely communicate your research through each of its stages.
Lit review – in depth
Framework includes phenomenology, discourse analysis, grounded theory, ethnography, thick/qualitative description
Sampling strategy is specific to questions; does not need to be random or representative of the full population.
Extreme/deviant sampling, maximum variation for multiple views, homogenous to study similar situatoins in more depth. Snowball for hard to reach; convenience – least benit
p. 319-20
Lit review – in depth
Framework includes phenomenology, discourse analysis, grounded theory, ethnography, thick/qualitative description
Sampling strategy is specific to questions; does not need to be random or representative of the full population.
Extreme/deviant sampling, maximum variation for multiple views, homogenous to study similar situatoins in more depth. Snowball for hard to reach; convenience – least benit
Sample size is not about n; it’s about saturation of new or confirming knowledge (320)
Some methods
Daly 2007, p. 46
Single case study – rich on one person – highlight something unusual
Descriptive studies – highlight practical issues, not systemic in sample or full reporting – show something exists in a group
Conceptual studies – sample and analysis for theory development – but not fully systemic
Generalizeable studies – sampling is strong, analytics clear, clear support for practice or policy
Lit review – in depth
Framework includes phenomenology, discourse analysis, grounded theory, ethnography, thick/qualitative description
Sampling strategy is specific to questions; does not need to be random or representative of the full population.
Extreme/deviant sampling, maximum variation for multiple views, homogenous to study similar situatoins in more depth. Snowball for hard to reach; convenience – least benit
Def of phenom and ethnograhpy by Al-Busaidi 2008Def of inst eth by rashid 2015
Def of grounded theory, discourse analysis from Readme by Lyn richards and Janice Morse
Is used in health studies
Places to publish qualitative health research from https://www.mcgill.ca/mqhrg/resources/qualitative-health-research-publications-list
Welcome, etc.
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2 – lots of science works with non-numeric data, and it’s still systemic
3 – you can analyze qualitative data quantitatively (content analysis, frequency lists) or qualitatively (interpretive, hermeneutics, grounded theory); you can analyze quantitative data quantitatively (stats), or qualitatively
(search for and present meaning??)
Kuckartz
5 – cites Flick ea 2004 p 9’s characteristics of qualitative research: many methods, used as appropriate, oriented to the everyday and framed by context, taking participants’ views and researcher’s reflection, goal of openness and understanding, analysis starts with individual cases, builds to construct reality, focus on text, discovery, and theory formation…
9 – studies can be ‘exploratory, descriptive, hypothesis-testing, and evaluative” - cites Diekmann 2007 p. 33-40
61 – open coding as ‘identifying and/or naming concepts”
68 – type building is good, but different goal than description or hypothesis testing
88 – “evaluative qualitative text analysis” means not only identifying concepts or codes, but assessing whether respondence evince low/med/high on those codes e.g. “self-confidence” –and then you can compare variables with cross-tabs to see if high self-confidence means low care for environment etc. [weird mix of qual/quant but useful]/
Images from Summer Starling – QDA with MaxQDA presentation for D-Lab
ALSO RQDA http://rqda.r-forge.r-project.org/
It’s a judgment call.
Some options;
ALSO RQDA http://rqda.r-forge.r-project.org/
Codes to side in browser
Note the info link
Add memo of ideas (bottom right)
See frequencies (bottom left)
[Images from Summer Starling – QDA with MaxQDA presentation for D-Lab]
CE screenshot of Atlas.ti
Codes on right – highlight and enter one or multiple codes
Image from Android app info: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.Dedoose.Tablet
BUT not fully open source.
Welcome, etc.
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