400755 Evidence Based Nursing 1

Qualitative Research 1

Prepared by: Dr Kath Peters 2008

Revised by: Dr Kath Peters 2009

Objectives
● By the end of this session & with additional
reading you will be able to;
– Define qualitative research
– Identify and describe the characteristics of
the major qualitative research traditions
– Describe the characteristics of the design
associated with each of the major
qualitative research traditions
– Identify types of sampling used in
qualitative research

What is Qualitative Research?

An umbrella term encompassing research
based knowledge drawn from subjective
human experiences derived from narrative,
observational and non quantitative or non
numerical sources in naturalistic settings.

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 Characteristics of Qualitative Research
● Naturalistic paradigm
● Inductive reasoning processes
● Seeks to understand people’s subjective views
and interpretations of experiences
● Views individuals as active, interpreting and
creating agents
● Holistic focus
(See Borbasi, Jackson & Langford, 2004, p. 132)

Characteristics of Qualitative Research

● Data – rich, descriptive narrative and subjective
● Small sample sizes
● Researcher as research ‘instrument’
● Establishes rigour through credibility, confirmability,
and transferability
● Researcher and participants as ‘co- researchers’

(Borbasi et al 2004).

Types of Qualitative Research

● Interpretive
– aims generate meaning
– tries to explain and describe
– makes sense out of things of interest

● Critical
– aims to bring about change in status quo
– works collaboratively with participants to
effect change

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 Qualitative Research Traditions
Interpretive
● Phenomenology
● Ethnography
● Grounded Theory
● Historical
● Case Study

Critical
● Feminist research
● Participatory action research
(Borbasi, et al, 2004, p. 129)

Descriptive Phenomenology
● Derived from philosophy - Husserl
● Focus on lived experiences of
participants in their life-worlds
● Method involves:
– Bracketing
– Intuiting
– Analyzing
– Describing (see Coliazzi, Van Kaam, Giorgi, etc.)

Hermeneutic/Interpretive Phenomenology

● Derived from philosophy - Heidegger

● Focus: Situated meanings, interpretations and
understandings of humans’ experiences of
phenomena of their everyday lives
● Does NOT use bracketing
● All interpretation is based on understanding
● All understanding occurs via pre-understandings

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 Ethnography
● Derived from Anthropology
● Study of cultures & subcultures
– focus on group behaviours, artifacts and
speech
– uses a variety of data sources

● Researcher stance either:

– emic perspective: insider’s view
– etic perspective: outsiders’ interpretation

Grounded Theory
● Study of social processes and social structures
● Generated a theory from empirical data,
resulting in:
- Emergent theory (Glaser & Strauss method)
- Conceptual description (Strauss & Corbin)
● Method uses:
- Theoretical sampling
- Fieldwork (data collection)
- Coding and constant comparison method of data
analysis

Historical
● Concerned with past events
● “Systematic collection and critical evaluation of
data relating to past occurrences” (Polit & Beck,
2006, p. 216).

● Aim is to answer questions related to causes,

effects, or trends of past events to explain
present behaviours and practices
● Data:
– Primary sources ie. first hand information
– Secondary sources ie. Second or third hand
accounts of the events

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 Case Study
● “In-depth examination of certain phenomena in
an individual or in small numbers of
individuals” (Borbasi et al., 2004, p. 137)
● Attempts to analyse/understand issues related
to the history, development or circumstances
of the ‘case’
● Case studies are often used in evaluation
research
● Major concern is lack of generalizability

Critical Methodologies
● Assume reality is influenced by social structures
● Subjectivist view of knowing, where values are
seen to mediate inquiry
● Transformative in approach, concerned with with:
- empowerment
- emancipation
- praxis

Feminist Research
● Researchers attempt to see the world from the
vantage point of particular groups of women

● Emphasis in research - trust, empathy, non-

hierarchal and non-exploitive relationships

● Many different approaches such as:

- Feminist empiricism:
- Feminist standpoint
- Feminist postmodernism
(Polit & Beck, 2006, pp. 225-6)

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 Participatory Action Research
● Developed by Kurt Lewin - social psychologist
● “Production of knowledge can be political and
used to exert power” (Polit & Beck, 2008, p. 240)
● Aims to empower participants through
constructing and using knowledge
● Need to be reflexive or critically reflect on
processes

PAR Process

Diagram accessed from:

http://www.web.net/~robrien/papers/ar
%20final2_files/image001.gif

Which design best fits the following?

● The lived experience of caring for a child with

a chronic illness

● Illness experiences of Sudanese refugees

● Exploration of mental health nursing in

Australia between 1850 and the year 2000.

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 Sampling in Qualitative Research
● Non-probability
– Purposive
– Snowball (network)
– Theoretical

References
Borbasi, S., Jackson, D. & Langford, R. W. (2004). Navigating the maze of
nursing research: An interactive learning adventure. Sydney: Mosby.
Burns, N. & Grove, S. K. (2009). The practice of nursing research:
Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (6th ed).
Philadelphia: Saunders.
Dempsey, P. A., & Dempsey, A. D. (2000). Using nursing research:
Process, critical evaluation and utilization. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Polit, D.F. & Beck, C.T. (2008). Nursing research: Generating and
assessing evidence for nursing practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Polit, D.F. & Beck, C. T. (2006). Essentials of nursing research: Methods,
appraisal, and utilization (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins.
Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., & Elliot, D. (2007). Nursing and midwifery
research: Methods and appraisal for evidence-based practice. (3rd
ed.). Sydney: Mosby