Unit 1:

Listen to music - Subjective self (“I”)

● Disinterest

Tinker on laptop - Kinetic (subjective) self

● Preoccupied

Chat - Intersubjective (two people)

● Social

Observe - Grounded
● Interest in social interactions

Social “Science”
● Some objective truth is available to found
○ Subjective: Independent (“I”)
■ Ex. I gathered data from 400 research subject - 400 separate
individual people
○ Objective: the thing you look at
■ Ex. objective truth

Quantitative (Quantity)
● Data collection based in large numbers (large number of sources)
○ Repetitive
○ Transferable
○ Dependable
○ Valid

Qualitative (Quality)
● In-depth data collection
○ Smaller data source (few people but in-depth data collected)
○ Triangularity (similarity all around)

Ground Theory (Curiosity)

● No preconceived theoretical framework
● Theme emerges from the data (observations)
● Inductive - looking forward
○ Probability, using statistics/numbers, likelihood
○ Based more on hope (realize you might be wrong)
○ Weighs in tradition but puts a number to it
● Looking at the world in a curious way

Ethnography (Stand in their shoes)

● Naturalistic observations and Holistic understanding
● Deductive -
○ Based more on belief (you believe thats the answer because of all the
reasons before
 ○ Tradition is everything
● Frame analysis - what has meaning in a group
● Stand in their shoes (emic perspective)
○ See things from their perspective
○ Apply theoretical concepts as an overview
● Ex. Interview, (wouldn’t be surveys tho)

Phenomenology
● Study an ordinary life view of the world as transcendent
● Actions based in belief in a reality which is based in what…
○ Ex. every faith has a main belief but different variations (a phenomenologist
would look at the main belief)

Example for all three: Snow Globe

● Ethnography - looking at it from the little figurines perspective
● Phenomenology - looking at the structure, and seeing how things were built (the
glass globe, concept, what puts it into one context etc)

Summary:
● Grounded Theory
○ No preconceived idea
● Ethnography (Empathy)
○ Stand in their shoes with Holistic view (meaning all aspects should be seen,
physiological, physical and social)
● Phenomenology (Shared beliefs)
○ What are the perceptions of the world (belief)

Unit 2:

Unit 3: Archival

Archival - Use of available data

● replaces /supplements first hand (obs, int, experiments)
● Low cost
● Second hand information
○ Re-analysis of data collected by others

Kinds of Data
1. Public Documents / Official Records
○ Border stops
■ Citizenship
■ Residency
● Visitors - overstay
● Returning - taxes
○ Court records
 2. Private Documents
○ Less accessible
○ Diaries, college transcripts, hospital patient records
○ Ethics and Confidentiality
3. Mass Media
○ Biases exposed
■ Ex. women portrayed as subordinate and dependent
○ Factual errors
○ Selective editing
4. Textbooks
○ Not archives but rather opinions of the author
○ Ethnocentric histories
5. Literature/Songs
○ Song and Poem content
○
6. Graffiti
7. Physical (non-verbal views)

Usefulness of Available Sources

● Exposure to the otherwise unavailable past
○ Re-construction

● Exposure to social change

○ Obvious bias in past writings
○ Longitudinal studies
■ Research subjects re-visited

● Cross-cultural
● Increased sample size
● Cost savings
● Control effect

Issues in Using Available Data

● Locating Data
○ Same problem as any other research work
○ Research is not completed simply because data is readily available
○ Research Problem / Hypothesis guides research

● Data archives readily available

○ Excellent source for qualitative studies
○ Useful for qualitative studies if data can be appropriately sorted

● Privacy
○ Offer to meet the interests of the agency / contributor

● Representativity
○ Must be addressed at the outset (frame)
 ● Re-writing
○ Interested of writer / interested parties involved
○ Report by / for the victor

● Faulty data collection methods

○ E.g. ARF - drug use and drop out
■ Interviewed students IN SCHOOL

● Reliability and Validity

○ What is said by original researcher in documents / in-person

● Historical Interpretation
○ Is it correct / who does it present (e.g. Columbus, South Africa)

Unit 4: Sampling

Population:
● Individual things that make up your data source

Sample:
● Small set that represents the whole population

Homogeneity
● Similarity within population

Deductive Method
● Belief
● Premise + Premise = Conclusion
○ “Hes my brother” + “we’ve been together for a long time” = “I can rely on my
brother”

Inductive Method (Probability)

● Descriptive
● Heterogeneous distribution of research objective
● Formally representative sample
○ Same proportions within population
● Hope

Random Sample
● Every sampling element (Unit)
○ Listed only once
○ (Ex. library books, 50/50)

Sampling Errors
● Systematic
○ Sample group narrowed by how population identified
○ Where population is found
 ● Random
○ Chance variation
○ (e.g. coin toss)

Qualitative
● By nature - think about sampling

Quantitative
● Random, stats, unframed data collection

Stratified Sampling

Unit 5 - Questionnaire Issues

Unit 6 - In-Depth Interview

Interview
● Case study
● Validate interpretation of the other data
○ Survey
○ Observations
○ Participant observations
● Ethnographic

Ethnography
● Naturalistic observations and Holistic understanding
● Deductive
● Frame analysis – what has meaning in a group
● Stand in their shoes (emic perspective) apply theoretical concepts as an overview
(etic)

premise + premise = Conclusion

● Stand in their shoes with Holistic view (to provide support that looks at the whole
person, not just their mental health needs)

Interview
● Access to otherwise inaccessible areas
● Accepted members of social group
● Confidentiality
○ Risk of sanctions

Interview - Continued
● Gender
● Age of participants
● Ethnicity
● Across time
In-depth Interview
● more likely to bring accurate data than a survey.
● is a highly social interaction
● place that subjects are most comfortable
● Intersubjectivity is the most important part of good research
○ (Ferrarotti)
● Structured open ended questionaire/interviews
● Academic analysis is applied to raw data afterwards

● At times, the planned questions may be dropped in favour of free-flowing dialogue

○ Questions are monitored throughout interview and reviewed at completion of
interview to ensure required (data) areas have been addressed

● Interviewer with acceptance, related background

○ Shared frame
○ Recognition of shared experience – mutual regard
○ Peers better able to judge credibility
○ Understanding – no need to explain terminology

In-depth Interview Continued

● 3 interviews
● 3-7 days
● 90 minutes - stay on point
● Specific breaks
● 1 history – frame and how access
● 2 details of experience - describe obs
● 3 reflection and analysis of participant (Seideman)

In-depth interview
● Part One:
○ Introduction and discussion to gather historical data on subjects.
○ This is meant to put their particular experience in the area of interest into the
context of their (larger) life experience.
○ How do they see their social position?
○ Does their experience in the area of interest cause them to see themselves
differently now than they did before?

● Part Two:
○ Gathering specific details of the subjects experiences in the area of interest.
○ This is meant to bring specificity.
○ It contextualizes the individual experience to allow for correlation of the data.
 ○ E.g. within the context of existing as an organizational resource (gov’t):
■ Do individuals feel they are resisting or breaking organization rules?
● If so, why?
● Is it to meet some higher objective or unspoken understanding.
● Is it to challenge the organization, that is seen as having some
power over them?
● Are organizational and societal rules just the rules of a game
or are they somehow internalized?
● Are liberal state issues such as privacy, consent, or fairness
recognized?

● Part Three:
○ This is intended to give meaning to the descriptions gathered during the
second interview.
○ The subjects will be asked to reflect on the observations they described
during interview two.
○ How do the subjects view clients after extended work experience?
○ Is there a change from when they first started their career?
○ Do the subjects view all disadvantage as a function of circumstance?

Unit 7 - Observations

Observations

● Participant
● Non-participant
● Structured
● Unstructured