SESSION 1:

QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Aishwarya Joshi
SESSION
AGENDA

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative data collection

Conversational interviewing as a method

Qualitative data analysis

Q&A

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 2
SESSION
AGENDA

What is qualitative research?

And how is it different from—and
similar to—quantitative methods?
Qualitative data collection

Conversational interviewing as a method

Qualitative data analysis

Q&A

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 3
 QUANTITATI
VE
Research Literature
01 Hypothesis questions review

02 Literature review
QUALITATI
VE
03 Concepts Concepts
Data
and
collection
findings
04 Data collection

Analysis/Findings Analysis

Theory/Hypothesis

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 4
What remains common across both:

Specifying the
scope of our inquiry
Collecting data
systematically to
answer the
question(s)
Analysing data to Explaining and
identify patterns and interpreting the
observations data, to be reviewed
by peers and public

Reviewing what is
known
Identifying what is
not known

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 5
SESSION
AGENDA

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative data collection

Conversational interviewing

Qualitative data analysis

Q&A

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 6
 WHAT SLIPS THROUGH THE CRACKS: QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Qualitative research does not rely on statistics, since the focus ≠ producing findings generalisable to the general
public.

We want to producing transferable findings through studying unique characteristics about specific people and
situations.

For this, we need to ask tailored questions that give us enough detailed explanation about people’s experience of a
particular situation or phenomenon.

Quantitative Qualitative

What How
How much Why

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 1 Literature review, archival research

2 Participant observation

3 In-depth interviews, key informant interviews

4 Focus-group discussions

QDC METHODS
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 1 Literature review, archival research

2 Participant observation

3 In-depth interviews, key informant interviews

4 Focus-group discussions

QDC METHODS
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 9
SESSION
AGENDA

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative data collection

Conversational interviewing
Qualitative data analysis

Q&A

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 10
 WHAT IS CONVERSATIONAL INTERVIEWING?

A dialogue between the researcher and the interviewee/respondent to gather stories and information from the
latter about their life in their own words.
When a conversation is more planned than just a casual talk, it is called in-depth or semi-structured interviewing.
Remember here what bears repeating often: the researcher is the tool.

Respondents are asked to recount stories, specific events, activities, examples from their life to understand their
experiences.
Apart from what is being told to us, we also must make our own notes about the interview and the environment
(field notes + field description).

The data we collect from the interviews should have sufficient evidence to support what we are interpreting as
findings.
As researchers, ask: are we able to successfully capture and represent the facts on the ground?

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 We are most interested in understanding what the respondents think
about the world around them, their perceptions, their challenges, their
It’s not about you. decisions. Stories are the best way to get such information.

Respondents may assume we are interested in certain types of answers,

No leading questions. leaving out details about their experience which would actually help in
our analysis. Hence, avoid direct or leading questions.

THINGS TO
REMEMBER DURING You may need to connect responses given at various points of
Stay alert, make notes. the interview to piece everything together: a conflicting point,
INTERVIEWS or an unclear connection. For this, you must practice active
listening.

Informed consent is key. The most important step for the interview as well as recording the
interview for data analysis. Project background, voluntary
participation, and data confidentiality are usually mandatory.

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 SKILLS THAT HELP WHILE INTERVIEWING TO COLLECT DATA

INFORMED RESPECT
C O M F O RT LANGUAGE TA C T F U L N E S S FEEDBACK
CONSENT

Subtly show that you

Getting an honest have taken the time Respondents are giving
Based on the local It is important to
Never use words answer to a sensitive to understand how us their time and trust
customs, the process of explain all the
and/or tone of voice to topic is tricky: try their field works (keep us with their
establishing rapport can important
show we agree/disagree asking such questions in mind what others experiences. It is thus
be different. If you’re information about the
or approve/ disapprove in this manner: “Some has said to help with our duty to respect the
the way you open the study to them properly
of anything the people say [XYZ]. probes), and even respondents and
interview is friendly so their most important
respondent is telling us. What do you think?” during the interview throughout the
and relaxed, doubts are answered.
Remember, the Active listening can you have been interaction treat them
respondents will be Having a script,
interview is about their help cross-question listening. Use phrases how we would like to
encouraged to speak consent form, and info
experience, not ours. any conflicting/ that help in back- be treated and spoken
with you. sheet ready helps.
“perfect” answers. checks and to.
summary.

EMPATHY + RIGOUR

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 13
SESSION
AGENDA

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative data collection

Conversational interviewing

Qualitative data analysis: a

brief overview
Q&A

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 15
 HOW DO WE RECORD WHAT WE OBSERVE?
RELIABILI
VALIDITY
Are we measuring what we set
TY
Are our findings reproducible
out to measure? under the same conditions?

Secondary Interview Field notes Research Transcripts

sources recordings These are field observations
“thick description” and field
memos This is where your raw data
(audio/video files) turn into
Literature reviews, systematic Raw audio/video files of your notes. Both serve slightly Short piece of writing textual data. These are essential,
reviews etc. These help tie interviews. Used not only for different purposes, but both describing an idea/thought for commonly used QDA
your work to the larger transcription, but also the are important for creating the you have in response to methods and tools (NVivo,
body of literature, and helps closest you will get to chain of evidence that makes data/literature you Atlas.ti, Dedoose, framework
situate it in a theoretical recreating the interaction after your research valid and encounter. Think of it as a analysis, etc).
framework. it ends: hence they are very reliable. narrator for your readers, and
important. the last page of your notebook
for the research team.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 16
THE TALE OF TWO
METHODS

OPEN CODING &

FRAMEWORK
ANALYSIS FOR QDA

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 U.D. Parameswaran et al. (2019).

Kevin Meethan. (2011).

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Mike Charlesworth & Bernard Foëx. (2015). Shalin Hai-Jew. (2023).

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Victoria Hoyle. (2018).

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 Each row represents a respondent or a case.

Going left to right will tell you what each respondent has said under each code.

Each column represents a

particular code
within a category, sub-theme, or
theme.

Going top to bottom will tell you

what all respondents have said
under a particular code.

"About framework matrices", NVivo.

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 Data is lifted from its original textual context
and placed in a larger data matrix/chart that
helps club together pieces of data pertaining to
one theme/category to help identify patterns in
Key issues, concepts, and (inductive the data.
and deductive) themes that have been
expressed by the participants are used
to filter, classify and organise the data 04 Charting
collected.

Thematic
02
framework MAPPING AND
INTERPRETATION

TRANSCRIPTS

03 Indexing

Portions or sections of data that

Researcher becomes familiarised correspond to a particular theme are
with the transcripts of the data
Familiarisation 01 identified, this is done for all textual
collected to become aware of key data available. Numerical systems can
ideas and recurrent themes and be used for indexing on paper.
make a note of them.

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 QUESTIONS?

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THANK YOU