John W Creswell on Research Methods - How Does Qualitatif Reserch Work

Summary

The speaker shares their approach to teaching qualitative research, focusing on providing practical experience rather than just theoretical knowledge. They express dissatisfaction with typical qualitative research books and aim to guide students through the actual process of coding data. The speaker explains how they approach coding by first reading through transcripts to understand the data, then breaking it into segments and using in-vivo codes. Their goal is to offer a hands-on experience to students, especially beginners, so they can grasp the true essence of qualitative research practice.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker expresses dissatisfaction with the existing qualitative research books, which often only describe the process or offer examples from published studies.
• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the need for qualitative research materials to go beyond description and examples to actually demonstrate the process of doing qualitative research.
• 😀 The speaker focuses on the importance of teaching students how to practically apply qualitative research methods through real examples and steps.
• 😀 One key focus of the speaker's teaching approach is demonstrating the process of coding qualitative data, specifically using transcripts.
• 😀 The process of coding starts with reading through the transcript to get a general sense of the data.
• 😀 After gaining a general sense, the speaker encourages thinking about what people are saying at specific points in the text, which helps in identifying themes.
• 😀 The speaker advises against overcoding and suggests using larger chunks of data to assign codes.
• 😀 The speaker explains the importance of using in-vivo codes, where the researcher assigns a code word directly from the words the participants said.
• 😀 The speaker stresses that their approach to coding and qualitative research is not the only method, but it provides a practical starting point for beginners.
• 😀 The speaker aims to make qualitative research more accessible for students by focusing on the practical steps of research, rather than just definitions or theoretical examples.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the speaker's approach to teaching qualitative research?

The speaker emphasizes moving beyond just defining qualitative research or showing examples; instead, they focus on sharing the actual process of conducting qualitative research, specifically the steps they personally use in their work.

What dissatisfaction does the speaker have with existing qualitative research books?

The speaker finds that most qualitative research books either describe the concept or provide examples but fail to guide readers through the actual practice of conducting qualitative research.

What is the first step in the speaker's approach to coding qualitative data?

The first step is reading through the transcript to get a general sense of the content before diving into coding.

How does the speaker decide what to focus on during the coding process?

The speaker focuses on understanding what the participants are saying at specific points, asking the simple question, 'What are they saying at this point?' and assigning codes based on these insights.

What does the speaker mean by 'overcoding' text data?

The speaker refers to 'overcoding' as the tendency to assign too many codes to a segment of text, often in an excessive or unnecessary way.

What type of codes does the speaker prefer to use during the coding process?

The speaker prefers using 'in-vivo' codes, which are words directly taken from the text or transcript that participants themselves have used.

How does the speaker's approach to teaching qualitative research differ from traditional methods?

Rather than merely explaining the theory behind qualitative research, the speaker aims to teach the actual practical steps and experiences of conducting qualitative research, based on their personal methods.

What does the speaker hope students gain from their qualitative research classes?

The speaker hopes students will not only understand the theory and definitions of qualitative research but also gain practical skills by learning how to actually conduct the research themselves, using real examples.

Why does the speaker believe it is important to demonstrate their coding process?

The speaker believes it is important to show students their personal coding process to help them understand the practical application of qualitative research, providing a clear, step-by-step guide for beginners.

Is the speaker's coding process presented as the only way to conduct qualitative research?

No, the speaker clarifies that their process is not the only approach but is intended to give students a starting point, especially for those new to qualitative research.