EPI 240: Qualitative Research Methods (Fall 2015)
Section outline
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Qualitative Methods
EPI 240 Fall 2015 (1.5 units).
Course Director: Daniel Dohan, PhD.
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Introduction to Qualitative Methods
What is Qualitative Research? - What is a qualitative research? What kinds of questions or issues can qualitative research address? What are some uses of qualitative approaches in clinical and translational research? How does qualitative compare to quantitative research? How does qualitative research differ from journalism or anecdotes, or does it?
Faculty: Daniel Dohan
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
QRM 2015 lecture01 17Sep File
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Journalist and Murderer pt1 Malcolm New Yorker 1989 File
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Journalist and Murderer pt2 Malcolm New Yorker 1989 File
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Qualitative Data Collection Methods
Qualitative research can use many different data sources. Individual interviews and interviewing and focus groups are common means of collecting data for qualitative research. Interviewing is a key qualitative research skill. What can you learn about by asking questions of individuals? How do you decide who to interview? How do the questions you ask – and how you ask them – differ in qualitative versus quantitative work? How do you arrange questions into an interview? What about sensitive topics? And what about logistics – taping, transcription, that type of thing?
Faculty: Daniel Dohan and Wendy Anderson
Location: Mission Hall 1406
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Kuper BMJ 2008 File
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Dohan,2002 HSR File
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Data Analysis: Coding and Memoing
Data Analysis: Coding and Memoing - Data reduction and synthesis are fundamental tasks in qualitative data analysis. Many analysts use coding and memoing to carry out these tasks. How do you start coding data? What are the steps for doing so, and how do you know when you are done? What is memoing? How is it related to coding and to writing up results? What about iterative analysis. When do you interrupt analysis to “go back” to the raw data or even return to field sites or informants? We discuss the specific procedures used in coding and memoing, but we emphasize the strategies that, over time, may help analysts hone their craft.
Faculty: Daniel Dohan
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
Dohan,2007, JGIM File
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Audio & Video-Recorded Observation; Conversation Analysis
By providing access to the nuance and complexity of everyday social interaction, video-recorded observation brings unique strengths as a qualitative research approach. This method also raises questions of research design and logistics with which all qualitative researchers must grapple. Which settings should be observed and for how long? How can video-recording be accomplished without distorting “natural” interactions? What “counts” as data? What about the logistics of informed consent? Guest lecturer Chris Koenig discusses these important issues while demonstrating video-recorded observation.Faculty: Chris Koenig
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
Hodges etal 2008 DA File
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Mackenzie Xiao 2008 Video vs. observation in ED File
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Qualitative Interviewing Practicum
Interviews are a key source of data for qualitative research. The goal of qualitative interviewing is to elicit participants’ perspectives on a topic. The quality of the data collected in an interview is highly dependent on the interviewer’s technique. The objectives of this session are to identify interviewing skills that most effectively elicit participants’ perspectives, and to practice these skills in mock interviews.
Faculty: Wendy Anderson and Daniel Dohan
Location: Mission Hall 2108-
Dicicco-Bloom B, Crabtree BF. The qualitative research interview. File
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Coding and Memoing - Interactive Session using Student Data
Data Analysis: Coding and Memoing - Data reduction and synthesis are fundamental tasks in qualitative data analysis. Many analysts use coding and memoing to carry out these tasks. In this session, we will apply learning from previous weeks to data from your projects.
*if you would like to use your own data for this session, please bring 5 hard copies of a de-identified selection of data you would like to focus on (about 5 pages) to give to your colleagues on March 4th.
Faculty: Daniel Dohan and Wendy Anderson
Location: Mission Hall 1406 -
Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis: What It Does and Doesn't Do
All stats software basically does the same thing, so quantitative analysts often choose their package based on history, training, and popularity within their shop. In qualitative analysis computer-assistance is optional and there is no standard feature-set. No two qualitative software programs are the same. How do you decide whether computer assistant qualitative data analysis (CAQDA) makes sense? How do you learn about and select CAQDA software? How do the packages work? What are the advantages and trade-offs?
In this session, Sarah Garrett, a PhD ethnographer with extensive experience with Atlas.ti, will use data from the focus group we've seen in class previously to demonstrate how Atlas.ti reads data in, organizes it, and how it can be used to add basic codes to a data set.
Resources (from Corey Abramson, PhD; Atlas.ti training):- Abramson newsletter article with practical advice: http://cmabramson.com/uploads/CMA-ATLASti_Newsletter_2011-03.pdf
- Abramson's 2009 article with useful write up of methods and the use of CAQDA software for an interdisciplinary audience: http://cmabramson.com/uploads/abramson2009.pdf
- For information on different software packages and the CAQDA process the best site is: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/sociology/research/researchcentres/caqdas/support/choosing/
- For leaning ATLAS, try going over the quicktour (using the demo version of the software) which breaks down the basics. The trial version also has a practice data set: http://www.atlasti.com/quicktour.html
- There are also free online tutorials and webinars here: http://www.atlasti.com/freetraining.html
Faculty: Sarah Garrett & Daniel Dohan
Panel:
Location: Mission Hall 1406
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Dohan Sanchez-Jankowski 1998 File
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C. Ambramson newsletter article with practical advice File
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abramson2009 File
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Quantitative Content Analysis
Content analysis is a systematic investigation aimed at describing the content of data. Quantitative content analysis is a method for describing the presence or frequency of occurrence of an element of content in a sample. This method can be applied to a number of data sources, including survey responses, patient interviews, recorded communication, and even visual data. Quantitative content analysis results in variables that can be used descriptively or in statistical analyses to test association with predictors or outcomes. In this session, we will provide an overview of quantitative content analysis, including examples of its use and practical experience with the process of developing a codebook from study data.
Faculty: Wendy Anderson
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
MacQueen et al Codebook Development File
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Quantitative content analysis of survey responses File
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Quantitative content anlaysis in an interview File
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Coding social networking site data File
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Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) File
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Assessing a communication intervention File
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Verona coding of emotion in communication File
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Qualitative Project and Product: From Idea to Findings - Part 1
I. Grant proposals using qualitative methods
II. IRB submissions
Through fieldwork and analysis, you’ve developed rich data, vivid codes, and insightful memos. How do you transform these into succinct and engaging findings in a research article? Writing a qualitative research paper means re-engaging with the original research charge and examining how the experience of research and analysis has transformed that question. Qualitative papers are, oftentimes, less rigidly structured than quantitative reports. How and when do you diverge from the traditional format of a research paper (background/methods/results/ conclusion)? How do you fold qualitative methods into a research career, the model for which may be very quantitative-focused.
Faculty: Daniel Dohan and Wendy Anderson
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
Paper: Dzul-Church et al JPM 2010 File
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Paper: Anderson et al Qual Hlth Res 2013 File
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Paper: Anderson et al PEC 2013 File
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Qualitative Project and Product: From Idea to Findings - Part 2
(continuation of slides / topics from previous week)
II. IRB submissions
III. Writing up qualitative projects
IV. Qualitative methods in a research career
Through fieldwork and analysis, you’ve developed rich data, vivid codes, and insightful memos. How do you transform these into succinct and engaging findings in a research article? Writing a qualitative research paper means re-engaging with the original research charge and examining how the experience of research and analysis has transformed that question. Qualitative papers are, oftentimes, less rigidly structured than quantitative reports. How and when do you diverge from the traditional format of a research paper (background/methods/results/ conclusion)? How do you fold qualitative methods into a research career, the model for which may be very quantitative-focused.
Faculty: Daniel Dohan and Wendy Anderson
Location: Mission Hall 1406-
Write a 3 page (single-spaced) paper or grant that uses qualitative methods in the service of a well-defined research question. The paper/grant should include the following sections.
(a) a 250 word paper abstract (for papers) or project summary (for grants);
(b) the question or aims, including a brief background (1/2 page);
(c) the qualitative methods used/proposed to address the question (1-2 pages);
(d) analyses conducted or planned (1/2 - 1 page);
(e) brief description of preliminary or anticipated results (1/2 - 1 page)
Due date: Upload to course website by Fri, Nov 20 @ 5 pm