DPLS 723--Qualitative Research: Theory and Design--3 credits
Fall 2002

Advanced Assignment
Reading assignment
Ely (1991, pp. 1-39, 41-69) Starting. Doing (part on interviewing). Doing Qualitative Research: Circles within Circles
Creswell (1998, pp. 1-26)
Shank (2002, pp. 1-49)
Lab Notes by Tim Rogers and Tanya Kalmanovitch Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary Psychology 413: Nonexperimental Research Methods in Psychology
The Ten Commandments of Interviewing
http://www.psych.ucalgary.ca/CourseNotes/old/PSYC413/Assignments/LabManual/proj4/tenint.html
Semi-structured Interviewing and Qualitative Analysis: An Introduction
http://www.psych.ucalgary.ca/CourseNotes/old/PSYC413/Assignments/LabManual/proj4/intro.html

Written assignment
a. Identify at least one important point from each chapter of Ely (1991), Shank (2002) and Creswell (1998) that you would not want your classmates to miss. You may either quote or do a summary of the points and should identify the pages where the material is found. Identify differences between Ely, Shank, and Creawell.  Follow this with one to three sentences of a subjective response (do you like these readings, do they seem relevant, are they a waste of your time, etc.).
b. For all of the interview materials write one or two sentences that you feel are the most critical issues concerning the use of interviews for qualitative research.

Post (a) and (b) on the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm the day before the first session (but by 5:00pm two days before the first session would be better).
If you are not able to post to the Discussion Board, bring a hard copy to class and a computer disk with your assignment saved as a .rtf file and we will help you post your assignment or drop by my office before class.

Session 1: Sept 7, Overview of course and developing interviewing skills.

IF POSSIBLE, BRING A TAPE RECORDER and a BLANK TAPE TO CLASS

Reading Assignment
Prior to class on June 24, Beebe (2001, pp. 41-43), Links below relating to Emic and Etic

Class activities:
Overview of class and expectations.

Introduction to "Emic and Etic."

Emic perspective:  the "insider's" or "native's"  interpretation of or "reasons" for his or her customs/beliefs.  What things mean to the members of a society.

Etic perspective:  the external researcher's interpretation of the same customs/beliefs.  What things mean from an analytical, anthropological perspective.

Emic and Etic, A Stereoscopic Window On The World (1962) Kenneth L. Pike [http://www.sil.org/klp/eticemic.htm]

Emics v Etics: Harris v. Pike, David Dwyer (1999) [http://www.msu.edu/~dwyer/EmicEtic.htm]

EMICS AND ETICS: The Insider/Outsider Debate Edited by Thomas N. Headland, Kenneth L. Pike, and Marvin Harris (1990) [http://www.sil.org/sil/roster/headland-t/ee-intro.htm]

Discussion of materials in Creswell (1998).

Discussion of materials in Shank (2002).

Practice interviewing. Work in groups with a VCR for each group. Each person will (a) conduct an interview, and (b) be interviewed. The topic is the criteria or categories the person used for deciding to enroll in the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga. Your transcript of the interview along with notes you take during the interview are your field notes. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SIGNED INFORMED CONSENT FORM!!

Review of the videos of the interviews and identification of lessons that can be learned.

Identification of volunteers to lead discussions at next class sessions on different qualitative approaches.  Volunteers are encouraged to supplement Creswell.  Discussion should focus on what makes the different traditions unique and where they might be most appropriate.

Session 2, Sept 14, Stories, Truths, and Observations.

Reading assignment
Beebe (2001) Rapid Assessment Process: An Introduction Read the entire book, give special attention to Appendix C, pp. 165-166.
Shank (2002, pp. 126-145) Read as preparation for class activity.
There are numerous web sites about Rashomon. Two that I found interesting are [http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/films/reviews/rashomon.html] and [http://www.allwatchers.com/Topics/Info_10188.asp?BSID=0].

Lab Notes by Tim Rogers and Tanya Kalmanovitch Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary Psychology 413: Nonexperimental Research Methods in Psychology
Transcribing
http://www.psych.ucalgary.ca/CourseNotes/old/PSYC413/Assignments/LabManual/proj4/trans1.html

Written assignment
a. Prepare a log based on your field notes (transcript of the interview and your notes and observations) of the interview you conducted. POST TO THE Discussion Board by 5:00pm the day before class.  Bring one copy of your assignment to class. Hard copy of your log should be double spaced, with VERY wide margins on both sides. Optional line numbers.
b. Identify the one or two main points for each chapter of my RAP book and follow with one to three sentences of a subjective response. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00pm the day before the class.

Class activities
In class we will watch the 1950 Japanese movie Rashomon directed by Akira Kurosawa. VHS video can be borrowed overnight from Foley. DVD can be borrowed from the instructor.

Discussion of the implications of Rashomon for Qualitative research.

Selection one from Star Trek-The Next Generation, Episode 102. Analysis based on Shank (2002) Chapter 8.

Selection two from Star Trek-The Next Generation, Episode 102, Analysis limited to language.

Discussion of lessons about interviewing.  What have we learned?

Working in small groups, comment on and correct the log where you were interviewed.

Discussion on observation and combining techniques.

Discussion on the relationship of field notes to the log. (Focus on keeping things stright.)

Organize teams for the Mini-RAP activity (see Beebe, 2001).  There must be at least two people on the RAP team, but a team of three or four will work better.  (If it is impossible to do this activity with someone else from the class, please see the instructor for an alternative). At a minimum this activity will involve visiting a site, interviewing someone for at least 15 minutes, breaking and the RAP team reviewing the results and reformulating questions, and returning to the site or a similar site for another interview.  Activity should be scheduled to ensure that transcripts are transcribed and log can be completed before Session 4.

Session 3: Sept 28, Qualitative data, Rapid Assessment Process, and Ethnography.

Reading assignment

Shank (2002, pp. 50-70)
Becker, Howard S. (1993) Theory: The Necessary Evil [http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/hbecker/theory.html]
Tyson, Katherine (nd) About Paradigms, from web site on the Heuristic Paradigm [http://www.heuristicparadigm.com/paradigm.htm]
Creswell, John (1998, pp. 26-72) Ethnography (See pages identified in the Analytic Table of Contents by Tradition, p. xi, following the regular Table of Contents)

Written assignment
a. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 the day before the class a sentence or two that identifies importnat points from Becker and Tyson and another one or two sentences with your subjective response.
b. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 the day before the class two or three sentences that describe Ethnography and comment briefly on the the difference between Ethnography and Rapid Assessment Process.
c. Identify one or two main points from Shank (2002) and follow with one to three sentences of a subjective response. In what ways are Beebe and Shank similiar in their approaches and in what ways do they differe? Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00pm the day before the class.

Class activities
Discussion of RAP as an approach.

Report on RAP Teams

Session 4: Oct 12, Different approaches to qualitative research, Biographical Life History and Phenomenology, Analysis Overview

Reading assignment

Creswell, John (1998, pp. 139-165) Biographical and Phenomenology (See pages identified in the Analytic Table of Contents by Tradition, p. xi, following the regular Table of Contents)
Ely (1991, pp. 83-137, 139-149, 150-178) Doing Qualitative Research.
Miles and Huberman (1994),(pp50-89) Early Steps in Analysis (read lightly looking for main points--do not get bogged down on the new vocabulary or trying to figure out all the differences)

Optional Reading assignment
Lab Notes by Tim Rogers and Tanya Kalmanovitch Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary Psychology 413: Nonexperimental Research Methods in Psychology
Analyzing a Semi-structured Interview
http://www.psych.ucalgary.ca/CourseNotes/old/PSYC413/Assignments/LabManual/proj4/analysis.html

Written assignment
b. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 the day before the class two or three sentences that describe the difference between Biographical and Phenomenology approaches.
c. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 the day before the class two or three sentences from each chapter of Ely. Identify the pages where the material is found. Include another one or two sentences with your subjective resonse.

Team should be working on their transcripts and logs of the rapid assessment process interviews. Logs, while based on the transcripts also include notes, observations, and any other material that have been collected. 

Class activities
Discussion on why the approach you use makes a difference.

Comparison of Biographical and Phenomenology approaches led by students who volunteered.

Session 5: Oct 26, Assigning codes to data. Different approaches to qualitative, Case Study.

Reading assignment
Creswell  (1998) Case Study(See pages identified in the Analytic Table of Contents by Tradition)
Marshall and Rossman (1999, pp. 147-165), Chapter 5, Recording, Managing, and Analyzing Data (Course Documents under Blackboard, Also Reserve Foley)

Written assignment
a. Identify several important points from the assigned Marshall and Rossman reading  You may either quote or do a summary of the points and should identify the pages where the material is found. Follow this with one to three sentences of a subjective response. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00pm the day before the class.
b. Each group should assign codes and prepare MEMOS for at least the first interview prior to class
c. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 the day before the class two or three sentences that describe Case Study. Add an additional two or three sentences that discuss the overlap between Case Study and the other approaches.
d. Locate and make a copy of a qualitative research study that is of particular interest to you. This should be an article (or even a dissertation) that used a qualitative approach and NOT an article about qualitative methodology.

I have back issues of Anthropology and Education Quarterly and Qualitative Inquiry that can be borrowed.

Examples and Possible sources of on-line articles using qualitative research.  You may be more successful finding a article that interests you in one of the journals that publish qualitative research Periodicals Friendly to Qualitative Research.

On-line full articles (but not all are qualitative)
Education Policy Analysis Archives
Electronic Journal of Sociology
Sociological Research Online
Studies using NUD*IST [http://www.qsr.com.au/resources/articles&reviews.asp#reports] 06/27/01

 

 

Tables-of Content and Other information on journals that publish qualitative research

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 07/06/02 [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/tf/09518398.html]
The Qualitative Review
Qualitative Health Research
Anthropology and Education Quarterly [http://www.aaanet.org/cae/aeq/index.htm] 06/27/01

Resources for Social Researchers maintained by Kevan Edwards, University of Minnesota.
Anthropology Web Links maintained by Jim Moore 

Example: Teacher Socialization in Technological Education from the Journal of Technology Education

Optional. Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Slide show offers an overview of qualitative data analysis software and issues regarding its use. James W. Drisko [http://sophia.smith.edu/~jdrisko/qdaslide.htm]
From Technological Somnambulism to Epistemological Awareness: reflections on the impact of computer-aided qualitative data analysis. By Paul Trowler, Lancaster University. [http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/trowler/hyperres.htm]
The Networking Project. Aims to provide practical support and information in the use of a range of software programs which have been designed to assist qualitative data analysis.[http://caqdas.soc.surrey.ac.uk/]
QDA Software. Comparison of ATLAS, Ethnograph, QSR Nud*ist, and WinMax 97 [http://www.quarc.de/body_qdasoftware_e.html]
QDA Softward. Overview to widely used software and issues. [http://sophia.smith.edu/~jdrisko/qdasoftw.htm]
Text analysis resources - compiled by Harald Klein. Information on computer based text analysis, software, archives, articles, and newsgroups. [http://www.intext.de/textanae.htm]
Content Analyses Resources for quantitative anlayses of texts, transcripts, and images. (click on software) [http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcom/]
CDC EZ-Text. Free software program developed to assist researchers create, manage, and analyze semi-structured qualitative databases. [http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/software/ez-text.htm]

Optional NUD*IST information

NUD*IST (version 4) is available for the MAC but is no longer available for the PC. However, much of the materials that describe NUD*IST 4 is applicable to N6. Overview and additional information [http://www.qsrinternational.com/products/n4.html][http://www.qsrinternational.com/products/n4_details.html] Download[http://www.qsrinternational.com/freedemos/freedemos.html]
See powerpoint slide presentaiton for more info at site above.
Detailed introductory teaching materials can be downloaded for free [http://www.qsrinternational.com/training/online_materials.html]
Introduction to Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDA) with NUD.IST, by Bobbi Kerlin with links to other resources.
[http://kerlins.net/bobbi/research/nudist/]
NUD*IST (version 4) software is installed on the PC in the Doctoral Community Room. 07/06/02

N6 is the latest version of the NUD*IST software, the world’s leading software for code-based qualitative analysis. It combines efficient management of Non-numerical Unstructured Data with powerful processes of Indexing Searching and Theorizing. Designed for researchers making sense of complex data, N6 offers a complete toolkit for rapid coding, thorough exploration and rigorous management and analysis. With a full command language for automating coding and searching, and a Command Assistant that formats the command for you, N6 powerfully supports a wide range of methods. The Standard price is $535.00 and the Educational Price is $325.00. There is a new Student version.

N6 Student The N6 Student version offers a one-year license at $150. It has a 50 node limit and projects saved in N6 Student cannot be merged. N6 Student comes with a Mini-manual to get you started as well as the three tutorials and comprehensive Online Help. In all other respects, it is identical to the full N6 software.

Purchase a copy of N6 at the student price of $150. [http://www.scolari.com/]. Type in N6 in the Product Search.

Class activities
Discussion of Ethnography and Case Study led by volunteers.  Special attention to conditions where each would be appropriate.

Discussion of coding based on Marshall and Rossman, Beebe, Ely, and Miles and Huberman

Small group work on codes of the interview

Presentation by groups on their progress.

Brief demonstration of NUD*IST software.

Instructor approval of the research study that you have copied.

Session 6: Nov 2 1:00-5:00 pm, Making Sense. Focus Groups. Evaluating qualitative research. Different approaches to qualitative research, Grounded Theory. New DATE and TIME for Session

Reading assignment

Miles and Huberman (1994),( pp245-top 277) Qualitative Data Analysis:  An Expanded Source book.
Creswell, John (1998, pp. 193-218) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design.
FINE Foundation. Conceptual and Analysis Criteria: A Process for Identifying Quality Education Research.
http://www.iptv.org/FINELINK/publications/coutline.html
What Makes a Publishable Qualitative Report? James W. Drisko and Deborah K. Padgett [http://sophia.smith.edu/~jdrisko/SSWR%202001.htm]

Morgan (1997, pp. 1-74) Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
Raymond R. Burke's Focus Groups
http://www.bus.indiana.edu/mcarterg/clp/focusg.htm 10-18-02
How to Get Beneath the Surface in Focus Groups
http://www.mnav.com/bensurf.htm
Catterall, M. and Maclaran, P. (1997) 'Focus Group Data and Qualitative
Analysis Programs: Coding the Moving Picture as Well as the Snapshots'
Sociological Research Online, vol. 2, no. 1,
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/2/1/6.html

Creswell (1998) Grounded Theory (See pages identified in the Analytic Table of Contents by Tradition)
Grounded Theory Methodology on the Web (check on English) Read the section "What is Grounded Theory?" Explore some of the other links. [http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/1491/gtm-19.en.html]****
Optional. Grounded Theory as Scientific Method: Haig-Inspired Reflections on Educational Research Methodology by Barbara M. Kinach [http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/EPS/PES-yearbook/95_docs/kinach.html]****

Resources for writing a review:
Important Elements to Consider when Writing a Critique by Bobbi A. Kerlin
[http://kerlins.net/bobbi/education/writing/critiques.html]
Writing a Review of a Nonfiction Book or Article by Daniel Kies
http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/engl_101/review.htm

Optional reading assignment
Example 1:  Report of Business Focus Group Discussions in Five Eastern Oregon Counties
http://www.eosc.osshe.edu/~robinson/report.html
Example 2: Information Consumers Want in Electricity Choice:  Summary of Focus Group Research
http://www.rapmaine.org/focsum.html

Written assignment
a. One or two paragraphs (not more than one page, typed, double spaced) on the role of the moderator. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm the day before the class.
b. Continue with the coding and analysis of the the transcript.  Use as many of the tactics for generating meaning identified in Beebe 2001 and Miles and Huberman as you can.
c. Identify two or three point from Creswell describing Grounded Theory and compare to the Grounded Theory web site.  Which of the five approaches identified by Creswell interests you the most and why? What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of this approach? Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm the day before the class 09-22-02.

Class activities

Students will participate in two mini-focus group interviews, each moderated by a different volunteer moderator. We will not be recording these sessions.  The topic for the interviews will be the views of students on whether and how the Doctoral Program in Leadership could increase its international focus.   Discussion following each interview will focus on strengths and areas for improvement of the moderator and what substantive information should change the next round.

Discussion of Grounded Theory led by volunteer.  Special attention to what might be difficulties of doing a Grounded Theory study. Attention to what makes Grounded Theory different from the other approached identified by Creswell.

Session 7: Nov 9, Writing up results Ethics and informed consent.  Different approaches to qualitative research, Heuristic, Post-Modern, and Feminist. Revised Session for date. No class on Nov 23.

Reading assignment.

Wolcott (2001, pp. 3-169) Writing Up Qualitative Research, 2nd Edition.
Creswell  (1998, pp. 167-191) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design.
Shank (2002, pp. 146-179)

Miles and Huberman (1994, pp. 288-297).
How Anthropology Should Respond to an Ethical Crisis By CAROLYN FLUEHR-LOBBAN
[http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i06/06b02401.htm]
The Codes of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology
American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics Final Draft, March 1, 1997
[http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm]  11/08/02
Society for Applied Anthropology Statement of Professional and Ethical Responsibilities
[http://www.sfaa.net/sfaaethic.html]

Katherine B. Tyson (1992, pp. 541-566, Social Work 37 (6)) Blackboard Course Documents
Post-modernism (from a review of by P. M. Rosenau)
[http://pup.princeton.edu/titles/4943.html]
We Have Always Been Postmodern
[http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/geog/gessler/cv-pubs/97postmo.htm] 11/08/02
FEMINIST ANTHROPOLOGY review essay by Angela Bratton
[http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/fem.htm]
Optional Reading Assignment

Lab Notes by Tim Rogers and Tanya Kalmanovitch Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary Psychology 413: Nonexperimental Research Methods in Psychology
Writing Up
http://www.psych.ucalgary.ca/CourseNotes/old/PSYC413/Assignments/LabManual/proj4/writeup.html

General list of resources dealing with ethics
[http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethics.htm] 11/08/02
Qualitative Research and Ethics from Bobbi's Place
[http://kerlins.net/bobbi/research/qualresearch/ethics.html]
National Association for the Practice of Anthropology Ethical Guidelines for Practitioners [http://www.aaanet.org/napa/code.htm] 11/08/02
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) Code of ethics.
http://www.qrca.org./ethics.htm
ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH IN CYBERSPACE
[http://www.aaas.org/spp/dspp/sfrl/projects/intres/main.htm]
Other feminist resources [http://yana.sscl.berkeley.edu/~afaweb/] [http://yana.sscl.berkeley.edu/~afaweb/links.html]
Feminist Anthropology Bibliography [http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~women/bibs/bibl-femanthro.html]

Other Assignment
Gonzaga University policies on human subjects. http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/doctoral/faq.html#forms.

Written assignment

a. Prepare at least the first three to four pages of what will be a 5 to 10 page report on the RAP interview. This report should be academic without sounding scholarly. Bring to class two copies of the assignment. Post to Blackboard by 5:00 pm the day before the class. DO NOT USE THE DROP BOX 09-22-02.
b. Review of an article. Should be in a "review" format. Not more than two typed pages. Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm, the day before the class .  Bring to class one copy of the assignment. Should be included in the text of your message. A formated copy can also be attached to your message.

c. One paragraph comparing the Heuristic paradigm, post-modernism, and feminist approaches, Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm, the day before the class.
d. One paragraph on what you see as a possible ethical issue in your own research or in research you know about. Do NOT post.

Class Activities
Discussion on ethics and informed consent.

Discussion on Post-Modern and Feminist approaches led by volunteers.  Comparison with other approaches.  Discussion on where focus group and RAP fit the different approaches.

Discussion on evaluating the research of others.

Working in pairs, carefully review each other's first pages, edit for readability, examine for assumptions, and make suggestions for improving.

Working in pairs, edit each other's papers.

Class presentations by groups or individuals on status of RAP results.

Assignment, Due Nov 17

Revised draft of your 5 - 10 page paper on the RAP activity.  Post to the Discussion Board by 5:00 pm Nov 17.

Session 8: Dec 7, Validity and reliability revisited, and designing qualitative research.

Reading Assignment

Ely (1991, pp. 179-218) Reflecting. Doing Qualitative Research.

Shank (2002, pp. 180-208)

Bowen, Kathryn. The Sin of Omission-Punishable by Death to Internal Validity: An Argument for Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods to Strengthen Internal Validity. http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/gallery/bowen/hss691.htm. Her links to discussions of concepts like internal and external validity are especially interesting.

Written Assignment
a. Revised draft of your 5 - 10 page paper on the RAP activity.  Post to the Discussion Board and bring to class two copies of the assignment.
b. Research design. Between 2 - 4 pages. Rationale for the use of qualitative research for the topic and specific attention to the choice of one or more approaches.  Post to the Discussion Board and bring one copy to class.

Class Activities

Class will be at my house.  We will combine class with a potluck brunch.  Address 1249 S. Wall St., Cliff-Park section of Spokane.  House is at the corner of 13th and Wall.  Go south on Monroe to 14th (light), turn left, go one block to Wall, turn left.  House is on the right, metal gates, hedge, grey with cream trim. If you need transportation, please contact the instructor.

Class presentations by groups or individuals on RAP reports.

Individual presentation on proposed research design.

Class discussion on the relevance, or lack thereof, of the assigned materials and activities.

For more information contact docinfo@gonzaga.edu or write to Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies Gonzaga University Spokane, WA USA 99258 (509) 323-3490

Copyright 1998,99,00,01,02 Page maintained by  beebe@gonzaga.edu revised 11/08/2002