The Principles of Qualitative Inquiry

The Principles of Qualitative Inquiry

INT D560

April 29 — May 24^th 2002

(This course may be taken for credit or as a non-credit workshop)

Instructors:

Janice M. Morse, Ph.D. (Nurs), Ph.D. (Anthro), D.Nurs (Hon), FAAN
Director International Institute for Qualitative Methodology
Professor, Faculty of Nursing; Adjunct Professor, Departments of Anthropology and Human Ecology.
Phone: (780) 492-5914 or email: janice.morse@ualberta.ca

Maria Mayan, PhD
AHFMR Postdoctoral Fellow
International Institute for Qualitative Methodology
Phone: (780) 492 7299 or email: maria.mayan@ualberta.ca

Jude Spiers, RN, Ph.D.
CIHR & Killam (Hon) Postdoctoral Fellow
International Institute for Qualitative Methodology
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing
Phone: (780) 492 9821 or email: jude.spiers@ualberta.ca

Dates:
9am-12pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
April 29, May 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 22, 24
May 20 is a statutory holiday

Office Hours/Help sessions:
1-3pm Mondays and Wednesdays in the Focus Group Lab, IIQM.
We strongly recommend you plan to attend AT LEAST one session weekly.

Class Location:
Room 2-47 Extension Centre, 8303 — 112 Street, Edmonton

Course Weight: *3(0-3s-0)

Pre-requisites: None

Course Objectives:On the completion of this course the participant will be able to:

Ascertain appropriate and inappropriate use of qualitative methods
Develop an understanding of qualitative analytic skills
Understand the rationale and the major principles underlying qualitative inquiry;

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Note: The student is not required to purchase these texts. Copies are available at the University of Alberta Libraries, or for onsite reading at the IIQM Reading Room.

Mayan, M. (2001). An Introduction to Qualitative Methods: A Training Module for Students and Professionals. Edmonton, AB: International Institute for Qualitative Methodology.

Morse, J.M. & Richards, L. (2002). Readme First for a Users Guide to Qualitative Methodology, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M. (Ed.) (1992). Qualitative Health Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Edson, M. (1993). W;t. New York: Faber and Faber.

OPTIONAL TEXTS:

Agar, M. H. (1996). The professional stranger: An informal introduction to ethnography (2^nd ed.). San Diego: Academic Press, Inc.

Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (1995). Designing qualitative research (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M. (Ed.) (1997). Completing a Qualitative Project: Details and Dialogue. Newbury Park: Sage.

Morse, J. M., & Field, P.A. (1995). Qualitative Research Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M. (1994). Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods. Menlo Park, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M. (Ed.) (1991). Qualitative Nursing Research: A Contemporary Dialogue. Menlo Park, CA: Sage.

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2^nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

READINGS/ARTICLES

A number of articles will be required reading throughout the course. These will be available at IIQM, 6-10 Extension (Hours 9am-4pm). Everyone is expected to read widely throughout the course. The readings selected will vary according to students substantive area, method(s) of interest and background. Journals of interest may be (but are not limited to: Qualitative Health Research, Symbolic Interactionism, Qualitative Inquiry, Sociology of Health & Illness, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Medical Anthropology, Qualitative Research in Education.

REQUIRED READING–ARTICLES

Elder, N. C., & Miller, W. L. (1995). Reading and evaluating qualitative research studies. The Journal of Family Practice, 41, 279-285.

Kidd, P. S., & Parshall, M. B. (2000). Getting the focus and the group: Enhancing analytical rigour in focus group research. Qualitative Health Research, 10, 298-308.

Morgan, D. L. (1995). Why things (sometimes) go wrong in focus groups. Qualitative Health Research, 5, 516-524.

Morse, J. M. (2001) Types of talk: Modes of responses and data-led analytic strategies. In P. Munhall (Ed). Nursing Research: A Qualitative Perspective. (3^rd ed). (pp. 565-578). Jones & Bartlett.

Morse, J. M. (1997). "Perfectly healthy but dead": The myth of inter-rater reliability. Qualitative Health Research, 7, 445-447.

Morse, J. M. (1997). Considering theory derived from qualitative research. In Morse, J. M. (Ed.) Completing a qualitative project: Details and dialogue. Newbury Park: Sage.

Morse, J. M., & Doberneck, B. M. (1995). Delineating the concept of hope. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 27(4), 277-285.

Morse, J. M., & Field, P. A. (1995). Principles of data analysis. In Morse, J. M., & Field, P. A. Qualitative research methods for health professionals (pp. 125-149). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M., Hutchinson, S. & Penrod, J. (1998). From theory to practice: The development of assessment guides from qualitatively derived theory. Qualitative Health Research, 8(3), 329-340

Morse, J.M., & Penrod, J. (2000). Qualitative Outcome Analysis: Evaluating Nursing Interventions for Complex Clinical Phenomena, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 32(2), 125-130

Penrod, J., & Morse, J. M. (1997) Strategies for assessing and fostering hope: The Hope Assessment Guide. Oncology Nurses Forum, 24(6), 1055-106

Rodgers, B. L., & Cowles, K. V. (1993). The qualitative research audit trail: A complex collection of documentation. Research for Nursing and Health, 16, 219-226.

Schindler, R. M. (1992). The real lesson of new coke: The value of focus groups for predicting the effects of social influence. Marketing Research: A Magazine of Management and Applications, 4, 22-27.

Weinholtz, D., Kacer, B., & Rocklin, T. (1995). Salvaging quantitative research with qualitative data. Qualitative Health Research, 5, 388-397.

AUDIOVISUAL RESOURCES:

Resources for this course include an audiotaped story by Stuart McLean from the "Vinyl Café", and an HBO adaptation of the play "W;T" by Margaret Edson.

Audiovisual Resources

One assignment is based on "Emil" from the "Vinyl Café".

Audiotapes of "Emil" have been made. As you will be checking and changing transcription of "Emil," return of the tapes is not possible due to wear and tear. Students must provide a high quality 60 minute audio tape in exchange for the "Emil" copy. The transcript of "Emil" can be downloaded from the web.

One assignment is based on the HBO adaptation of the play "W;t". A video of the play will be shown in the IIQM at 1pm on April 29 and May 1. Other showings may be arranged following these dates.

Course Outline:

	Relevant Chapters from
Date	Morse & Richards (2002)	Mayan (2001)	Topic
Mon. April 29	Chapter 1		Welcome and Introduction
	Chapters 1 & 2	Section 3.0	Evaluating the literature Parameters of the topic. Synthesizing, concepts and theory. Writing a critical review. Identifying a research topic.
Wed. May 1	Chapter 1 & 2		Principles of induction Thinking qualitatively. Principles of description, synthesis, abstraction, theorizing, identifying characteristics, defining relationships. Theory construction.
Fri. May 3 NOTE: ROOM CHANGE	Chapter 2 * we will be meeting in Room *Ext 2-42*		Principles of methodological cohesion Linkage between question, method, analysis and findings. The armchair walkthrough. Selecting appropriate methods. Method vs. strategy. Role of the investigator. Role of data.
Monday May 6 NOTE: ROOM CHANGE	Chapter 4 * we will be meeting in IIQM Focus Group Lab (6-10 Ext)	Section 4.0	Principles of sampling. Types of samples. Selecting participants. Relationship between adequacy and appropriateness. Saturation. Negative cases. Identifying sampling domains.
Monday May 6 & Friday May 10	Chapter 5	Section 5.0	Principles of data collection Forms of data. Types of interviews (including focus groups). Interviewing techniques. The course of the interview. Pitfalls of interviewing. Managing interview data. Observational data. Field notes. Photographs. Videotaped data. Managing observational data. The synchrony of data collection and analysis.
May 8 May 13, 15, 17	Chapters 6, 7 & 8	Section 6.0	Principles of analysis. Major analytic approaches (grounded theory, phenomenology, and ethnography; semi structured interviews; observational research). Asking analytic questions of data. Understanding fit. Forming categories, identifying themes. Concept formation. Developing models & theories.
May 17		Appendix C	Second Assignment Due (Interviews, transcription & coding)
Fri. May 17	Chapter 9	Section 7.0	Issues of rigor.
Wed. May 22	Chapter 11 & 12	Section 8.0	Proposal preparation: Writing for funding. Making a convincing argument. Theoretical context. The review process. Ethics. Dilemmas: Anticipating, adhering to proposals and making changes.
Friday May 24	Chapter 10		Writing qualitatively. Publishing
May 24			Third Assignment Due (Conceptualization exercise)
Fri. May 24			Principles of application and utilization.
June 17			Assignment 4 due (proposal or methodological paper)

ASSIGNMENTS

There are four assignments to be completed during this course. This includes one presentation that you will prepare and present in a group.

Assignment	Due Date	Percentage of Total Grade
#1: Group Presentation	May 8	10%
#2: Interviews, Transcription, and Coding Exercise	May 17	25%
#3: Conceptualization Exercise	May 24	25%
#4: Proposal or Methodological Development Assignment	June 17	40 % ______
		100%

Assignment 1: Group Exercise: Presentation on Selected Method

The purpose of this group exercise is to start you thinking about the theoretical and methodological characteristics and implications of a qualitative method you think you may employ in your proposal. You will, in a group, create a half hour presentation (20 minutes presentation, 10 minutes for questions) in which you will describe the main principles, assumptions and characteristics of your chosen method as applied to a specific research topic. You will provide detailed handouts on this information as well as directions for further reading.

Form groups of about 4 people who are interested in the same method. There can only be one group per method. You may select from grounded theory, ethnography (and variations within, e.g. PAR, ethnoscience), phenomenology, narrative/conversational/ discourse analysis.
Choose a research topic to develop this pseudo proposal.
Prepare a brief overview of the method. You must prepare a handout for the class.
Explain how you would construct your research purpose/question within this method.
Describe the kind of data source, setting and participants, data collection strategies, analytic techniques, and expected type of results.
Be prepared to argue for your method. Why would you choose this method and not another? What advantages/disadvantages does it present?

Due Date: May 8

Assignment 2: Interviews, Transcription, and Coding Exercise

This assignment uses, as data, a story called Emil by Stuart McLean in "Stories from the Vinyl Café." REMEMBER: Please bring a high quality 60 minute tape.

You can down-load a file containing the transcript of the story from the IIQM website. The address is: http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/principles/files/emil.rtf

Using the audiotaped version of Emil:

Check the transcript for accuracy and "clean" it. You will need to check spelling, language, and punctuation. You will need to format it as paragraphs.
Summarize the story in two paragraphs: remember, the goal is to report, NOT to interpret.
Summarize the story in a paragraph of approximately 100 words.
Diagram or describe the form of the story.
(Hint: you may want to refer to Morse (2001) Types of Talk: Modes of Responses and Data-led Analytic Strategies in P.L. Munhall (Ed.) Nursing Research: A Qualitative Perspective (3^rd ed.) (Chapter 21) pp. 565 — 578. Jones & Bartlett.
Code the story. Begin developing categories, and label your categories.
Using the last reflective comment, consider it in terms of the data. Is it a theme? How closely is it linked to data, and what aspect of the story is linked to Morley’s reflection?
Does this letter have application beyond entertainment/amusement of the reader? Comment on any transferability/utility of the information in this letter.

Due date: May 17

Assignment 3: Conceptualization Exercise

Choose a scene (or several short but related scenes) from W;t.

As a fieldworker, write extensive field note(s) describing the scene. Include the dialogue if appropriate.
Write interpretive field note(s) related to the above scene
Write several paragraphs identify the possible concepts and theories that may be used to reflect from, or used in analysis of the above scene(s). Link your observations with that literature.
Does the message in the above selected scene(s) provide information that is generalizable? Argue for or against your position.

Due Date: May 24

Assignment 4: Proposal OR Paper on Methodological Development

Write a qualitative research proposal on a topic of your choice. Your topic and method must be approved by Dr. Spiers/Mayan by May 15. The format of the proposal will be discussed in class.

Proposals must be prepared according to the guidelines of a specific agency. For the class proposals, assignments must not exceed 20 double-spaced pages for the body of the proposal.

Treat this assignment as if we are your granting agency. Specifically, proposals must have a cover letter addressed to:

Dr. J. Spiers/Mayan, Presidents
The Foundation of Unlimited Funds,
Dreamland
Hawaii, USA

All proposals must be complete, that is, they must have a budget, letters of support (this is your opportunity to write wonderful things about yourself), a biosketch, and a mock human subjects approval letter. You may use CIHR, NIH applications forms, or the American Nurses Foundation application form. If you use another agencies form, please check with us first.

Required Components

Cover Letter
Title Page
Abstract (300) words
Introduction
Literature Review and background
Methods:

Setting
Sample
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Rigor

Ethical Clearance
Significance
Dissemination strategies
Budget
Information letters and Consent forms

Select 2 qualitative methodologists who are contributing to the development of similar methods. You must "clear" your selected methodologists with Dr. Mayan or Dr. Spiers. Email the methodologists to obtain a copy of their vitae.

Obtain copies of as much of their literature from the library as possible. Content analyze their articles/books according to research topics and methods. Prepare a paper outlining:

The development of each researchers as a methodologist. What is their disciplinary background? Who has influenced their career/perspective/methodological development? What is the interaction between their research interests and the development of the methods used?
Compare and contrast the methodological approach of each researcher.
Evaluate the contribution of each.

Due date: June 17, 2002