METHODS - Qualitative

general guides, multi topic


Quality in Qualitative Evaluation: a framework for assessing research evidence   http://www.gsr.gov.uk/evaluating_policy/era_papers/qual_eval.asp   The framework provides a useful and useable guide for assessing the credibility, rigour and relevance of individual research studies.


Qualitative Research in Health Care Three articles from BMJ:
Assessing quality in qualitative research   http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7226/50  
Analysing qualitative data  http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7227/114 
Using qualitative methods in health related action research   http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7228/178 

 

USAID EVALUATION PUBLICATIONS   http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/usaid_eval/  They have a number of  text and pdf files, about qualitative methods, including Conducting Key Informant Interviews, Using Direct Observation Techniques, Conducting Focus Group Interviews.  These files are in their Performance Monitoring and Evaluation TIPS section.

 
Usability methods   http://www.usability.gov/methods/   lists short overviews of many methods including focus groups, contextual interviews, individual interviews, other methods


Common Qualitative Methods   http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/nsf97153/start.htm   chapter 3 in User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations

Qualitative Research in Information Systems http://www.qual.auckland.ac.nz/    Kind of a brief lit review and overview. Includes some bibliographic references of print journals and books.
 

Introduction to Social Work Research   http://pweb.sophia.ac.jp/oka/papers/2000/qrsw/qrsw.html   really an introduction to qualitative methods.  What is qualitative research, how to do and analyze.
 

Qualitative Research Resources   http://qualitativeresearch.ratcliffs.net/   created by Don Ratcliff, Ph.D.   Chapters on role of researcher, sampling, data collection, data analysis.  Also links to other qual resources.
 

The qualitative report    http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/index.html    edited on line journal about qualitative research.  See a section, Practicing Qualitative Research    http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/practice.html    also see syllabi and other links.
 

Qualitative research methods in health technology assessment: a review of the literature   http://www.hta.ac.uk/execsumm/summ216.htm   This is the summary.  Can download the entire report.
 

Qualitative Methods Workbook   http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/qualmeth.html    by George Boeree.  Broad look at qualitative methods including phenomenology, structural analysis, observation and interviewing.

Qualitative research   http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mid/edr725/class/   class notes, especially see modules, then the electronic text book.
 

Evaluation of HIV Prevention Programs Using Qualitative Methods   http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/publications/hiv_handbook/hiv_booklet9/index.htm 
brief description of methods and some issues in focus groups, observations, interviews.
 

Action Research Electronic Reader    http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arr/arow/default.html    introduction, and chapters on specific methods, e.g., observing, diary, focus groups, and chapter on validity.

 

Forum: Qualitative social research   http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/issue/archive  thematic issue about qualitative methods. Vol 7 number 2.


Selected qualitative methods   http://symptomresearch.nih.gov/chapter_7/index.htm   very brief overview of different methods


Intensive Qualitative Research. Challenges, Best Uses, and Opportunities   http://www.mdrc.org/publications/339/abstract.html   examine the use of ethnographic interviews, focus groups, and other intensive qualitative methods in social policy research. 


 

Ethnography - observation in the field

How to Do Ethnographic Research: A Simplified Guide   http://www.sas.upenn.edu/anthro/anthro/cpiamethods    like it says, a basic guide to doing ethnographic research.
 

A SYNTHESIS OF ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~genzuk/Ethnographic_Research.html   This is an overview.

from Statnotes   http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/PA765/ethno.htm   brief overview


Interviewing


key informant interviewing   http://ppa.aces.uiuc.edu/KeyInform.htm    brief information sheets from University of Illinois Extension.  'How to' advice.
 

Action research International   http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arhome.html    has many other useful information, including  Convergent Interviewing  http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/iview.html   a Resource paper in Action Research, a technique for qualitative data collection.  How to do interviewing.  By Bob Dick.

 
Introduction to Interviewing Techniques   http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/GPP/Students/ch11.html   part of a handbook for iqp advisors and students, but useful for everyone.
 
 
    Interviewing - Oral History


Practical Advice   http://www.ohs.org.uk/advice/   from the oral history society. Some basic points to doing oral history.


Oral History Techniques: How to Organize and Conduct Oral History Interviews   http://www.indiana.edu/~cshm/techniques.html   overview of the process. by  Barbara Truesdell


An Oral History Primer   http://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/ohprimer.html   overview


Oral History: Techniques and Procedures
  http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/oral/ohg.html    by Stephen E. EverettDesigned for military interviews, but parts apply to anyone doing interviews.  See Part II: The Spoken Word in Peacetime, that has information, for example, on contacting interviewee, conducting background research, conducting the interview.

 
 

Focus groups
 

Market Navigation, Inc. http://www.mnav.com/qualitative_research.htm  Articles about focus groups.
 

Social Research Updates   http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU19.html   review of focus groups, issues, potentials, limitations.
 

A Manual for the Use of Focus Groups    http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food2/UIN03E/UIN03E00.HTM    manual on how to do focus groups.
 

Gathering Evidence - A Guide for Using Focus groups  http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=12635   Brief guide.  Especially useful is the "four steps to effective focus groups" outlining planning, recruitment, and moderation.  The analysis section and other sections are very short.
 

Action research page on structured focus groups    http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/focus.html    brief description


Using focus groups for evaluation   http://ag.arizona.edu/fcs/cyfernet/cyfar/focus.htm    an overview.


Focus group tips   http://www.gdiworld.com/tips.htm   brief introductions to some focus group topics.


Focus Groups Tips for Beginners   http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/orp/orp1.htm   overview, basics.


Qualitative data analysis


Analyzing Verbal Data, principal, problems  and methods    http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/education/jlemke/papers/handbook.htm    an overview


Analyzing Qualitative Data   http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/nsf97153/start.htm   Chapter 4 in User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations. Another overview, but touches on most of the steps.


Online QDA   http://onlineqda.hud.ac.uk/   "This site is a set of training support materials which address common problems (both early and advanced) of using Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) methods and selected Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) packages."  Has good overviews of issues, methods, etc.


 "Help, I'm Getting Buried in Field Notes!" A Manual for Qualitative Data Management and Analysis    http://www.mdrc.org/publications/332/abstract.html   not exactly analysis but management and analysis.


Content Analysis


Overview of content analysis   http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=17   An article in Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation  http://pareonline.net/Home.htm


Qualitative Content Analysis   http://217.160.35.246/fqs-texte/2-00/2-00mayring-e.htm    brief overview. Not listed on their journal site now, as their table of contents only goes back to 2005.


Colorado State writing Center   http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/content/   brief overview.


GAO book on content analysis   http://archive.gao.gov/f0102/157490.pdf   from 1996, but looks to be a fairly detailed methods outline.


Practical Resources for Assessing and Reporting Intercoder Reliability in Content Analysis Research Projects   http://www.temple.edu/sct/mmc/reliability/    how to.


Content Analysis   http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/r_content.htm   brief overview of methods.




other stuff


Latent Semantic Analysis   http://lsa.colorado.edu/   This method "captures the essential relationships between text documents and word meaning, or semantics, the knowledge base which must be accessed to evaluate the quality of content."  This site has some theory, research and application of this method.
 

Qualitative research   http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/pract_res.html   really a list of links, but links to very interesting articles about qualitative research, methods, and theory and why.   Papers review state of qual methods, various kinds of qual methods, etc.


The CAQDAS (Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) project   http://caqdas.soc.surrey.ac.uk/   "We provide practical support, training and information in the use of a range of software programs designed to assist qualitative data analysis. The project also provides various platforms for debate concerning the methodological and epistemological issues arising from the use of such software packages."


 
 

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last updated  12/25/08
last verified 12/25/08