scholarly journals A qualitative assessment of QCA: method stretching in large-N studies and temporality

Author(s):  
Victoria Finn

AbstractQualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a descriptive research method that can provide causal explanations for an outcome of interest. Despite extensive quantitative assessments of the method, my objective is to contribute to the scholarly discussion with insights constructed through a qualitative lens. Researchers using the QCA approach have less ability to incorporate and nuance information on set membership as the number of cases grows. While recognizing the suggested ways to overcome such challenges, I argue that since setting criteria for membership, calibrating, and categorizing are crucial QCA aspects that require in-depth knowledge, QCA is unfit for larger-N studies. Additionally, I also discuss that while the method is able to identify various parts of a causal configuration—the ‘what’—it falls short to shed light on the ‘how’ and ‘why,’ especially when temporality matters. Researchers can complement it with other methods, such as process tracing and case studies, to fill in these missing explanatory pieces or clarify contradictions—which begs the question of why they would also choose to use QCA.

1970 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene A. Miller

Now that the tremendous influence of Jacob Boehme (1575–1624) upon natural philosophy and religious thought has come to be more fully appreciated, the question of Boehme's relation to Luther's theology has come once again to be the subject of a lively scholarly discussion. This study proposes to compare the position of Luther and Boehme on certain key theological concepts and propositions as they are denned in the Genesis commentaries of the two men. This limited and concrete study may shed light upon the larger question of the relation of their theologies as a whole and the nature of the dependence of Boehme on Luther as mediated by seventeenth-century orthodoxy.


Author(s):  
Carsten Q. Schneider

Macro-qualitative (MQ) approaches to the study of regime transformation can be defined as those that (a) in order to describe or explain macro-level phenomena (b) predominantly use qualitative data and (c) make claims about these phenomena in terms of set relations. MQ approaches can be static or dynamic and are normally used for single-case or small- to medium-N-sized studies. The set of methods employed in MQ research thus defined ranges from qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to sequence elaboration and process tracing. Classics in the MQ transformation literature can be interpreted in terms of set theory. For instance, Lipset (1959) famously claimed that there are social conditions that are necessary for the functioning of democracy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2 Jul-Oct) ◽  
pp. 183-204
Author(s):  
Blanca Inés Espinel ◽  
María Luisa Sevillano García ◽  
Iván Javier Monterrosa Castro ◽  
Carolina Pascual Moscoso

El artículo se propone abordar las nuevas formas de aprendizaje ubicuo con las tabletas en el ámbito universitario actual. Vincular las tabletas a la universidad con la comunidad educativa, es una de las exigencias metodológicas activas que el alumnado requiere para explorar algunos de los cambios que los nuevos contextos en la formación del estudiante universitario, así como la forma en que éstas impactan en el pensamiento y el aprendizaje, encaminadas a partir de la respuesta que brinda a las demandas y necesidades que se presentan en el ámbito académico. A través del diseño de investigación descriptivo, con un enfoque mixto, se analiza una muestra de 213 estudiantes de dos universidades, integrando las técnicas cualitativas (directivos) y cuantitativas. Para la validación de la encuesta, se utilizó la técnica de expertos, seleccionados mediante el procedimiento de «Coeficiente K». El análisis del cuestionario se hizo a través de la prueba de Cronbach, siendo significativa con 0,897 de grado de fiabilidad. Los resultados señalaron que existe un desconocimiento sobre su función pedagógica, poca valoración y preparación para emplearla en el aprendizaje y para cambiar las prácticas formativas tradicionales. Además, una oportunidad de aprovechar estos dispositivos es poder articular conocimientos académicos, científicos y tecnológicos, con las diferentes realidades que germinan en el contexto universitario. Se concluye que el uso de las tabletas es un campo de investigación y práctica educativa en auge por las tecnologías, por lo que se hace necesario conocer su potencial en la apropiación del conocimiento en la educación y el aprendizaje significativo. This article aims to address the new forms of ubiquitous learning with tablets in current university environments. Bringing tablets into the university educational community is one of the methodological demands that students require in order to explore some of the changes in the new contexts which define university students’ education. Besides, it is also necessary to shed light on the impact of tablets on the thinking and learning processes which academic contexts aim to activate in students. Through a descriptive research design, with a mixed-method approach, a sample of 210 students from two universities is analyzed, integrating qualitative (managing staff) and quantitative techniques. To validate the survey, the technique of experts’ opinions was applied—the experts were selected through the "Coefficient K" procedure. The analysis of the questionnaire was done through a Cronbach test and the degree of reliability obtained was significant (0,897). The results reveal a certain resistance to change traditional teacher training practices, a poor perception of the educational potential of tablets and a lack of knowledge about their pedagogical role. A clear possibility to take advantage of these devices consists of articulating academic, scientific and technological knowledge based on the different realities which emerge from university contexts. The present article concludes by stating that the use of tablets is a research strand which is booming due to new technologies and, therefore, it seems necessary to raise awareness of its great potential when it comes to the articulation of knowledge and the implementation of meaningful learning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Sass Mikkelsen

The combined usage of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and process tracing (PT) in set-theoretic multi-method research (MMR) holds great potential for reaching valid inferences. Established views of case selection after QCA hold that studying negative cases provides lessons about the causes of an outcome in a limited set of circumstances. In particular, recommendations focus on negative cases only if they contradict the analysis or if suitably similar positive match cases exist to leverage comparisons. By contrast, I argue that set-theoretic MMR can gain from studying negative cases even when these conditions do not hold. First, negative cases can give insights into why an outcome fails to occur. Second, they can help guard against theoretical inconsistency between explanations for the outcome and its absence. Third, they can ensure that the mechanisms producing the outcome and its absence are not too similar to be logically capable of resulting in different outcomes. Following these arguments, I recommend that studies of negative cases in set-theoretic MMR focus on failure mechanisms in carefully bounded populations, search for theoretical inconsistency among mechanisms, and focus in part on the mechanism proposed to produce the outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Salonen ◽  
Marcus Zimmer ◽  
Joona Keränen

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explain how the application of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and experiments can advance theory development in the field of servitization by generating better causal explanations.Design/methodology/approachFsQCA and experiments are established research methods that are suited for developing causal explanations but are rarely utilized by servitization scholars. To support their application, we explain how fsQCA and experiments represent distinct ways of developing causal explanations, provide guidelines for their practical application and highlight potential application areas for a future research agenda in the servitization domain.FindingsFsQCA enables specification of cause–effects relationships that result in equifinal paths to an intended outcome. Experiments have the highest explanatory power and enable the drawing of direct causal conclusions through reliance on an interventionist logic. Together, these methods provide complementary ways of developing and testing theory when the research objective is to understand the causal pathways that lead to observed outcomes.Practical implicationsApplications of fsQCA help to explain to managers why there are numerous causal routes to attaining an intended outcome from servitization. Experiments support managerial decision-making by providing definitive “yes/no” answers to key managerial questions that address clearly specified cause–effect relationships.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study is to help advance theory development in servitization by encouraging greater methodological plurality in a field that relies primarily on the qualitative case study methodology.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
H. G. Cordeiro ◽  
D. G. Pompeu ◽  
B. Torres ◽  
P. A. Granjeiro

INTRODUCTION: The economic and social development of Brazil in the last decade has contributed to the installation of new graduate and undergraduate programs, as are the case with bachelor degrees in Biochemistry at UFV, UFSJ and UEM. These graduates are prepared to work in industry, research institutes and universities in areas of knowledge involving Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. This is happening in developed countries since the first half of the last century, surprising and late is the implementation of bachelor of Biochemistry in Brazil. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the Bachelor in Biochemistry in Brazil from the perspective of the main difficulties of implementing and courses maintenance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted with undergraduate students, graduates, professors, staff and managers from bachelor degrees in Biochemistry at UFV, UFSJ and UEM. The sampling procedure was non probabilistic for judgment (choice of the subjects involved and interested in the course of biochemistry) to undergraduate students, graduates, professors and staff and non probabilistic for convenience to managers. The qualitative assessment to depict the representative keywords was performed using words cloud by WordleTM. RESULTS: The study included 5 managers, 24 professors, 12 staff, 25 undergraduate students, 5 graduates. For the students the main reason for the course selection should be scientific vocation and affinity with chemistry and biology; most cited positive parameters were faculty and great structure, practical classes and broad playing field; most cited negatives were high mandatory disciplines, little student free time and lack of sophisticated equipment. Despite the conception of the programs have happened in different contexts and regions we noted similarities deficiencies and distresses. CONCLUSION: Difficulties must be overcome for all courses are structural adjustments in program and physical installation.Keywords: Bachelor, Biochemistry, Brazil.Sponsor: UFSJ


Author(s):  
Kevin Kalomeni ◽  
Claudius Wagemann

This chapter examines qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), which strives to bridge the methodological rift between case study-based research and quantitative studies. QCA belongs to the broader family of configurational comparative methods (CCMs). From an analytical perspective, QCA can be distinguished from quantitative approaches. The emphasis shifts from covariance to the analysis of set relations. Being strongly tied to a profound theoretical and conceptual reasoning which is typical for comparison in general, the analysis of set relations is based on three steps: first, a score is attributed to a social phenomenon (representing either a dichotomous or a graded set membership), usually in relation to other phenomena. Second, necessary conditions are defined. Third, through the help of a truth table analysis, (combinations of) sufficient conditions are analysed.


Author(s):  
Daniel C. Thomas

This book offers a new approach to the dynamics of regional integration, engages the debate over the geographic and normative limits of Europe, and challenges the conventional wisdom on the enlargement of the European Union. It demonstrates that membership norms that change over time have been more influential than economic or security interests in shaping EU decisions on which states are eligible to join the community and which are not. It includes a genealogy of EU membership norms since the late 1950s, a triple analysis (cross-tabulations, logistic regression, and qualitative comparative analysis) of all EU decisions on membership eligibility, and detailed process-tracing of EU decision-making over decades on the membership eligibility of Greece, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine. The findings challenge taken-for-granted understandings of the course of European integration and what it means for a state to be ‘European’. The argument is directly relevant to how regional communities in other parts of the world decide on their own geographic and normative limits.


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