Using Facebook for Qualitative Research: A Brief Primer

As Facebook continues to grow its number of active users, the potential to harness data generated by Facebook users also grows. As much of Facebook users’ activity consists of creating (and commenting on) written posts, the potential use of text data for research is enormous. However, conducting a content analysis of text from Facebook users requires adaptation of research methods used for more traditional sources of qualitative data. Furthermore, best practice guidelines to assist researchers interested in conducting qualitative studies using data derived from Facebook are lacking. The purpose of this primer was to identify opportunities, as well as potential pitfalls, of conducting qualitative research with Facebook users and their activity on Facebook and provide potential options to address each of these issues. We begin with an overview of information obtained from a literature review of 23 studies published between 2011 and 2018 and our own research experience to summarize current approaches to conducting qualitative health research using data obtained from Facebook users. We then identify potential strategies to address limitations related to current approaches and propose 5 key considerations for the collection, organization, and analysis of text data from Facebook. Finally, we consider ethical issues around the use and protection of Facebook data obtained from research participants. In this primer, we have identified several key considerations that should aid health researchers in the planning and execution of qualitative studies involving content analysis of text data from Facebook users.

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Using Facebook for Qualitative Research: A Brief Primer (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13544 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Daschel Franz ◽

Heather Elizabeth Marsh ◽

Jason I Chen ◽

Alan R Teo

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Best Practice ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Research Experience ◽

Text Data ◽

Best Practice Guidelines ◽

Qualitative Health Research ◽

Using Data

UNSTRUCTURED As Facebook continues to grow its number of active users, the potential to harness data generated by Facebook users also grows. As much of Facebook users’ activity consists of creating (and commenting on) written posts, the potential use of text data for research is enormous. However, conducting a content analysis of text from Facebook users requires adaptation of research methods used for more traditional sources of qualitative data. Furthermore, best practice guidelines to assist researchers interested in conducting qualitative studies using data derived from Facebook are lacking. The purpose of this primer was to identify opportunities, as well as potential pitfalls, of conducting qualitative research with Facebook users and their activity on Facebook and provide potential options to address each of these issues. We begin with an overview of information obtained from a literature review of 23 studies published between 2011 and 2018 and our own research experience to summarize current approaches to conducting qualitative health research using data obtained from Facebook users. We then identify potential strategies to address limitations related to current approaches and propose 5 key considerations for the collection, organization, and analysis of text data from Facebook. Finally, we consider ethical issues around the use and protection of Facebook data obtained from research participants. In this primer, we have identified several key considerations that should aid health researchers in the planning and execution of qualitative studies involving content analysis of text data from Facebook users.

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Assessing the Veracity of Children’s Forensic Interviews

10.1093/oso/9780190612016.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Hayden M. Henderson ◽

Samantha J. Andrews

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Best Practice ◽

Field Research ◽

Reality Monitoring ◽

Future Research ◽

Forensic Interviews ◽

Interview Protocol ◽

Investigative Interview ◽

Best Practice Guidelines

This chapter discusses the various ways in which the veracity of children’s forensic interviews can be assessed, and the implications this diversity has for the courtroom. Beforehand, it summarizes the capabilities and vulnerabilities children bring to forensic settings, and then what constitutes veracity, the importance this concept has in legal settings, and how it is typically measured. Reality Monitoring (RM) and Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) are reviewed alongside experimental and field research designed to elucidate the ways in which interview “quality” can be improved. The usefulness of best practice guidelines, such as the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol, in assessing quality is considered. Difficulties for translating research into practice are discussed. The implications these factors have for the examination of children in court are then considered, and the experimental and field research is reviewed. The chapter ends by outlining directions for future research.

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Testing and Assessment of Immigrants and Second-Language Learners

The ITC International Handbook of Testing and Assessment ◽

10.1093/med:psych/9780199356942.003.0022 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 318-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Thomas Oakland

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Interpersonal Relationships ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Best Practice ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Social Psychological ◽

Best Practice Guidelines ◽

Personal Qualities

Scholarship on issues associated with the assessment of persons who are immigrants and lack fluency in the host country’s primary or preferred language and thus may be second-language learners is summarized. This review considers five topics that may impact the assessment of examinees whose cultural and linguistic qualities differ from the local or host culture: qualities associated with culture and language, personal qualities that are assessed, psychometric properties of tests, interpersonal relationships between the examinee and the assessment specialist, and ethical issues. The importance of considering the assimilation and acculturation of immigrant examinees and possible ways to address them while conducting an assessment are described. The immigrant’s early and sustained experiences while assimilating and acculturating exert an instrumental impact on later educational, social, psychological, and other personal qualities. Possible test modifications, together with best practice guidelines, are suggested.

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Qualitative Research Ethics: Enhancing Evidence-Based Practice in Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy ◽

10.2522/ptj.20080388 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 90 (4) ◽

pp. 615-628 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Anne Townsend ◽

Susan M. Cox ◽

Linda C. Li

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Qualitative Research ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Research Ethics ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Study ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Qualitative Health Research

BackgroundIncreasing challenges to health care systems and the prominence of patient-centered care and evidence-based practice have fostered the application of qualitative approaches in health care settings, prompting discussions of associated ethical issues in a range of disciplines.ObjectivesThe purposes of this work were to identify and describe the application and value of qualitative health research for physical therapy and to identify ethical considerations in a qualitative research study.DesignThis was a qualitative interview study with telephone follow-ups.MethodsForty-six participants were interviewed about their early experiences with rheumatoid arthritis. They also were asked what motivated them to volunteer for the study. To inform the discussion of ethics in qualitative health research, this study drew on the in-depth interviews, took a descriptive approach to the data, and applied the traditional ethical principles of autonomy, justice, and beneficence to the study process.ResultsEthical issues emerged in this qualitative health research study that were both similar to and different from those that exist in a positivist paradigm (eg, clinical research). With flexibility and latitude, the traditional principle approach can be applied usefully to qualitative health research.ConclusionsThese findings build on previous research and discussion in physical therapy and other disciplines that urge a flexible approach to qualitative research ethics and recognize that ethics are embedded in an unfolding research process involving the role of the subjective researcher and an active participant. We suggest reflexivity as a way to recognize ethical moments throughout qualitative research and to help build methodological and ethical rigor in research relevant to physical therapist practice.

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ETHICS AND VALIDITY AS CORE ISSUES IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: A REVIEW PAPER

Pakistan Journal of Educational Research ◽

10.52337/pjer.v3i2.42 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Zarina Waheed , Abdul Nasir Kiazai, Waheed Bahadur

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Educational Research ◽

Review Paper ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Research Directions ◽

Secondary Sources ◽

Appropriate Practices ◽

Core Issues

Qualitative research is criticized for having issues validity, reliability, and ethics. This review paper focuses on two core issues involved in qualitative research generally and in educational research more specifically. Firstly, this review sheds light on ethical issues involved in qualitative research. It also discusses issues of validity in qualitative research. In this study, narrative review method has been adopted. The secondary sources or previous research studies have been reviewed in order to suggest some research directions regarding the issues of validity and ethics in qualitative research. It was found that researcher plays a central role in assuring both validity and ethics in qualitative research. Researcher are recommended to have command on research techniques required for conducting qualitative studies. Moreover, researchers are recommended to adopt ethically appropriate practices by conducting honestly robust qualitative studies.

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Involvement of People With Dementia in the Development of Technology-Based Interventions: Narrative Synthesis Review and Best Practice Guidelines (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17531 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Harleen Kaur Rai ◽

Aline Cavalcanti Barroso ◽

Lauren Yates ◽

Justine Schneider ◽

Martin Orrell

Keyword(s):

Practice Guidelines ◽

Best Practice ◽

New Technology ◽

Narrative Synthesis ◽

Research Experience ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Best Practice Guidelines ◽

Search Terms ◽

People With Dementia ◽

The Right

BACKGROUND Technology can be helpful in supporting people with dementia in their daily lives. However, people with dementia are often not fully involved in the development process of new technology. This lack of involvement of people with dementia in developing technology-based interventions can lead to the implementation of faulty and less suitable technology. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aims to evaluate current approaches and create best practice guidelines for involving people with dementia in developing technology-based interventions. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in January 2019 in the following databases: EMBASE (Excerpta Medica database), PsycINFO, MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), CINAHL (Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Web of Science. The search strategy included search terms in 3 categories: dementia, technology, and involvement in development. Narrative synthesis wove the evidence together in a structured approach. RESULTS A total of 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies involved people with dementia in a single phase, such as development (n=10), feasibility and piloting (n=7), or evaluation (n=1). Only 3 studies described involvement in multiple phases. Frequently used methods for assessing involvement included focus groups, interviews, observations, and user tests. CONCLUSIONS Most studies concluded that it was both necessary and feasible to involve people with dementia, which can be optimized by having the right prerequisites in place, ensuring that technology meets standards of reliability and stability, and providing a positive research experience for participants. Best practice guidelines for the involvement of people with dementia in developing technology-based interventions are described.

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Using Technology to Enhance Qualitative Research with Hidden Populations

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1600 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

John Matthews ◽

Elizabeth Cramer

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Data Collection ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Technological Innovations ◽

Research Experience ◽

Hidden Populations ◽

Web Based ◽

Referent Group

Advances in technology provide researchers with increased opportunities to locate and conduct research with populations that have historically been inaccessible. This manuscript de scribes the development of private, voluntary web-based groups, and the process for using web cameras to conduct individual web-based interviews as a method of data collection in qualitative research. Also contained within are detailed steps for utilizing each of these technological innovations as well an exploration of the ethical issues related to using technology to enhance the research experience with members of hidden populations, using the GLBT population as a referent group.

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Collecting Large-scale Comparative Text Data on Legislative Debates

10.1093/oso/9780198849063.003.0006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 91-109

Author(s):

Jan Schwalbach ◽

Christian Rauh

Keyword(s):

Text Analysis ◽

Large Scale ◽

Best Practice ◽

The Political ◽

Extended Version ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

High Quality ◽

Text Data ◽

Best Practice Guidelines ◽

Automated Text Analysis

Parliamentary speeches present one of the most consistently available sources of information about the political priorities, actor positions, and conflict structures in democratic states. Recent advances of automated text analysis offer more and more tools to tap into this information reservoir in a systematic manner. However, collecting the high-quality text data needed for unleashing the comparative potential of the various text analysis algorithms out there is a costly endeavor and faces various pragmatic hurdles. Against this challenge, this chapter offers three contributions. First, we outline best practice guidelines and useful tools for researchers wishing to collect or to extend existing legislative debate corpora. Second, we present an extended version of the ParlSpeech Corpus. Third, we highlight the difficulties of comparing text-as-data outputs across different parliaments, pointing to varying languages, varying traditions and conventions, and varying metadata availability.

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Barriers to Use of Remote Monitoring Technologies Used to Support Patients With COVID-19: Rapid Review

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/24743 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e24743

Author(s):

Elizabeth Houlding ◽

Kedar K V Mate ◽

Kim Engler ◽

David Ortiz-Paredes ◽

Marie-Pascale Pomey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Remote Monitoring ◽

Best Practice ◽

Rapid Review ◽

Perceived Benefits ◽

Best Practice Guidelines ◽

Barriers To Use ◽

Monitoring Technologies

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the development and adoption of a broad range of remote monitoring technologies (RMTs) in health care delivery. It is important to demonstrate how these technologies were implemented during the early stages of this pandemic to identify their application and barriers to adoption, particularly among vulnerable populations. Objective The purpose of this knowledge synthesis was to present the range of RMTs used in delivering care to patients with COVID-19 and to identify perceived benefits of and barriers to their use. The review placed a special emphasis on health equity considerations. Methods A rapid review of published research was conducted using Embase, MEDLINE, and QxMD for records published from the inception of COVID-19 (December 2019) to July 6, 2020. Synthesis involved content analysis of reported benefits of and barriers to the use of RMTs when delivering health care to patients with COVID-19, in addition to health equity considerations. Results Of 491 records identified, 48 publications that described 35 distinct RMTs were included in this review. RMTs included use of existing technologies (eg, videoconferencing) and development of new ones that have COVID-19–specific applications. Content analysis of perceived benefits generated 34 distinct codes describing advantages of RMTs, mapped to 10 themes overall. Further, 52 distinct codes describing barriers to use of RMTs were mapped to 18 themes. Prominent themes associated with perceived benefits included a lower burden of care (eg, for hospitals, health care practitioners; 28 records), reduced infection risk (n=33), and support for vulnerable populations (n=14). Prominent themes reflecting barriers to use of RMTs included equity-related barriers (eg, affordability of technology for users, poor internet connectivity, poor health literacy; n=16), the need for quality “best practice” guidelines for use of RMTs in clinical care (n=12), and the need for additional resources to develop and support new technologies (n=11). Overall, 23 of 48 records commented on equity characteristics that stratify health opportunities and outcomes, including general characteristics that vary over time (eg, age, comorbidities; n=17), place of residence (n=11), and socioeconomic status (n=7). Conclusions Results of this rapid review highlight the breadth of RMTs being used to monitor and inform treatment of COVID-19, the potential benefits of using these technologies, and existing barriers to their use. Results can be used to prioritize further efforts in the implementation of RMTs (eg, developing “best practice” guidelines for use of RMTs and generating strategies to improve equitable access for marginalized populations).

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Normative versus Actual Methodologies in Planning Research: A Hybrid Picture

Journal of Planning Education and Research ◽

10.1177/0739456x16658095 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 477-487 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jacques Du Toit ◽

Nelius Boshoff ◽

Niclesse Mariette

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Social Science ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Planning Education ◽

Critical Social Science ◽

Critical Social

What methodologies do we write about, and what type of research do we actually conduct and build upon in planning? Since the 1980s, planners have argued for more qualitative research within an interpretative paradigm. A content analysis of articles in Journal of Planning Education and Research do show a majority of qualitative studies, but cast within a pragmatic rather than an interpretative paradigm. More recently, planners have reiterated the need for qualitative research, especially participatory and applied forms of research within a critical social science paradigm. Some recommendations for planning education and research are discussed.

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