Making sense of methods – a conversation about qualitative research in library and information studies

Currently there is an embarrassment of riches with regards to research in areas such as library and information studies [LIS] – a range of possibilities, both qualitative and quantitative – added to which we now have the potential for ‘mixed methods’ and the lure of ‘Big Data’ as a resourced that appears to offer a readily available and potentially fruitful basis for investigative studies. All of this provides a rich body of resources for researchers, but this abundance also has a downside leading to confusion and perplexity. Contributions such as this special issue are intended to resolve and ameliorate this, and so we seek to address some of these issues in the form of an interchange between two researchers with interests that include, but are not limited to, research in LIS. The aim of this is to seek some clarification of key issues involved; although we realize that this is unlikely to provide any definitive outcome, it may assist those seeking some guidance on these matters.

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Qualitative and quantitative methodologies in comparative research: An integrated approach?

SALUTE E SOCIETÀ ◽

10.3280/ses2010-su1003 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 19-34

Author(s):

Graham Scambler

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Comparative Research ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Research Strategies ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Critical Realist ◽

Deductive Research ◽

Theoretical Dimension

This paper starts by characterizing conventional notions of quantitative ‘versus' qualitative research and considers their potential displacement by ‘mixed-methods' research. The claim that mixed-methods research is necessarily an advance on its predecessors is critiqued. Using a critical realist approach favouring retroductive and abductive rather than inductive and deductive research strategies, it is suggested that the theoretical dimension implicit in all research is too often neglected. It is further contended that ‘making a case' empirically amounts to much the same things as ‘making a case' theoretically. More ‘metareflection' is commended. Brief references is made to the literature on health inequalities to add some flesh to the bones of the argument.

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Bricolage research in history education as a scholarly mixed-methods design

History Education Research Journal ◽

10.18546/herj.16.1.05 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Heather Sharp

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

History Education ◽

Data Gathering ◽

Mixed Methods Design ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽

Discipline Area

Research using a mixed-methods design is increasingly becoming the norm, crossing the myriad of educational fields of research, including history education. While commonly interpreted as a combining of qualitative and quantitative methods, mixed methods in history education can also extend to a bricolage approach, whereby the epistemological aspect of research is explicitly used to frame a study incorporating a combination of interdisciplinary methodologies and theoretical underpinnings. It extends beyond the often asserted binary of qualitative and quantitative research. In considering directions of qualitative research in the broad discipline area of education, the work of researchers such as Kincheloe (2005) and Denzin and Lincoln (2005) is used throughout this paper within a qualitative research context based on the work of Kincheloe and Tobin (2006). Adopting their approach of investigating the complexity of the lived world means placing research within a number of contexts. Research can be framed – from conceptualization to data gathering to analysis – in a range of contexts, appropriately matched between stage of research and underpinning theories. This paper reports on how bricolage can be used to frame research in history education.

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New qualitative research methodologies in management

Management Decision ◽

10.1108/md-11-2013-0592 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 662-674 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Simone Guercini

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Management Research ◽

Special Issue ◽

Research Methodologies ◽

Traditional Methods ◽

Content Type ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

New Methods ◽

Qualitative Methodologies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deliver an introduction to the Special Issue on new qualitative research methodologies in management. Design/methodology/approach – The reasons of interest for the object of this Special Issue are explained through the discussion of a selected literature. Technological and sociological changes are considered as a source of new problem and new opportunities for management and management research. The traditional methods are put under strain by these changes and epistemological implications are considered. Findings – New qualitative methodologies analyzed in the Special Issue are characterized by drivers including hybridization with others methods, both qualitative and quantitative. New methods can contribute to reduce distance between researcher's and practitioner's context. Originality/value – A frame to analyze the new qualitative management research through the papers published in the Special Issue.

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A Case for Critical Data Studies in Library and Information Studies

Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies ◽

10.24242/jclis.v1i1.22 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tami Oliphant

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Knowledge Production ◽

Critical Social Theory ◽

Research Education ◽

The Public ◽

Philosophical Foundations ◽

Critical Data ◽

Digital Infrastructure ◽

Library And Information Studies ◽

Information Studies

The proliferation, ubiquity, and growth of data, big data, and digital infrastructure raise a number of questions for library and information studies (LIS) practitioners, researchers, and educators. While some uncritically accept and embrace the idea that big data will fundamentally alter every sector of society including economics, politics, health care, and knowledge production, others are more critical of the data turn. Data can be contradictory in that it can be used for surveillance, impinge on privacy, be used for secondary purposes (often without consent), and can be totalizing in that we continually create data exhaust, it can be hacked, searched, aggregated, and preserved for years. Conversely, data can be used for the public good, to promote progressive social change, and to empower people. The overarching argument presented in this paper is that critical library and information studies must include critical data studies. To develop this argument, this paper explores the ontological nature of data and their contradictory implications and effects in terms of broader society, the academy, and in LIS research, education, and practice. Next, the philosophical foundations and the work being done in the budding area of critical data studies are presented (most notably work by Rob Kitchin). Finally, the intersections between critical data studies and LIS are discussed in terms of research methodologies, philosophical underpinnings, and application of critical social theory, values, and ethics using Dalton and Thatcher's seven data criticisms.

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Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big Data Era: Part II

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/0002764219848853 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 667-668

Author(s):

Leland Glenna ◽

Arielle Hesse ◽

Clare Hinrichs ◽

Robert Chiles ◽

Carolyn Sachs

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Big Data ◽

Research Ethics ◽

Special Issue

This serves as a brief introduction to Part II of the articles presented in the special issue, Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big-Data Era.

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Qualitative research

Practical Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/med/9780198735564.003.0007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 99-112

Author(s):

Oana Mitrofan ◽

Rose McCabe

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Qualitative Research ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Data Collection ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Healthcare Research ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Quality Appraisal ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative

This chapter offers an overview of the nature and purpose of qualitative research, its methods and processes, quality appraisal, synthesis of qualitative research, and the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches in mixed methods research. It includes a brief description of the approaches commonly used in health and healthcare research to collect and analyse qualitative data. The authors make suggestions and provide examples to illustrate the decision-making process in choosing the method(s) of data collection when designing a qualitative project. A number of ways to ensure scientific rigour in the design, conduct, and reporting of qualitative research, with particular regard to validity and reliability, are summarized. The last two sections focus on the key strengths and limitations of qualitative research. A few practical exercises are provided at the end of this chapter to assist the reader in revising the basic steps in the design of a qualitative research project.

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Reporting on Qualitative Components of A Research Project

IJPTE International Journal of Pedagogy and Teacher Education ◽

10.20961/ijpte.v5i2.55896 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Lyn English

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Literature Review ◽

Qualitative Methods ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Title Page ◽

Research Project ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Research In Education

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>In this brief commentary, I first overview the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research in education and also briefly consider mixed methods. I then offer a few suggestions for reporting on particular methodological components and the results of qualitative research. I do not address the reporting on other significant components such as the literature review and theoretical framework, given that these aspects are generic to both qualitative and quantitative research. The points I make are brief and are by no means exhaustive. Nevertheless, it is hoped that they offer some guidance for authors in education who adopt primarily qualitative methods. </span></p></div></div></div>

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Integrating qualitative and quantitative data and findings

10.1093/med/9780198802082.003.0011 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alicia O'Cathain

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Data Collection ◽

Quantitative Data ◽

Research Team ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

The Other ◽

Original Research ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative

Integration is where one method influences in some way the objectives, sampling, data collection, analysis, or interpretation of the other methods within a mixed methods study. Studies of qualitative research undertaken with RCTs have identified that publications often have no evidence of integration of findings. That is, the promise of qualitative research helping to explain the RCT results is simply not delivered in practice, or at least not in a way that is visible outside the original research team. The focus of this chapter is on where integration can occur within a study, the techniques that can facilitate integration, and examples of integration in the context of qualitative research and RCTs.

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Celebrating a Decade of Archival Education and Research: The Tenth Annual Archival Education and Research Institute

Preservation Digital Technology & Culture ◽

10.1515/pdtc-2019-0010 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 56-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tonia Sutherland

Keyword(s):

Doctoral Students ◽

Archival Studies ◽

University Of Alabama ◽

Special Issue ◽

Archival Education ◽

Library And Information Studies ◽

Information Studies ◽

Academic Faculty ◽

The University ◽

Research Institute

AbstractOn July 9–13, 2018, the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, hosted the tenth annual Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI). A week-long institute designed to strengthen archival education and research and support academic cohort-building and mentoring, AERI is open to all academic faculty and students working in archival studies, both nationally and internationally, as well as others engaged in archival education, research, and scholarship, broadly conceived. Attended by researchers, educators, doctoral students, and students enrolled in the AERI-affiliated Emerging Archival Scholars Program (EASP), this tenth anniversary gathering marked the Institute’s first meeting in the Southeast. Alabama provided a valuable lens for considering critical archival issues: discussions of memory, community activism, and representation were particularly vivid in a region that continues to consider its past, and its continued influence on present social, political, and economic environments. In this introduction, the Co-Chair of the Institute and Guest Editor of this issue, Tonia Sutherland, provides a brief overview of the conference highlights and introduces the papers presented in the Special Issue.

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