Qualitative Research

an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem

based on building a complex, holistic picture

formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants

conducted in a natural setting (Creswell, 2002)

Assumptions

Qualitative researchers are concerned primarily with process, rather

than outcomes or products interested in meaning - how people make

sense of their lives, experiences, and their structures of the world.

the primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Data are mediated through this human instrument, rather than through inventories, questionnaires, or machines.

Assumptions

Qualitative research involves fieldwork.

observe or record behavior in its natural setting is descriptive

the researcher is interested in process, meaning, and understanding gained through words or pictures.

is an inductive process the researcher builds abstractions, concepts,

hypotheses, and theories from details. (Merriam, 1988)

Data Collection Procedures

Setting the boundaries for the study Collecting information through

observations, interviews, documents, and visual materials

Establishing the protocol for recording information (Creswell, 2002)

Parameters for data collection the setting - where the research will take

place the actors - who will be observed or

interviewed the events - what the actors will be observed

doing or interviewed about the process - the evolving nature of events

undertaken by the actors within the setting(Miles and Huberman, 1984)

Types of data to be collected Gather observational notes by

conducting an observation as a participant an observer

Conduct an unstructured, open-ended interview and take interview notes audiotape the interview

Types of data to be collected Keep a journal during the research study Have an informant keep a journal during

the search study Collect personal letters from informants Analyze public documents (e.g., official

memos, minutes, archival material) Examine physical trace evidence (e.g.,

foot prints in the snow)

Types of data to be collected Videotape a social situation or an

individual/group Examine photographs or videotapes Have informants take photographs or

videotapes Collect sounds (e.g., musical sounds,

a child's laughter, car horns honking)(Creswell, 2002)

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS “For HIV/AIDS, the benefits of

qualitative research are clear: it facilitates collection of timely and focused information about risk behaviors in different cultures and circumstances and permits the rapid translation of that information into public health prevention.”(O’Reilly, 1995)

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS Qualitative studies will advance the knowledge

of the impact of HIV/AIDS on people's lives, their families, and communities in underdeveloped countries.

The qualitative information will improve researchers’ understanding of the underlying causes of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by elucidating the factors that influence human behaviors

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS Face-to-face interview

researchers to obtain valuable information from HIV positive or AIDS patients who would otherwise not release such information during any standard quantitative data collection procedures such as surveys or hospital records.

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS Focus group interview

allows researchers to observe a large degree of interaction on a topic in a limited period of time to explore issues and generate hypotheses, and provides an opportunity to collect data from group interaction (Morgan, 1988).

Enable members of a target population to express their ideas in a spontaneous, unstructured manner (Bertrand, Brown, & Ward, 1992).

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS Case study approach

allows researchers to view the social reality understand the dynamics of relationships and

other important variables that lead to decisions, attitudes, and behaviors by examining a social unit (i.e., a person, a family or household, a community, or an organization)(McDermott and Sarvela, 1999).

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS The content analyses of the existing

HIV/AIDS related publications and records from various local media sources will be conducted to reveal the focus and the trend of attention and to discover the patterns (Johnson and Kittleson, 2000) of attitudes, perceptions, and practices of risky HIV/AIDS behaviors.

Qualitative Research and HIV/AIDS Unobtrusive observations

play an important corroborative role by providing the triangulation evidence

allows researchers to construct a more complete descriptive or predictive picture of HIV/AIDS crisis

design effective programs to educate, prevent, and care for the affected individuals, families, and communities.