Writing Qualitative Research Organization
Learn how to structure and present qualitative data in your research, including themes, typologies, chronological narratives, steps in a process, and tours. Understand the difference between data and findings to enhance your analysis and reporting.
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Presentation Transcript
How to Write Qualitative Research WRITING ABOUT AND WITH QUALITATIVE DATA
DATA ARE THE RAW WORDS OF PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS, FIELDNOTES FROM OBSERVATIONS, MEMOS, AND ARTIFACT DESCRIPTIONS. FINDINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THE DATA, A LEAP BEYOND THE OBSERVED. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DATA AND FINDINGS Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
THEMES Best to present as a full sentence with an insight or theory. Often involves devoting a section to each theme, with the theme s name as the heading and each paragraph within it devoted a facet of the theme or a sub- theme. How a writer orders themes can be significant; readers remember firsts and lasts. Take care not to suggest that your themes indicate uniformity of participants thoughts. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
TYPOLOGIES Typologies simply list various kinds or types of something types of customers, types of approaches to a problem. You can structure typologies by devoting sections to each type, or the types can be integrated together. Take care not to fool readers into thinking that all participants or dynamics always fit neatly into groups. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATIVE Can follow the historical unfolding of the research, the site, one or many participants, an event, and more. Choose a narrative approach if your data has a natural storyline to it. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
STEPS IN A PROCESS You can structure data to follow any process, step by step. The writer often devotes sections to each phase or processual step, with a heading labeling the phase and paragraphs devoted to explaining it. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
TOURS One can effectively describe spaces thickly by structuring the work like a tour. Paragraphs or sections change when reaching new areas or discussing new uses of the location. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
VIGNETTES OR CASES Good for data collected as cases or can be carved from larger study. Analysis can be done within a case and as cross-case comparisons. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
RESEARCH QUESTIONS & READER QUESTIONS Answer the research questions one by one, each getting a chapter, section, or paragraph. One might also structure the argument around rhetorical questions that real or imagined readers might ask about the participants or setting. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
CONCEPTUAL & THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS Strong, well-defined methods, conceptual frameworks, or theoretical models can help you organize your findings, translating major elements into paragraphs or sections. Be careful not to distort your data to fit the framework. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
DATA TYPES If unique insights come from a particular type of data (e.g., interviews cover one thing, document analysis another), each section might cover one type of data. Works best when you have dissimilar types or when each source tells a different part of the story. Careful not to have this approach focus solely on you and your process; keep it about participants. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
MAGNITUDE OR IMPORTANCE Base the order on what s most or least important to participants, what happens or gets said most or least commonly in the data, or what s most or least important to the researcher, practitioners, or the scholarly community. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
COMBINING APPROACHES You don t have to just pick one organizing approach!! Combine or nest structures depending on what your particular findings need. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
ETUP UOTATION OMMENTARY Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
THE SETUP GIVES THE NECESSARY CONTEXT FOR THE QUOTE (THE DATA POINT), USUALLY BY 1) STATING THE POINT 2) ANSWERING THE 5 W- QUESTIONS ABOUT THE QUOTE Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
THE QUOTE IS A DATA PASSAGE (NO MATTER THE SOURCE) THAT ILLUSTRATES THE POINT. CONSIDER 1) CHOOSING 2) PRESENTING 3) FAIRNESS Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
CHOOSING THE RIGHT QUOTE SUITABILIT Y NUMBER LENGTH Relevant to the point Efficient Interesting or well-said (for shorter pieces) Incorporates more than one point You don t need to put in everything! Better to have one great quotation than several mediocre Add more only if they help prove your point Use as little of the quotation as you can to convey the meaning Use ellipses ( ) Mix longer and smaller quotes Paraphrase or summarize? Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
PRESENTING QUOTES Transcript or paragraph? Cleaned up or every sound left in? Insert commentary when needed for comprehension Use [sic] carefully Punctuate participant quotations just as you would a normal written sentence. Be consistent. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
FAIRNESS & COVERAGE Use a diversity of participants and beliefs Don t overuse quotes from the same participants. Have you treated participants equally? Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
IN NEARLY EVERY INSTANCE, AVOID ENDING A PARAGRAPH WITH A QUOTATION. HAVE AT LEAST ONE SENTENCE OF COMMENTARY. DON T JUST SUMMARIZE THE QUOTE. EXPLORE ITS THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION, RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR LARGER POINT, AND SPECIFIC PARTS THAT SHOW IT MEANS WHAT YOU SAY. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
IMPROVISE, BUT INCLUDE ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION . Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
MAXIMS FOR WRITING ABOUT DATA Be honest The data s the limit, not the sky Use low-inference vocabulary Be participant-centered Check your tone about participants Look for dissent and friction and include it Don t be prudish Refer to participants humanely and as humans You can use numbers and quasi-statistics Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
PRACTICE THE SQC MODEL Choose a point likely to appear in your final article, thesis, or report. Write that point down as a single sentence at the start of your paragraph. Then, find a quotation that speaks to that point from your interviews, observations, or documents. Trim the quotation down and punctuate it for readability. Write a sentence just after the topic sentence that explains how and from whom you obtained the quotation. Then, after the quotation, write at least one sentence that explains exactly how the quotation proves the point, trying to highlight particular words and phrases (putting them in quotation marks) that prove it. Share with a peer to ask if your paragraph seems convincing. Weaver-Hightower, How to Write Qualitative Research
