Advanced Qualitative Methodsspring 2010

Advanced Qualitative MethodsSpring 2010

3:30-6:30pm (Tuesday)

Professor: / Dr. Loril Gossett / E-mail /
Office: / Colvard 5005 / Office Phone / 704-687-3699
Office Hours / T:10am-12pm, R: 11am-12pm & by appointment

Readings:

• Lindlof, T. R. & Taylor, B.C. (2002). Qualitative Communication Research Methods (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Documents posted on Class Website (as assigned on syllabus)

Nature of the Course:

This course will focus on developing the basic skills and understanding of qualitative methods you became familiar with in the introductory qualitative methods course. The focus of this class is to allow you to learn a few additional/advanced qualitative techniques (content analysis, auto-ethnography, etc), become familiar with additional “tools of the trade” (Nvivo, Ethnograph, etc), develop more advanced and sophisticated analysis skills, and learn how to design your own, independent qualitative study

Attendance and Participation:

Class discussion and debate makes up a significant portion of this class. As such attendance is required. You are each given two excused absences from class. These absences should be thought of as sick days and not vacation time . They should be used for emergencies, illness, and any other unavoidable reason for missing class. All further absences will be counted against your participation grade (unless excused by university policy). If you are involved with a university activity, you need to provide documentation no later than 1 week prior to the absence.

Class Conduct:

In order to create and maintain a supportive communication environment, I require that people refrain from side-conversations, reading non-related materials, and doing anything else that might make it difficult to hear/pay attention to others in the class. I would also appreciate it if you would not engage in non-class related activities on your laptops, blackberries, phones, etc (e.g., surfing the web, answering email, gaming, movie watching, texting). Not only do these activities make it difficult for you to stay involved in the class discussion, they are also distracting to the folks around you. Please turn your phones/blackberries off or leave them elsewhere when in class. Violations of these codes of conduct may negatively impact your final grade in this course.

E-Mail Policy:

Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are expected to be submitted in hard copy form (not as e-mail attachments). Dr. Gossett will respond to non-emergency e-mail messages on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Ethics:

Ethical conduct is of the utmost concern in this (and every) course. Everyone should be treated with respect and common courtesy. Additionally, it is presumed that a student's academic performance reflects his/her own work. Plagiarism, cheating, and other acts of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and may result in a failing grade for the course and possible expulsion from the university.

Students with Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) who requires academic accommodations should provide Dr. Gossett with an official letter from the University outlining the authorized accommodations. Please let us know within the first week of class if you are eligible for any learning/instructional accommodations so that we might make any necessary arrangements.

Assignment Expectations:

All assignments are due at the BEGINNING of class. Unless otherwise indicated, all written assignments are expected to be 1) typed, 2) spell-checked, 3) properly formatted, 4) have page numbers, 5) be stapled, and 6) printed in black ink. Assignments not meeting these standards will not be accepted.

All late work must be made up NO LATER than five (5) week days after the original assignment due date. Some class activities require interaction with other classmates and the points from these activities cannot be made up if you miss class. Finally, presentations must be given on the day assigned because of time constraints - they cannot be re-scheduled. All work/papers must be turned in by the final day of class instruction.

Primary Assignments:

-Each student will be responsible for leading class discussion on one of our “issue discussion” days (25 pts)

-Each student will complete the Nvivo 8 tutorial (volunteering) (15 pts)

-Each student will research prepare a presentation to the class outlining the pros/cons of another qualitative tool (Atlas, Ethnograph, Nudist, Digital Naturally Speaking, etc) (15 pts)

-Each student will complete a full emic code book for a pre-existing set of data (25 pts)

-Each student will complete a full etic code book for a pre-existing set of data and run an intercoder analysis of this data set with another person in class (25 pts)

-Each student will prepare a complete IRB proposal for their own independent study (25 pts)

-Each student will write up the literature review, research design, and methods section for their own study, which they will present and defend to the class (50 pts)

-Each student will be an active participant, attending class and prepared to engage in discussion (20 pts)

TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE IN CLASS - 200

All assignments are expected to be completed on the days assigned.

Grade Distribution:

A = 90-100%

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

F = 0-59%

DATE

/ TOPICS COVERED /

READINGS

/

ASSIGNMENT

1/12

/ Class Overview
What is Qualitative Methods / Lindlof & Taylor (2002) – chpt 1-2
Denzin & Lincoln (2000)– REVIEW FROM LAST SEMESTER / Discuss goals and desires for class – outline key assignments

1/19

/ Critiquing the work of others /

• Nomadic resistance, cynicism and contentment in public space: Homeless people coping with urban reconstruction

• Negotiating Work Identity when “Work” is “Service”: An Analysis of Americorps Members

• Knowledge, narratives and public identity in organizational change: A participant historiographical study

• I sing because I’m happy: Exploring the complexity of emotional labor within the evangelical church.

/ -Review the articles assigned for the Qual 1 final exam and the reviews each received. Be prepared to discuss the pros and cons of teach article and the strength/weakness of each review

1/26

/ Getting Familiar with our tools (Nvivo) / Weitzman, E. (2000). Software and qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 803-820). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Seale, C. (2003). Computer-assisted analysis of qualitative interview data. Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method. (pp. 651-670)
Marshall, C. & Rossman, G.B. (2006). The ‘what’ of the study: Building the conceptual framework. In C. Marshall & G. B. Rossman Designing Qualitative Research. (4th ed, pp. 23-50). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage / -Everyone should complete the full Nvivo tutorial
-If you have not already done so, please make sure to complete the IRB online certification and present your “certification date” to instructor

2/2

/ Reviewing our knowledge of previous methods and adding quantitative data to the mix / Fontana, A., & Frey, J. A. (2000). The interview: From structured questions to negotiated text. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 645-672). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Adler, P. A., & Adler, P. (1998). Observational techniques. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (pp. 79-109). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed Methods: Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches (chpt 3-4) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Exemplars:
Barker, J. R., and Tompkins, P. K. (1994). Identification in the self-managing organization: Characteristics of target and tenure. Human Communication Research, 21 (2), 223-240
Bullis, C. and Bach, B.W. (1989). Socialization turning points: An examination of change in organizational identification.Western Journal of Speech Communication, 53. 273-293.
Cheney, G. (1983). On the various and changing meanings of organizational membership: A field study of organizational identification. Communication Monographs, 50, 343-363. / Student Discussion Leaders

2/9

/ Coding Coding Coding / Chapter 7 – Lindlof and Taylor
Charmaz, K. (2000). Grounded theory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 509-535). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Owen, W.F. (1984). Interpretive themes in relational communication. The Quarterly Journal of Speech, 70. 274-287.
Strauss, A. & Gubrium, J. F. (1994) Grounded theory methodology: An Overview / -Students will prepare an emic code book for a set of data provided to them by the professor
-Be prepared to defend/explain categories you developed

2/16

/ Coding Coding Coding / Van Maanen, J. (1978). People processing: Strategies of organizational socialization. Organizational Dynamics. 19-36.
Ryan, G.W. and Bernard, H.R. (2003) Data Management and Analysis Tools.
Huberman, A.M., & Miles, M.B. (1998). Data management and analysis methods. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (pp. 179-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Rodwell, M. K. & Byers, K.V. (1997) Auditing constructivist inquiry: Perspective of two stakeholders. Qualitative Inquiry, 3 (1) 116-134 / -Students will conduct and etic code book for a set of data provided to them by the professor
-Conduct an inter-coder reliability analysis (with NVIVO) and present this in class – explain your results

2/23

/ Conducting qualitative research in a mediated environment / Mann, C. & Stewart, F. (2000). Internet communication and qualitative research: A handbook for researching online. (chpts 2-4)
Shuy, R. (2003). In-person versus telephone interviewing. In J.F. Gubrium & J.A. Holstein (Eds). Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method (pp. 537-555).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Couper, M. & Hansen, S. (2003). Computer-assisted interviewing. In J.F. Gubrium & J.A. Holstein (Eds). Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method (pp. 557-575).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Exemplars:
Gossett, L. & Kilker, J. (2006) “My Job Sucks: Examining counter-institutional websites as locations for organizational member voice, dissent, and resistance.” Management Communication Quarterly, 20(1). 63-90.
Matthew, C. (2009). The discursive construction of interpersonal relations in an online community of practice. Journal of Pragmatics, 41 (11). 2333-2344.
Mitra, A (2001) Marginal voices in cyberspace. New Media & Society 3(1):29-48.
Are we a match (ICA paper from last semester) / Student discussion leaders

3/2

/ STUDENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL #1 / No reading – just critiquing / ½ of class will present the IRB and research design they have prepared for their own study to the class for critique

3/9-3/11

/ SPRING BREAK / SPRING BREAK / SPRING BREAK

3/16

/ Qualitative Methods –Ethnography / Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. P. (2000). Autoethnograpy, personal narrative, reflexivity. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 733-768). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Mitchell, R.G. (1993) Secrecy and Fieldwork. Sage Qualitative Method Series, 29.
Czarniawska, B. (1998). A narrative approach to organizational studies. Sage Qualitative Methods Series, 43.
Exemplars:
Allen, B. (1998). Black womanhood and feminist standpoints. Management communication quarterly, 11 (4) 575-587
Ellis, C. & Bochner, A. (1992). Telling and performing personal stories: The constraints of choice in abortion. In C. Ellis & M.G. Flaherty (Eds). Investigating subjectivity: Research on lived experience (79-101). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Sedaris, D. (1997). Santaland Diaries. Holidays on Ice. (pp. 1- 44) Little, Brown, & Company. / Student discussion leader

3/23

/ STUDENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL #2 / No reading – just critiquing / ½ of class will present the IRB and research design they have prepared for their own study to the class for critique

3/30

/ Qualitative Methods – Case Studies / Yin, R. K (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Method (2 ed). (Preface, Chapt 1, Chapt 2, Chpt 6)
Greene, J.C. (2000). Understanding social programs through evaluation. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 981-1000). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rist, R. C. (2000). Influencing policy process with qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 1001-1017). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Exemplars:
Kolker, (1994) Thrown overboard: The human costs of health care rationing.
Tracy, S. (2004). Navigating the Limits of a Smile.
Vaughan, (1999). The Dark Side of Organizations: Mistake, Misconduct, and Disaster / Discussion Leaders

4/6

/ Qualitative Methods – Text/Materials / Holder, I (2000) The interpretation of documents and material culture. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 703-716). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Harper, D. (2000). Reimagining visual methods: Galileo to new romancer. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 717-732). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Krippendorf, K. (1980) Content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. (Chpt 1-5)
Exemplars:
Stein, L. (2009). Social movement web use in theory and practice: a content analysis of US movement websites. New Media and Society, 11(5). 749-771.
Willams, L. (2008). The mission statement. Journal of Business Communication, 45 (2). 94-119.
DiSanza, J. R and Bullis, C. A. (1999, February). "Everybody loves Smokey the Bear": Employee responses to newsletter identification inducements at the U.S. Forest Service. Management Communication Quarterly, 13 (3), 347-399. / Student discussion leader
4/13 / Focus Groups / Morgan, D. (1997). Focus groups as qualitative research. Sage Qualitative Methods Series, 16.
Bloor, M., Frankland, J., Thomas, M.& Robson, K. (2001). Focus Groups in Social Research (chpt 1, 2. 4 - Trends, Composition, & analysis). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Exemplars: TBD / Student discussion leaders

4/20

/ Understanding what else is out there / Examining OTHER software tools we might use in our research
-Atlas.ti
-Lexamancer
-Ethnograph
-HyyperResearch
-Offline Explorer
-Transana / -Groups will present pros/cons of other tools

4/27

/ Focus Groups – contemporary trends / Madriz, E. (2000). Focus Groups in Feminist Research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research, (2nd ed., pp. 835-850). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Hennink, M. (2007). International focus group research: A handbook for the health and social sciences. (Chpt 2-planning international focus group research). Cambridge University Press.
Mann, C. & Stewart, F. (2000). Internet communication and qualitative research: A handbook for researching online. (chpt 5 - Online Focus Groups). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Bloor, M., Frankland, J., Thomas, M.& Robson, K. (2001). Focus Groups in Social Research (chpt 5- Virtual Focus Groups). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. / Focus Group Activity
Each Person will bring a first draft of research paper for peer review

5/4

/ FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION / Tell everyone what you’re doing / -Peer reviews due

5/11

/ FINAL / TURN FINAL PAPERS IN ONLINE - 2pm

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