The Generic Qualitative Approach to a Dissertation in the Social Sciences

A Step by Step Guide

Sandra Kostere, Kim Kostere

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781000448634
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Research & Methodology in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

The Generic Qualitative Approach to a Dissertation in the Social Sciences: A Step by Step Guide is a practical guide for the graduate students and faculty planning and executing a generic qualitative dissertation in the social sciences. Generic qualitative research is a methodology that seeks to understand human experience by taking a qualitative stance and using qualitative procedures. Based on Sandra Kostere and Kim Kostere's experiences of serving on dissertation committees, this book aims to demystify both the nuances and the procedures of qualitative research, with the aim of empowering students to conduct meaningful dissertation research and present findings that are rigorous, credible, and trustworthy. It examines the fundamental principles and assumptions underlying the generic qualitative method, then covers each stage of the research process including creation of research questions, interviews, and then offers three ways of analyzing the data gathered and presenting the results.
With examples of the generic qualitative method in practice to show students how to conduct their research confidently, and chapters designed to walk the researcher through each step of the dissertation process, this book is specifically tailored for the accessible generic method, and will be useful for graduate students and faculty developing dissertations in Psychology, Education, Nursing and the social sciences.

CHAPTER 1 Beginning the journey

DOI: 10.4324/9781003195689-1

This book is designed to serve as a guide for both students and faculty who are developing dissertations using a generic qualitative approach. Included in this book are instructions for developing a dissertation research question, methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing data, and suggestions for presenting the results of a generic qualitative dissertation. Since the generic qualitative dissertation incorporates essential characteristics of the qualitative approach to research, it is our belief that in order to conduct a credible generic qualitative dissertation, the journey includes knowledge and understanding about the underpinnings of qualitative research.

What is generic qualitative research?

The defining of generic qualitative research has been elusive, as thus far the definitions tend to ponder on what it is not instead of what it is. Caelli et al. (2003) discussed generic qualitative research as “…qualitative studies that have no guiding set of philosophic assumptions in the form of one of the established qualitative methodologies” (p. 1). Merriam (2009) discussed the struggle of trying to define qualitative studies that do not follow a specific theoretical framework. She used the terms “generic, basic, and interpretive” (p. 22). Percy et al. (2015) indicated that generic qualitative research is used when the topic is not appropriate for any of the traditional qualitative models. Kennedy (2016) implied that in order to start understanding generic qualitative inquiry it is helpful to define what it is not.

In an earlier book by Merriam (1998), she suggested that generic qualitative studies “…simply seek to discover and understand a phenomenon, a process, or the perspectives and worldviews of the people involved” (p. 11). More recently, Patton (2015) described generic qualitative inquiry as a practical approach that involves skillfully using qualitative methods to answer questions about relevant topics in a real-world setting (pp. 154–155).

The discussions on generic qualitative research in the literature support the need for developing a clearer definition, identifiable methods and procedures, and the understanding of the researcher’s theoretical position. According to Caelli et al. (2003), descriptions defining and explaining generic qualitative research have been “clear as mud” because “… the literature lacks debate about how to do a generic study well” (Abstract). Cooper and Endacott (2007) stated, “This generic approach is no doubt selected for pragmatic reasons but can be weakened by a lack of rigor and understanding of qualitative research” (p. 816). Caelli et al. (2003), Cooper and Endacott (2007), and Aronson (1994) indicated the need for explicit requirements for conducting generic qualitative research, and clarity about the procedures that assure rigor and trustworthiness in generic qualitative studies.

Throughout the search for a consensus of what generic qualitative research means, we reflected on the interpretations and concerns expressed about the generic qualitative approach, thus far in the literature. Therefore, we used these interpretations and concerns to develop the following working definition as the guideline for this book. Generic qualitative research is a methodology that seeks to understand human experience by taking a qualitative stance and using qualitative procedures.

How will I know if generic qualitative research fits for my dissertation research question?

Good question! Selecting the research methodology that will answer your research question is an important step towards a credible and meaningful dissertation. Your research design needs to correspond with answering your research question. In determining whether a generic qualitative design fits for your dissertation there are three basic questions to consider: Does your research question seek an understanding of human experience? Are you using qualitative procedures? Is your research design consistent with a qualitative stance?

Understanding human experience

When seeking to understand human experience, your research question explores how people make sense out of their experiences. Understanding human experience relates to how people construct meaning interrelated to themselves, others, social situations, and world occurrences.

According to Patton (2015), “The first contribution of qualitative inquiry, then, is illuminating meanings and how humans engage in meaning making – in essence, making sense of the world” (p. 6). The generic qualitative research dissertation seeks to illuminate and interpret meanings of the phenomenon under inquiry based on the individual perceptions and experiences described by the participants.

The qualitative stance

The qualitative stance refers to the researcher’s thinking and beliefs about what the important goals are for human science research. According to Camic et al. (2003), the heart of the qualitative stance is “the desire to make sense of actual lived experience” (p. 56). Merriam (2009) asserted, “A central characteristic of qualitative research is that individuals construct reality in interaction with their social worlds” (p. 22). Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) theory on social constructivism suggests that reality is emergent and is created or constructed by social interaction. Thus, the qualitative stance values understanding how individuals construct meaning from their experiences.

Camic et al. (2003) declared that researchers assuming a qualitative stance have different goals than researchers conducting laboratory experiments. Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting in order to understand the participants in the context of their real-life experiences. The qualitative researcher asks about human action and meanings during social and cultural interactions. The qualitative stance embraces the first-person narrative and asks questions that encourage descriptive data. Researchers strives for discovery, understanding, and meaning. They search for a wider range and more complex understandings of human experiences.

The qualitative stance requires the researcher to identify and set aside pre-understandings and pre-suppositions for the purpose of staying open to individual differences, the unknown and new potential meanings. According to Dahlberg et al. (2002), “Openness is always constrained by pre- understanding. In all research, quantitative as well as qualitative, we have to deal with our pre-suppositions in order to remain open throughout the whole process of inquiry” (p. 118). The researcher identifies their pre-understandings and pre-suppositions, and takes care not to allow pre-suppositions to influence those interpretations.

The qualitative stance values the philosophical beliefs underpinning qualitative research. Tashakkori and Teddlie (1998) referred to the “axioms of the naturalist paradigm” (p. 19), which include understanding and embracing the following axioms:

• Ontology (the nature of reality): Naturalists believe that there are multiple, constructed realities.
• Epistemology (the relationship of the knower to the known): Naturalists believe that the knower and the known are inseparable.
• Axiology (the role of values in inquiry): Naturalists believe that inquiry is value-bound.
• Generalizations: Naturalists believe that time- and context- free generalizations are not possible.
• Causal linkages: Naturalists believe that it is impossible to distinguish causes from effects.
• Inductive logic: There is an emphasis on arguing from the particular to the general, or an emphasis on “grounded” theory (p. 19).

Qualitative procedures

Qualitative research uses procedures that generate descriptive data (Taylor & Bogdan, 1998). The most commonly used procedure for collecting qualitative data is the qualitative interviews. For a generic qualitative dissertation, semi-structured interviews are recommended; if the study warrants a more in-depth exploration of the topic, the open-ended conversational interview is suggested. Other conceivable forms of data for a generic qualitative dissertation might include journals, diaries, unsent or sent letters, documents, observations, photographs, memos, and field notes (see Chapter 5). In a generic qualitative dissertation, the focus is on words and language, not numbers and measurements. The data collection process seeks out rich descriptions of people’s experiences.

There is a strong emphasis on the researcher’s commitment to qualitative procedures. Patton (2002) claimed, “In qualitative inquiry, the researcher is the instrument. The credibility of qualitative methods, therefore, hinge to a great extent on the skill, competence, and rigor of the person doing the fieldwork…” (p. 14). The qualitative procedure for data analysis is based on an inductive reasoning process. The quality of the data analysis depends on the researcher’s familiarization with the data, reasoning skills, and their openness to creative and intuitive processes.

The data analysis procedure is conducted in a step-by-step process. The data presentation in your dissertation provides visibility of the specific steps of the data analysis process. The presentation of data includes the researcher’s interpretations along with supporting data in the form of direct quotation from the transcribed interviews or other data collected from the participants. The steps and results of the analysis are reflected in a manner that allows the reader to understand and conceptualize how the data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted. The reader of the data analysis section in a generic qualitative dissertation should be able to say, I understand how the researcher came up with the results and the results make sense. Now I truly understand the experience of … The results should be clear to anyone, even if they are not familiar with qualitative research.

What qualities are needed to become a qualitative researcher?

New researchers need to… understand the language of qualitative inquiry, and to know what questions to ask, where to look for information and how to start thinking qualitatively.

(Morse & Richards, 2002, p. xiii)

Becoming a qualitative researcher for many requires a paradigm shift, since most college students were educationally brought up learning the quantitative research philosophy, using variables and measurements, and asking cause and effect-oriented research questions. Stake (2010) stated, “Qualitative research has moved social research away from an emphasis on cause-and-effect explanation and toward personal interpretation” (p. 41). However, the shift towards thinking qualitatively requires exposure to and knowledge of the qualitative paradigm. During our time teaching beginning courses in qualitative research, we became aware that students tended to use quantitative terminology to interpret qualitative research procedures. We determined that comprehending the language of qualitative research was essential for thinking qualitatively, and that the appropriate language was essential for a successful paradigm shift.

Learning the qualitative language involves exposure to credible qualitative research literature. When teaching beginning qualitative research, the textbooks for the course were books by Michael Quinn Patton and John W. Creswell. Both authors offer a clear and thorough introduction to qualitative research. Be aware of authors who use quantitative language when discussing qualitative methods. For example, some research textbooks discuss qualitative studies using vocabulary that is inconsistent with the qualitative stance; some authors include terms such as hypothesis, variables, subjects, and generalizability, which are related to the quantitative stance. That said, qualitative research and quantitative research are different paradigms used for different purposes. One does not translate one to the other because they are like apples and oranges. For example, one cannot translate causation from quantitative language to qualitative language, because causation does not exist in qualitative research. When translating materials from the quantitative paradigm to a qualitative paradigm, the essence of the qualitative paradigm is lost in the translation.

Becoming a qualitative researcher begins with recognizing and understanding qualitative research language. Some of the common words used in qualitative research studies are experience, discovery, understanding, meaning, exploration, process, involvement, passion, commitment, themes, patterns, sensitivity, intuition, illumination, creativity, lived experience, and first-person narrative. You will be exposed to qualitative language throughout this book. If you find that these words capture your interest, you are on track for becoming a qualitative researcher.

The qualitative researcher often chooses a topic that has personal meaning. Therefore, the qualitative dissertation process becomes one of passion and commitment. However, because of the researcher’s personal experiences with the topic, it is necessary to identify personal beliefs about the topic under investigation and set aside pre-understandings. The qualitative researcher strives to come from the position of not knowing and not judging, thus respecting the uniqueness of the experience for each participant.

The qualitative researcher acknowledges qualitative research as evidence of scientific investigation. They value data obtained through first-person narratives and believe that data describe human experience as “imperative in understanding human behavior” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 21).

In conclusion of the criteria for becoming a qualitative researcher, a childhood book comes to mind. This quote from The Little Prince offers a metaphor that can be used as an example of the differences between quantitative and qualitative thinking.

If I have told you these details about the Asteroid B-612 and if I’ve given you its number, it is on account of grown-ups and their ways. Grown-ups love numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask you any questions about what really matters. They never say to you, “What does his voice sound like? What game does he like best? Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him.

(de Saint-Exupery, 1943, p. 10)

What to expect in this book?

The background for this book began with a handout that was developed containing a brief overview of generic qualitative research (Generic Qualitative Research in Psychology, Capella University, Percy et al., 2008). The journal article “Generic Qualitative Research in Psychology” (Percy et al., 2015) was published in The Qualitative Report, Nova Southeastern University. The article provided more detail than the unpublished handout about applying this research model and contained methods to promote academic rigor. As of the end of February 2021, there have been 15,742 copies of the article downloaded, thereby indicating an interest in development and clarification of the generic qualitative approach.

Because of the change in focus from research in general to specifically dissertations, and based on our experiences of mentoring dissertation students, we have made necessary changes from the information presented in the article “Generic Qualitative Resea...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• 1 Beginning the journey
• 2 The research question
• 3 Research plan
• 4 Preparing for the interview
• 5 Other qualitative data collection methods
• 6 Data analysis
• 7 Presentation of the data
• 8 Completing the journey
• References
• Index