Module 1
What are the elements of research?
ZB
methods, methodology, theoretical perspective, and epistemology
Name three common types of qualitative studies.
SS
Ethnography, Critical Ethnography, and Autoethnography, Case Study, Interview Study, Narrative Inquiry, Phenomenological Study, Grounded Theory, Oral History, Arts-Based Approaches
Why is a simple research question better than a complex one?
ZB
Less is more with sufficient depth and positionality; you will gain proper information.
What is the model/shape used in the textbook to describe qualitative research?
AC
Hourglass model
What are the roots of qualitative research?
AC
Anthropology and Sociology
According to Bhattacharya, what are the three broad purposes of feminist and postmodern qualitative inquiry?
SS
Understand, interrogate, deconstruct – moving research from description to critical engagement.
How do "subject positions" influence how researchers interpret topics and participants’ experiences?
FH
They shape what we notice and value; acknowledging them reveals our lens.
The study of people and culture that confronts inequality in social context.
AC
Critical Ethnography
What does the “black box” in research represent?
SA
Limits of what can be fully known or seen in any study.
What factors influence a researcher’s choice of methodology?
SNM
The purpose of inquiry, research questions, philosophical stance, and the nature of the phenomenon studied.
Why is acknowledging researcher subjectivity essential to qualitative rigor?
CN
Because meaning is shaped by identity and history; transparency builds trustworthiness.
What is the difference between objective and constructivist perspectives?
SA
Objectivist: Focuses on facts and measurable truths. Constructivist: Focuses on personal meanings and experiences.
Why is qualitative research considered iterative and non-linear?
SNM
Researchers are moving back and forth across ontology and epistemology, including values, beliefs, and assumptions.
What are the key differences between a research purpose and research questions, and how should they align in a qualitative study?
FH
Purpose = overall why; questions = specific what/how; alignment ensures coherence and focus.
Name three common sources of data in qualitative research.
SA
Conversations as an interview.
Observations of watching interactions.
Documents like articles and books.
What are the paradigms when the purpose of the research is to interrogate?
ZB
Feminism, Marxism, Critical Theory
How might qualitative research serve as an act of resistance to neoliberal definitions of “evidence” and “validity” in knowledge creation?
CN
By centering lived experience, equity, and context as valid evidence, qualitative inquiry challenges systems that reduce knowledge to numbers or productivity.
The book highlights academic rigor as a debated issue in qualitative inquiry. What defines rigor according to her, and how does it differ from quantitative standards?
SS
Transparency, reflexivity, coherence, and ethical alignment.
Researchers must show how meaning was constructed, decisions were made, and relationships were maintained.
Why is claiming total neutrality considered “intellectually dishonest” in qualitative research?
FH
Humans have values, beliefs, and assumptions. True rigor comes from reflexivity, or examining how one’s perspectives shape the research process and interpretations.
How can reflexivity in qualitative research serve as an act of advocacy?
CN
Collaboration, transparency, considering ethical standards, and possible power dynamics.