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Summary Qualitative methods in media and communication
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Getting startedWhy qualitative research: making meaning, social context how people understand certain things, cannot be
‘measured’, not just cause/effect. A qualitative researcher is engaging and curious.
Data collection ➔ Intro, ethnography/observation, interviews, focus groups, working with material and
textual data.
Data analysis ➔ Rhetorical analysis, semiotic analysis, narrative analysis, thematic analysis, constructive
grounded theory, discourse analysis, writing & assessing qual research
Language as a fundamental aspect
• Communication process is a means of production that is based on the discourse of individuals and groups
• It is produced within a specific cultural, historical and political context
• We make meaning and construct our own reality through language
• Reality is socially constructed and created through language
Principles and features of qualitative research
1. Meaning-making, not numbers:
• how do Twitter users conceptualise the notion of feminism?
• how do car advertisements represent female bodies?
• how do people make sense of the world around them?
2. Complexity, not causality:
• Observe phenomenon in natural context
• Comprehensive view not causal explanation that an be generalized
• Capturing the complexity ➔ sees society as messy, complex.
3. Micro insights, not macro picture:
• in-depth. We do not generalized
• We look at the micro picture and what it says about the macro one
• In qualitative we do not use effect
4. Different epistemological, ontological, and methodological positions:
• result in paradigms
• Epistemology: how do we know the world? How knowledge is possible. You have neutral observation
or seeing the world through glasses decided by society
• Ontology: science of existence: how does the world exist? Quantitative and qualitative have different
ontologies
• Different epistemologies and ontologies lead to different approaches
Transmission vs. ritual views of communication
• Transmission view: Envisions communication as a process of sending, transmitting or delivering
information (over long distances) in order to control others. Focuses on distributing common knowledge
and ideas. Can be related to quantitative ways of thinking.
• Ritual view: People share customs, beliefs, ideas and experiences which is a process that
reinforces and maintains a common culture. Can be related to qualitative ways of thinking. I
nvolves meaning-making and socially shared symbols. Researcher is part of the process
• Message transmission: communication in a linear way. Sender to receiver
,Conceptual Orientation
• Ontology: The science of existence.
- What is the nature of the social world
- Is step one, is all about yes or no question nothing further
• Epistemology: Science of knowing.
- How do we know the world/reality? What is the relationship between the inquirer and the known?
• Methodology: The science of methods for finding out.
- How we gain knowledge about the world
- Set of beliefs about how to study the social world + practices of studying it (methods). Also about why
you collect data in a certain way
- Methdology ➔ belief related to how to study the social world
- Methods ➔ Concrete ways of studying the social world (Method of data collection &Method of data
analysis)
• Philosophical & methodological: both
• Intellectual maps & models: ideas that orient us in of how we see the world and the possibilities of
researching
• Sets of beliefs: beliefs about the nature of the world and knowledge
• Epistemological + ontological positions: tells the researcher how the world exists and how the world can
be studied. They recommend perspectives of how to study the world
Qualitative vs quantitative
• Quantitative research
- Systematic, precise and accurate
- Tries to determine validity, reliability, objectivity and truth
- Uses numerical correlations to measure causal-relations
- Because it uses numbers to quantify data, quantitative research is often
- Considered more authentic, important and scientific
- Analyses relationships between variables
- Seen as more objective since it involves numbers
• Qualitative research
- Interdisciplinary, interpretive, political and theoretical
- Focus on understanding the social construction of reality.
- Uses language to understand concepts based on experiences
- Interpreting meaningful relationships
- Active role of the researcher and an understanding that all inquiry is fundamentally subjective
- Seen as more subjective because it involved words & interpretations, not necessarily a problem
Combining Qualitative and Quantitative
it is easy to mix qualitative and quantitative methods seamlessly. Their differences are related to
philosophical orientation, cultural traditions, research values, and priorities as well as specific worldviews or
ideological positions. It is possible to combine qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the use of mixed
methods should be driven by research questions you ask.Quantitative connected with qualitative, on the
methods that are use, but the results are different with qualitative we are looking to make meaning and find
a whole set of things rather that on single answer.
Messiness in qualitative research
The messiness of the interconnections, inconsistencies, and seemingly illogical input we reap in qualitative
research demands that we embrace the tangles of our conversations by conducting analyses close to the
source
, The goal of qualitative research: ‘’to render plausible the terms by which groups explain themselves to the
world and to clarify the role that mass communication plays in such explanations’
Core features of qualitative research
1. Insightful: How do people make sense of the world
2. Complex: Deeper understanding of why people do things
3. Emancipatory: The research brings some kind of change
The development of qualitative research
Quantitative research was dominant in 20th century → Researchers like Postman questioned this → End of
20th century, qualitative research was fully integrated in communication and media studies
The qualitative research process must be: transparent, iterative, intentional
Postman on insightful research
“The purpose of research is:
• to rediscover the truths in social life;
• to comment on and criticise the moral behaviour of people;
• to put forward metaphors, images, and ideas the can help people live with some measure of
understanding and dignity.”
Triangulation: Using multiple research three methods to increase the rigor of your analysis and get in-depth
understanding of social experience
Connotative & Denotative
in their work they focus on the denotative as well as the connotative meanings and implications
Connotative: Underlying meaning. e.g. connotative meaning of a mother often signifies care, tenderness,
compassion and love.
Denotative: Meaning at first glans. e.g. denotative definition of the word mother, we know that “mother” is
defined as a female parent.
Falsi cation principles by Karl Popper
Eliminating all other potential explanations until the one that remains is true. Is a way of demarcating
science from non-science. It suggests that for a theory to be considered scientific it must be able to be
tested and conceivably proven false. For example, the hypothesis that "all swans are white," can be falsified
by observing a black swan.
fi
, Paradigms
A theory or a group of ideas about how something should be done, made or thought about, a
set of believes.
• Sets of views and beliefs that researchers use to guide their work.
• Reflect ontological, epistemological and methodological positions
• Follows/reflects ontological + epistemological position
• Qualitative research is not a unique paradigm, but is influenced by multiple paradigms, like Positivism,
Post-Positivism, Critical theories and Constructivism
Predictive (belief in a singular, big “T” of Truth; unified reality; researchers as neutral and objective
observers who primarily rely on quantitative methods)
- Positivism Paradigm: dominant paradigm of physical and social sciences. Believe that reality exists
and you can find out scientific truth through rigorous testing that is free from human bias. Aim is
explanation, prediction and control. Seek to verify their hypotheses. (Quantitative, objective material
world)
- one truth, objective knowledge, neutral data collection + analysis.
- Post-positivism paradigm: Similar to positivism, but more critical. Believe that people are flawed, so
we may not actually understand it. If we can replicate findings, then it is most likely true. Use a variety
of experimental methods, quantitative and qualitative, in an effort to falsify their hypotheses.
(Quantitative with some qualitative - complex world)
- one truth, researcher flawed.
Descriptive (believe in multiple interpretations of a little “t” of Truth and envision many constructed and
competing notions of reality. Mostly qualitative)
- Constructivism paradigm: Incorporate non-positivist worldviews, blending research issues and
theoretical positions. Includes a variety of theoretical positions, like neo-marxism, feminism, cultural
materialism, critical race theory, post-structuralism and postmodernism. Also represents a theoretical
shift from realism to relativism. States humans construct knowledge through their intelligence,
experiences and interactions with the world. (Qualitative, reality not independent of observer)
- Several truths, knowledge filtered through shared meanings
- Critical tradition paradigm: Incorporates the same worldviews and theoretical positions, focusing on
critiquing and changing society as a whole. (Historical, cultural, etc)
- Reality and truth shaped by factors such as race, gender, culture
- Aim: achieve transformative social change
- Participatory / cooperative inquiry: Transformative perspective emphasizes subjectivity and
collaborative nature of research. (Qualitative, collaborative nature of research break down hierarchy
researcher + researched)
- Co-creation, Empowering participants
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