Summary Qualitative Methods in Media and Communication
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Qualitative Methods in Media and Communication
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Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR)
Full summary for Qualitative Methods in Media and Communication for the pre-master Media and Creative Industries. INCLUDES practice questions, pictures, bullet points, colours and names. Based on the literature and the lectures (slides).
Qualitative Methods in M&C
Chapter 1: Getting Started
Qualitative = systematic, precise, and accurate. Tries to determine validity, reliability, objectivity,
and the truth. Interdisciplinary, interpretive, political, and theoretical in nature.
Quantitative = attempts to isolate specific elements, uses numbers and numerical correlations.
Paradigms = provide a set of views and beliefs that researcher use to guide their work. Intellectual
maps and models. Helps us understand what we see in front of us. You can identify, objectify, and
therefore understand.
➢ Epistemology -> how do we know the world? Relationship between the known and us. We agree on it.
➢ Ontology -> basic questions about the nature of reality. It is what it is, what we can see.
➢ Methodology -> how we gain knowledge about the world. You dive into it.
Dominant Media and communication paradigms
1. Predictive
o Positivists => consider reality to exist and scientific truth to be knowable and findable
through rigorous testing that is free from human bias. They seek to verify their hypothesis.
o Post-positivist => use a variety of experimental methods, including some qualitative
methods, in an effort to falsify their hypothesis.
2. Descriptive
o Constructivism => represents a theoretical shift regarding the concept of reality from realism
to relativism.
i. Socially constructed notions of family and gender shape what you ask and what you see.
ii. What we see and what we ask is already shaped.
iii. Replace positivists concepts of external and internal validity with notions of authenticity and
trustworthiness
o Critical tradition
o Participatory / cooperative inquiry
Four principles of qualitative research
1) Meaning making NOT numbers
2) Complexity about life NOT causal relationships
o Observe phenomenon in natural context
o Comprehensive view NOT causal explanation that can be generalized
3) Micro insights NOT macro picture
4) Different epistemological, ontological, and methodological positions (colours how we see the world)
o Epistemological -> how do we know the world
▪ Positivist: objective observation. Nothing interferes your observation
▪ Constructivist: socially constructed notions of family, gender shape what you ask and what
you see. What we see, what we ask is already shaped.
o Ontological -> what is the nature of the (social) world
o Methodological -> how we gain knowledge about the world.
Core features of Qualitative Research
Insightful
Complex
Emancipatory
The difference between Big-T and Little-t (truths): qualitative has multiple ways to the truth. Cause
everyone has different perspectives, with their own methodology and etc. In quantitative there is
only one answer (3x3=9).
,Chapter 2: Doing Qualitative Research
Views of communication
• Transmission => a process of sending, transmitting, or delivering information in order to
control others.
o Focusses on sending messages over distances in order to distribute common knowledge and
ideas
o Focuses on effects on audiences (media effects)
o Messages: explicit, denotative meaning
• Ritual => associates the communication process with the ancient notion of communication
o People share customs, beliefs, ideas, and experiences, a process that reinforces and
maintains a common culture.
o Focus on meaning-making as an active participation drawing upon cultural familiarity
o Language: implicit, connotative
o E.g.: assessing a newspaper from a ritual view focuses less on news as information than on news as a
dramatic ritual act that invites audience participation.
Language is a fundamental aspect of all qualitative research. It is through our discourse (our writing
and speaking) that we communicate ideas and information, create communities, and construct our
social reality.
Quantitative language Qualitative language
Hypothesis Research question
Variables Concepts
Correlations Relationships
Objectivity Reflexivity / context / subjective
Researcher bias Situatedness and intersubjectivity
Neutral observer Engaged reader
Experiment Experience
Data Analysis
Reliability Trustworthiness
Validity Authenticity
Generalizations Insights
Methodology vs. methods
▪ Methodology = beliefs related to how to study the social world
▪ Methods = concrete ways of studying the social world
o Method of data collection
o Method of data analysis
▪ Methodological section in paper/thesis:
o (1) Methodological literature
o (2) Justify what you have done to collect and analyse the data
Social science research is different
❖ Intentionality
o Theoretical informed
❖ Methodical process
o Choices – explained and justified (transparency)
o Qualitative research: iterative
▪ Iterative = the content of our data collection provides further information for your
next data collection process.
▪ Iterative: preliminary findings and insights change the subsequent data collection
process
,Steps of qualitative research projects
3. Research
1. Idea 2. Perspective 4. Design 5. Research 6. Write
question
oPersonal oAnchoring idea oAnswerable and oWhat types of oGather the data oWriting it all up
experiences in theoretical open-ended evidence is oAnalyse the data oFollow norms of
oRelated perspectives oUsually ‘how’ needed to oInterpret academic writing
experiences and oChoosing a question answer the findings oTransparency
circumstances focus/angle for oIncorporates research and
oSocietal the idea theoretical question argumentation
problems concept oMethodology
oTheory and oClearly stated, and methods
literature specific,
oFunding researchable
priorities
Quantitative researchers code distinct parts of messages found in advertisements, public relations
campaigns, news stories or other media artifacts.
▪ Rely on sampling techniques to generate statistical relevance
While qualitative researchers look at media products in their entirety in an attempt to understand
common practices, issues, and concerns. They also study elements of media studies as cultural
practices through which people make meaning out of their lives, as well as considering media
practices as a commentary on relationships between media and society.
▪ Try to gather all evidence that they can find (more is more)
▪ Reflexivity = try to reflect critically to their role as researchers. Be aware of your own cultural codes
when doing research.
Although big data provides researchers with more information, for qualitative researchers the
additional data does not necessarily make it any more accurate or objective. Without analysis and
interpretation, big data is just raw data.
▪ Using big data also raises important ethical concerns regarding informed consent, privacy, corporate
and/or governmental control and restrictions on basic freedoms and liberties.
Main strategies of research
➢ Realist tale
o Researchers write in the third person
o A strategy that conveys a sense of neutrality, imperiality and objectivity
➢ Confession tale
o Researchers describing of own experiences, often in first person, to help understand their personal
cultural journeys in conducting the studies
➢ Impressionist tale
o Attempt to challenge readers’ assumptions and expectation
o And often focus on the text’s role in our interpretations
Falsification = it is said that something is true until it is proven otherwise
Tips for developing a qualitative research design
Rich narratives: capture the stories, experiences, perspectives of individuals rather than quantifiable data
Directions for search: imply the methods to be used, such as interviews, focus groups, or observations
Not just attitudes or feelings: go beyond surveying attitudes and emotions to uncover deeper insights
Engaging ‘how’-questions: qualitative research questions ‘how’ to explore process and experiences
, Flick, U.: Designing Qualitative Research
Most academic societies have formulated their code of ethics. Some institutions, such as universities
have institutional review boards or ethic committees.
7 Ethics of Qualitative Research
• Informed consent = a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects
on a full understanding of the possible risks.
• Avoid deception of research participants: by convert observation or giving them false information about the purpose
of research.
• Privacy & confidentiality should be guaranteed and maintained
• Data accuracy, their interpretation should be the leading principle: no omission or fraud with data collection
or analysis.
• Respect for the participant
• Beneficence: well-being of participants must be considered
• Justice: benefits and burdens for the research participants
^ They however do not protect the researcher in the field from the ethical dilemmas linked to working
with people in natural settings.
^ It is also important that participants are able to withdraw from the research project at any time
Ethical issues for preparing your study:
Relevance
o Already over-researched? Is there enough research already done?
o Will it contribute something new to existing knowledge?
Possible participants
o Reflect if it is justified to use them. Especially with vulnerable people: children, patients, elderly.
Researchers
o How to prepare your research(ers)?
o Interviewing, role-playing can help prepare the researchers
Ethical issues linked to research questions
Focus
o Does it give clear advice for that is necessary as data to collect for answering it?
o The focus and a clear planning can prevent participants from being over-researched
Confrontation through research issues
o What the questions might mean for possible participants. What will they be confronted with?
Deception in research
o If we present the research in detail, specific explanations or irritations might be produced
Ethics for sampling
Informed consent
o Mutual contract which explains the purpose of the research, the expectations from the participants, the procedure
with the data.
Vulnerable people
o Some people refuse to sign a contract. Other people are not able to sign children, very old people, or patients
No harm
o Participants cannot suffer from any disadvantages, harm, or risks from taking part
Selection
o When sampling from a group who know or are in touch with each other, it can be irritating for the individual not
being chosen for participation. (Am I not interesting enough?)
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