Terminology related to research methods

A priori coding: A process of coding qualitative data whereby the researcher develops the codes ahead of time based on a theoretical framework, the interview question, or pre-existing knowledge.

Case study: The study a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time.  Case studies are technically not a research method - but a combination of research methods. 

Content analysis: A data analysis technique used to interpret textual material. This is done by looking for data or themes in a text - for example a transcript of an interview. The researcher may decide what to look for before reading the interview.  This is a priori coding.  This then converts the qualitative data into quantitative data.  This is a deductive approach.  The researcher may also wait until she has all the interviews and then note what trends "emerge" from the text.  This is an inductive approach.

Covert observation: An observation in which the identity of the researcher, the nature of the research project, and the fact that participants are being observed are hidden from those who are being studied. The opposite of an overt observation.

Credibility: This word is often seen as a synonym for validity in qualitative research.

Cross-sectional design: Comparing two or more groups on a particular variable at a specific time. The opposite is a longitudinal design where the researcher measures change in an individual over time.

Data triangulation: Collecting data from more than one source.  Also called "source triangulation." For example, collecting data from four different hospitals. 

Emergent thematic coding: A qualitative data analysis approach in which a text is read several times to identify themes that emerge from the data.  This is a common method for interpreting interviews.

Epistemological reflexivity: When a researcher reflects on their choice of method or materials may have influenced the findings of the study - for example, how did using a participant observation affect the potential behaviour of the people being studied?

Event sampling: A data collection strategy for observational studies.  This is when the researcher makes note only when a specific behaviour is observed.  For example, only when aggression is observed on the playground.

Focus group: A group interview, using 5 - 12 participants who share a common trait or interest.

Inter-rater reliability: the degree of agreement among researchers recording behaviour during an observation.

Longitudinal study:  research over a period of time using observations, interviews or psychometric testing.  (Similar to a repeated measures design in an experiment).

Meta-analysis: Pooling data from multiple studies of the same research question to arrive at one combined answer.

Method triangulation: the use of more than one method to carry out a study.  Case studies often use method triangulation.  This is important because it increases the credibility of the study - we know it was not the choice of the research method alone that led to the findings.

Narrative interview:  An interview in which the researcher asks an open-ended question and invites the interviewee to respond,  The interviewee is not asked any other questions and the interviewer only asks for clarifications.  The goal is that questions asked by the interviewer will not influence the interviewee.

Naturalistic observation: An observation carried out in a participant's natural environment.  The opposite of a lab or controlled observation.

Outcomes based research: an attempt by healthcare agencies to see how certain healthcare practices, treatments, and other interventions affect a person's health.  This type of research focuses on the results.

Participant attrition: the rate at which participants drop out of a study over time.  This often occurs when research has many steps or takes place over a long period of time.

Participant observation: An observational study where the researcher joins the group that is being observed. The opposite of a non-participant observation.

Personal reflexivity: When researchers reflect on how their own biases may have affected their research process and the findings of their research.

Point sampling: A data collection method used when carrying out an observation of a group where the researcher records the behaviour of an individual and then moves on to the next participant until all have been observed.

Process based research: an attempt by healthcare agencies to see how certain healthcare practices, treatments, and other interventions affect a person's health over time.  This type of research is focused on the changes over time, rather than the final results.

Prospective research:  A study that attempts to find a correlation between two variables by collecting data early in the life of participants and then continuing to test them over a period of time to measure change and development.

Quota sampling: Similar to a stratified sample, but there is no random selection of participants from the population.  For example, you want a sample that reflects your country's population.  If your country is 40% of one culture and 60% of another, then the sample would have that same proportion - but they are not chosen randomly.  It might be the first 40 people that sign up from culture x and then the first 60 of culture y.

Snowball sampling: A sampling technique where research participants recruit other participants for a study.

Structured interview: a type of interview in which the interviewer asks a particular set of predetermined questions. The questions are created in advance and all participants are asked the same questions in the same order.

Time sampling: A data collection method used when carrying out an observation of a group where notes are taken at specific times - for example, every five minutes or every hour.

Theory triangulation: The use of more than one theoretical approach to investigate a question - for example, looking at a patient like HM from a biological, cognitive and sociocultural perspective.

Transferability: the degree to which the results of qualitative research can be generalized or transferred to other contexts or settings.

Unstructured interview: an interview in which there is no specific set of predetermined questions. The interviews are more like an everyday conversation and tend to be more informal and open-ended.