Purposeful Sampling
Procedures for Recording Data
- critical
- opportunistic
- snowball
- confirming or disconfirming
- maximal variation
- extreme case
- typical
- theory or concept
- homogenous
- utilize protocols
- forms designed by researchers that contain instructions
- specialized for interviews and observations
Sample Size
- varies from study to study
- typical to have a few individuals or cases
- larger sample size= less depth and more time
Five Process Steps
Qualitative Data Collection
- identify participants & sites to be studied
- gain access
- consider types of information that will best answer research questions
- design protocols or instruments for collection and documentation
- administer data collection
Permissions
- especially important to negotiate campus review boards and locating individuals at a site who can facilitate data collection
Various Types of Data
- observation
- interviews
- documents
- audiovisual materials
IRB
Gatekeepers
- seek permission
- develop description
- informed consent form
- have project reviewed
Observation
Documents
- an individual with an official or unofficial role at the site
- provides entrance to site
- helps locate people
- assists in identification of places to study
Audiovisual Materials
- public and private records about a site or participants
- may be difficult to locate and obtain
- process of gathering open-ended, firsthand information
- conducted as researcher or participant
- multiple observations over time
- images or sounds
- people relate easily
- may be difficult to analyze
Interviews
- researcher asks open-ended questions
- several types
Field Issues and Ethical Considerations
- field issues: may arise during data collection
- ethical issues: studies must be executed with sensitivity to individuals, populations, and research sites