Seeks to answer difficult why

questions
Explanatory and descriptive

Often used when just beginning to

understand a phenomenon or if a
new perspective is needed

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Phenomena studied in naturalistic

settings
Attempts to interpret phenomena in
terms of the meanings people bring
to them
Used when attempting to understand
the nature of a phenomenon

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

The setting that people live in daily

Important because qualitative
researchers consider the context
to be very important in
understanding a phenomenon

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

There are multiple realities

There are similarities and differences
in every persons experience

Reality is socially constructed and

context dependent
Meaning of an observation is defined
by its circumstance or context

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Review of the literature

Similar to quantitative reports but
usually there is less published
literature available
May need to review studies with
related or similar subjects,
populations, or concepts
May wait to do the literature review
until after study, but still need a
basic review for justification
Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Explanation of the
study design
Should be
congruent with the
philosophy of the
qualitative
researcher
May use a
particular
qualitative method
or may follow the
general tenets of
qualitative
Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.
research

Description of the sample

Usually a purposive sample (not
random) because the researcher is
looking for the particular person who
can elucidate the phenomena being
studied

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Description of the sample

Inclusion and exclusion criteria
description of what characteristics a
person must have to be selected or
excluded from the study
Sample size is determined when data
saturation occurs, that is, when
information being shared with the
researcher becomes repetitive
Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Data collection
The data are usually words, either an
interview or a description
Describes the steps from when the
participant contacted the researcher
until the end of the study

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Description of the setting

There may be descriptions of two
settings: the place where recruitment
occurred and the place where data
collection occurred
The setting is a rich source of data in
qualitative research

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Data collection
Contains details about how long the
researcher spent collecting data
Description of how the researcher
decided that data saturation had been
reached
The kinds of questions that were
asked
Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Data analysis
How raw data were handled, usually
transcripts of taped interviews
Goal is to find commonalities and
differences and then group these into
broader categories that capture the
phenomena

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Findings
Usually describe a process, a set of
conditions, or a description of an
experience
Themes are identified and the process
used to distinguish themes is
described
Quotes are used to support themes

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Conclusions
Summarization of results
Similarities and differences with
existing literature
New findings or conceptual
conclusions
Suggest how to use the findings in
practice or future research

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

To understand experiences of
patients
To assess the patients status or
progress
To understand the range of responses
from patients
To provide anticipatory guidance
To provide information helpful for
coaching patients
To improve communication between
Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Does NOT test interventions

Seeks to understand the patients
experience
May provide information necessary to
pursue quantitative studies
May be used for theory development
or extension

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

Qualitative research:
Seeks to understand a phenomena
Considers context as very important
Uses purposive samples
Collects data until saturation occurs
Usually describes a process, a set of
conditions, or an experience
Identifies themes

Mosby items and derived items 2010, 2006, 2002 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.