Final reflection. Here we go.
I felt a little adrift this week. Without the lecture, which was cancelled, there was little to connect what we had read to what we were supposed to have gotten from it until the seminar. That helped a lot, but I still missed the lecture.
The discussion had a lot in common with the one that occurred during the quantitative research seminar. What makes qualitative research as valid as quantitative (the ghost of scientism rears it’s ugly head), how do you analyze the data, and so on. What really helped on establishing the differences was when Ilias explained about how it’s not the number of participants in a study that determines if it’s qualitative or quantitative, but rather the type of data collected. I think it’s easy to stare oneself blind on the assumption that “a lot of data means quantitative, while few sources means qualitative”. This line of thought represents a lack of understanding of how the methods work and differ, but is still one I occasionally find myself risking drifting into.
During the seminar, we mostly discussed what made a case study. There were some difficulty in my group to agree on the specifics that differentiated a case study from other research.The paper I had read, that clearly had the words case study in the title, turned out to be a good example of a case study. It concerned one specific thing, and only looked at that thing in order to reach its conclusions. However, as I discussed with Ilias, the lines between a case study and certain types of qualitative research can be murky at times, and basically the best lead you have on whether the paper you’re reading is a case study is whether it has the words in the title.
A case study is often used to come up with new theory. It’s a good way to start exploring a new area of interest where not much work has been done before. Since it looks a just one or maybe a few cases, there is not much need to spend a lot of time proving that your research selection is unbiased or representative of the whole, and you can get started on the actual research faster. It can give you a basis on which to build further research, even though it might not give a wholly complete picture on it’s own.
For this reason I like case studies. It can be a way to look at something you as a researcher finds interesting, without perhaps having to have a complete idea formed in you mind.
Hi!
SvaraRaderaNice blogpost! You write in a very interesting way! I also had this idea that a qualitative/quantitative study is determined by the amount of participants used in the study, it feels kinda naive now when you know better. We also discussed where the line between case studies and quantitative studies went and also got the answer that it lies in what we get out of the study. Do we get results that can be applied in a general way or do we get results that are very specific can can be used as a foundation when performing new studies in a more general way? Great blogpost anyway! :D
/Maria
Hi!
SvaraRaderaNice blogpost! You write in a very interesting way! I also had this idea that a qualitative/quantitative study is determined by the amount of participants used in the study, it feels kinda naive now when you know better. We also discussed where the line between case studies and quantitative studies went and also got the answer that it lies in what we get out of the study. Do we get results that can be applied in a general way or do we get results that are very specific can can be used as a foundation when performing new studies in a more general way? Great blogpost anyway! :D
/Maria
Hello! Really nice reflection, it's interesting to hear your own opinions on the subject as well! What you said about the error of thinking that the difference between quantitative and qualitative research is the number of participants is spot on, I tended to think like that before we had this course. We talked about a quantitative study with only one participant, who could have a really rare disease for example (the quantitative data being measures of the person's biological levels). I also agree with you that it was quite difficult to judge what is a case study and what isn't, and sometimes it feels like many other researchers out there don't know either, so you can't fully trust the titles at all times! It seems like you, at least, have grasped the term well, good job!
SvaraRaderaI really like your style of writing and wording - you have a way getting a reader's attention and keeping it funny with amusing side notes. Chapeau to your technique! Besides that, I like following your thoughts. I also have the problem to judge the quantitative method as the 'better' one, but thinking about it, it also has its perks since I feel even mathematical data is not all that generalizable (which of course shouldn't be the goal of research, I guess). I instinctively followed your way of finding a case study - safe bet, looking for a title that leads the way! And as you said, it's good to explore a subject of your interest, a statement that could be easily transferred to anything in life. Well done, Linnéa!
SvaraRaderaHi!
SvaraRaderaI agree that one lacked a theoretical base (apart from that gained from reading the texts) due to the lecture being cancelled. However, as you mentioned, the seminar helped a great deal with this, partly since it was more structured than before. Furthermore, I agree with your notion on that case studies are interesting. As you mention, I do also believe it’s usually a research study on something specific which is of novel character. Even though it might not be part of the concept’s definition, I would thoroughly argue that it is central to whether or not a case study is interesting. Therefore, often times, the results of a case study lead to new theories that can change a scientific landscape - or the results simply lead nowhere new. That may be why I find case studies slightly more interesting than regular research - due to it’s often potential “extreme” results.
I agree with you about the lecture, I missed it too because each time it allows me to understand some points that were unclear or blurred further to the reading of papers. It also provides material to the seminar and makes it richer in arguments.
SvaraRaderaI found relevant your remark on the quantity of data gathered related to which method is used. Indeed, this could be a shortcut that a lot of people can make but thanks to this explanation, we understand that these two variables are not connected.
Good job!
Hi, very nice post reflection. I had to admit that i had the same opinion like you said in the post which is the “a lot of data means quantitative, while few sources means qualitative” at first. After i read your post i found that i treat this opinion as a defalt idea in my mind, but i did not notice that before. Now i think, sometime the qualitative methods needs more data collection than quantitative methods, espically when you want to get more in- depth understanding within some specific field, and the more data collection and analyze required for that. I also agree you said that a case study is "a good way to start exploring a new area of interest", and also useful to put forward a new theory. After this seminar i noticed that, sometimes a case study is not always required to find a new theory and it is very important for us to distinguish the boundary between a case study and quantitative or qualitative methods. I like the case study too, you post give a clear structure and i could easily followed your thought. Thank you so much for your interesting work!
SvaraRaderaHi!
SvaraRaderaI can really relate to your thoughts on thinking that Ilias stating it is not the number of participants that defines a method being quantitative or qualitative, but rather how the research is conducted and by which methods. That helped me understand the difference better. We also had examples of when a research can be quantitative but yet only applied to only one participants. For example if one were to have a very rare decease. Just to add on your thoughts about case study, yes they are often used to create new theories but they don't necessary need to do this they can also only be about gaining new knowledge and opening up to further investigation. Keep up the good work for the last posting!!
Hi! Thank you for the interesting and inspiring reflection! Our seminar group discussed a lot about qualitative research but we missed the participant part. As you mentioned, the number of participants does not decide the quantitative or qualitative nature of the research. Quantitative studies can have just one participant, for example, some case studies. Likewise, qualitative studies can have a big sample size. In fact I think the number of participants in qualitative studies is probably based on whether the information retrieved from interviews is enough or not, rather than on a predetermined sample size. Nice work!
SvaraRadera