논문리뷰4: 질적연구방법론

Baxter, Pamela, and Susan Jack. "Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers." The qualitative report 13.4 (2008): 544-559.

주요 내용: 질적방법론이 잘 설계될 경우, 보건학 연구에서 이론 개발, 프로그램 및 실행에 대한 평가에 중요한 기반을 마련해주는 것이 가능함. 이 연구는 사례 연구를 설계하는데 필요한 요소들을 규명하고, 질 높은 연구를 수행하기 위한 규칙들을 소개함 

-writing the research questions

-developing propositions

-determining the case under study

-binding the case and a discussion of data sources and triangulation

1)The qualitative case study is an approach to research that facilitates exploration of a phenomenon within its context using a variety of data sources through mainly two different approaches: Robert Stake and Robert Yin.

-both studies base their approach to case study on a constructivist paradigm that claims that truth is relative and it is dependent on one's perspective. It is based on the premise of a social construction of reality. One of the advantages of this approach is the close collaboration between the researcher and the participant. 

2) when to use a case study approach? 

-to answer "how" and "why" questions 

-you can't manipulate the behavior of those involved in the study  

-you want to cover contextual conditions because you believe they are relevant to the phenomenon under study 

-the boundaries are not clear between the phenomenon and context

3) determining the case/unit of analysis

-the case is defined as "a phenomenon of some sort occurring in a bounded context. The case is, "in effect, your unit of analysis (Miles and Huberman)" analyzing the individual? a program? the process? the difference between organizations? 

 

Developing case study research questions

Case example 1: the decision making process of women between the age of 30 and 40 years 

RQ1: how do women between the ages of 30 and 40 years decide whether or not to have reconstructive surgery after a radical mastectomy? what factors influence their decision?

Case example 2: the  experiences of 30-40 year old women following radical mastectomy faced with the decision of whether or not to undergo reconstructive surgery 

RQ2: how women (30-40 years of age) describe their post-op (first 6 months) experiences following a radical mastectomy? Do these experiences influence their decisions making related to breast reconstructive surgery?

Case example 3: the decision making process (related to breast reconstruction post-radical mastectomy) of women between the age of 30 and 40 years attending four cancer in Ontario? 

RQ3: how do women (ages 30-40) attending four different cancer centers in Ontario describe their decision making related to breast reconstructive surgery following a radical mastectomy?

4) binding the case

-일단 질방을 사용하기로 마음 먹었다면, 무엇을 제외할 것인지를 결정해야 함. 지나치게 broad하거나, 너무 많은 연구목표가 가장 자주 발생하는 문제이며 이에 대한 대답은 placing boundaries on a case임. 

-binding의 방법 1) by time and place 2) time and activity 3) by definition and context  (established binding would require a concise definition 

-binding은 양방연구에서 inclusion/exclusion criteria를 지정하는 것과 유사하지만 boundaries는 단순히 샘플의 규명이 아니라 연구실 breadth와 depth를 밝히는 것.

5) determining the type of case study

-Yin categorizes case studies as explanatory, exploratory, or descriptive.  Single, holistic, and multiple-case studies

-Stake identifies case studies as intrinsic, instrumental, or collective

-explanatory: good for the question to explain the presumed causal links that are too complex for the quant studies. (cases seen as typical of other cases)

-exploratory: to explore those situations in which the intervention being evaluated has no clear outcomes 

-descriptive: to describe an intervention or phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred

-multiple case studies: enables the researcher to explore differences within and between cases

-intrinsic: to better understand the case itself

-instrumental: to refine a theory (depth and contexts can be scrutinized) 

-collective: similar to multiple case studies

6) single or multiple?

-are you going to look at some groups of people in one environment because it's a unique or extreme situation?->holistic single case

-looking at sub-units that are situated within a larger case->single case with embedded units, problem is that novice researchers analyze at the individual sununit level and fail to return to the global issue that they initially set out to address.

-multiple case studies are different from single case with embedded unites because it addresses different contexts for each of the cases. 

-multiple case studies 1) predicts similar results (a literal replication) or 2) predicts contrasting results but for predictable reasons (a theoretical replication)

7) designing and implementing a rigorous case study 

-1) propositions (which may or may not be present) 2) the application of a conceptual framework 3) development of the research questions (generally "how" and/or "why questions) 4) the logic linking data to propositions 5) the criteria for interpreting findings

-the more a study contains specific propositions, the more it will stay within feasible limits

-avoid including too many propositions and then find that they are overwhelmed by the number of propositions that must be returned to when analyzing the data and reporting the findings

8) issues are bit simple and clean, but intricately wired to political, social, historical, and especially personal contexts. the conceptual framework helps to identify who will and will not be included in the study, describe what relationships may be present based on logic, theory and/or experience and provide the researcher with the opportunity to gather general constructs into intellectual "bins". Returning to the propositions that initially formed the conceptual framework ensures that the analysis is reasonable in scope and that it also provides structure for the final report. One limitation is that it may limit the inductive approach but it can be overcome by encouraging to journal their thoughts and decisions and discuss them with other researchers to determine if their thinking has become too driven by the framework. 

9) Data sources: documentation, archival records, interviews, physical artifacts, direct observations, and participant-observation; the danger of rich data is the collection of overwhelming amounts of data that require management and analysis. Database helps to track and organize data sources including notes, key documents, tabular materials, narratives, photographs, and audio files. (Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software) 

10) analysis: data collection and analysis occur concurrently in qualitative studies. 

Yin categorizes 5 techniques: pattern matching, linking data to propositions, explanation building, time-series analysis, logic models, and cross-case synthesis. one important practice during the analysis phase of any case study is the return to the propositions. One danger associated with the analysis phase is that each data source would be treated independently and the findings reported separately.

11) Reporting a case study: try to be concise; convert a complex phenomenon into a format that is readily understood by the reader; important to describe the context within which the phenomenon is occurring. 

Yin suggests six methods" linear, comparative, chronological, theory building, suspense, and unsequenced.

12)유의점: the case study research question is clearly written, propositions are provided, and the question is substantiated; case study design is appropriate for the research question; purposeful sampling strategies appropriate for case study have been applied; data are collected and managed systematically; and the data are analyzed correctly.