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How Does This Assignment Help You Become A Qualitative Researcher?

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Qualitative Research Project & Roundtable Presentations
How does this assignment help you become a qualitative researcher?
• In-depth interviewing is the most common form of qualitative research and a valuable technique with which sociologists study the subjective reality of groups within society.

This is your opportunity to hone your qualitative research skills through the use of the In-Depth Interview. The assignment will be easier to complete if you record your interviews. Steps to take for success:
1. Identify a topic of interest that would be worth exploring using qualitative methods based upon your original group interest and literature review (as determined in Week One). Remember, subjective reality is where your focus should be …show more content…

Identify five to ten points that are of interest in studying this topic and write two or three open-ended questions for each point. You will not use all of these questions; however, it is a good exercise to think about different ways to ask questions. To follow up on the example noted above, I would ask about their previous participation in other political groups, their attitudes about workers' rights, their personal sense of empowerment, and their ties to this topic (among other things).
3. Locate a competent informant, who has knowledge of the topic you are investigating and will consent to an interview (and tape recording). Make sure to explain to the informant that 1) this is for a class, and 2) his or her identity will be kept confidential. Also explain that he or she is free to decline any question that you ask.
4. Set a date and location for the interview; it should be private and convenient for your informant. Make sure to have extra cassettes and batteries (or enough power in your iphone). Make sure to look over your topics and questions. Keep a copy of the interview outline with you during the interview, so you can check off topics as the informant discusses them. (Often times, the informant will touch on some of your topics without having to ask direct questions. In such cases, you will annoy your informant if you ask the same question again; instead, try to probe for more …show more content…

What similarities did you find amongst the five transcripts? Could you create a typology, or a number of different themes that flow through the different transcripts? If so, support these findings with the use of direct quotes from the transcripts. Attempt to limit yourself to no more than four themes (and less is acceptable). Be sure to address the minority points of view uncovered from your interviews.
Conclusion
The paper should contain a conclusion (one or two paragraphs maximum) where you connect your findings with the general area of inquiry and address possible implications for the specific subfield of research in sociology. What is the big picture here? What does this kind of research add to your social issue of interest? Think big!
Transcript
The transcript of your interview will be evaluated based upon its breadth and depth. Did you create rapport with your interviewee and thereby encourage a deep description of the topic? In addition, were you able to encompass every aspect of the interviewee's experience. Both quality and quantity is important in bringing out the rich nature of the interviewee's

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