Qualitative and Mixed Research Methods in Psychology

Because the interest of academics in qualitative methods has been

growing in recent years, the aim of the course is to familiarize students

with application of qualitative methods in academic published papers, to

make them understand how to use variety of qualitative techniques

during interviewing to obtain research objectives (questioning,

assocations, sorting/mapping, laddering, collage, metaphors, working

with stimuli materials) and to develop skills of conducting interviews.

During a class students will get opportunity: to moderate group or

individual interview during a class with application of a chosen technique

of interviewing, to get experience of being a participant and to discuss the

experience of being an interviewer and participant.

Despite the long history of qualitative interviewing in psychology and in

academic research, the literature and practice of social psychology is

dominated by quantitative and experimental research and rather barriers,

misconceptions than benefits of qualitative methodology are known.

Because the interest of academics in qualitative methods has been

growing in recent years, the aim of the course is to familiarize students

with application of qualitative methods in academic published papers, to

make them understand how to use variety of qualitative techniques

during interviewing to obtain research objectives (questioning,

assocations, sorting/mapping, laddering, collage, metaphors, working

with stimuli materials) and to develop skills of conducting interviews.

During a class students will get opportunity: to moderate group or

individual interview during a class with application of a chosen technique

of interviewing, to get experience of being a participant and to discuss the

experience of being an interviewer and participant. Based on this pieces

of experience and literature, students will interactively present and

discuss main assumptions, ways of applications of a given technique, basis

of analysis. All the students are supposed to read literature to understand

better assumptions of techniques under consideration.

Class 1 (4 hours)

Introduction of the program. Familiarizing with each other.

Introduction about qualitative methods of interviewing

Choice of tasks and of pairs.

Literature

Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: An applied approach (3

European ed.). Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Chapters 6-9.

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa.

Class 2 (4 hours)

Class on introduction and warm-up via discussion and some supporting

techniques of interviewing: associations, top of mind vs crucial, uncompleted

sentences test, critical incident analysis.

Literature

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa. Pages 96-99; 101.

Chell, E. (2004). Critical incident technique. In C. Cassell, & G. Symon (Eds.),

Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research (pp. 45–

60).London etc.: Sage Publications.

Kandola, B. (2012). Focus groups. In G. Symon, & C. Cassell (Eds.), Qualitative

organizational research: Core methods and current challenges (pp. 258–275).

Thousand Oaks etc.: Sage Publications. Section: Critical Incident Analysis, p. 268-

269.

Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: An applied approach (3

European ed.). Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Chapters 8, pages 217-

218

Bystedt, J., Lynn, S., Potts, D. (2003 lub 2010). Moderating to the Max: A

Full‐tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews.

Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Section: Free association overview.

Class 3 (4 hours)

Class on sorting/mapping (spontaneous, aided, scaled) as supporting techniques.

Literature

Hodgkins, C., Barnett, J., Wasowicz-Kirylo, G., Stysko-Kunkowska, M., Gulcan, Y.,

Kustepeli, Y., … Raats, M. (2012). Understanding how consumers categorise

nutritional labels: A consumer derived typology for front-of-pack nutrition

labelling. Appetite, 59(3), 806–817.

McDonald, S., Daniels, K., & Harris, C. (2004). Cognitive mapping in organizational

research. In C. Cassell, & G. Symon (Eds.), Essential guide to qualitative methods

in organizational research (pp. 73–85). London etc.: Sage Publications.

Rugg, G., & McGeorge, P. (2005). The sorting techniques: A tutorial paper on card

sorts, picture sorts and item sorts. Expert Systems, 22(3), (pp. 94–107).

doi:10.1111/j.1468-0394.2005.00300.x

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa. Pages 99-100.

Bystedt, J., Lynn, S., Potts, D. (2003 lub 2010). Moderating to the Max: A

Full‐tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews.

Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Section: sorts overview.

Class 4 (4 hours)

Class on “laddering” supporting technique.

Literature

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa. Pages 101

Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: An applied approach (3

European ed.). Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Chapters 8, pages 212-

213.

Bagozzi, R. P., Gurhan-Canli, Z., & Priester, J. R. (2002). The social psychology of

consumer behaviour. Buckingham [etc.] : Open University Press. Chapter 2,

section Means-end chain theor (pages 22-26)

Bystedt, J., Lynn, S., Potts, D. (2003 lub 2010). Moderating to the Max: A

Full‐tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews.

Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Chapter: Exploring benefits and decision

making – “Laddering”.

Grunert K., Grunert S.C. (1995). Measuring subjective meaning structures by the

laddering method: theoretical considerations and methodological problems,

International Journal of Research in Marketing, 12 (3), 209-25.

Class 5 (4 hours)

Supporting techniques such as drawings and other pictorial techniques

Literature

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa. Pages 101-103

Stiles, D.R. (2004). Pictorial representation. In C. Cassell, & G. Symon (Eds.),

Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research (pp. 127–139).

London etc.: Sage Publications.

Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: An applied approach (3

European ed.). Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Chapters 8, pages 215-

216

Bystedt, J., Lynn, S., Potts, D. (2003 lub 2010). Moderating to the Max: A

Full‐tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews.

Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Chapter Exploring emotions, imagery and

Associations – Projectives and the use of methaphor.

Class 6 (4 hours)

Supporting techniques such as metaphors

Styśko-Kunkowska, M. (2014). Interviews as a qualitative research method in

management and economics sciences. Skrypt dla doktorantów. Warszawa: Szkoła

Główna Handlowa. Pages 101-103

Malhotra, N. K., & Birks, D. F. (2007). Marketing research: An applied approach (3

European ed.). Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall/Financial Times. Chapters 8, pages 215-

216

Oswick, C., & Montgomery, J. (1999). Images of an organisation: the use of

metaphor in a multinational company. Journal of Organizational Change

Management, 12(6), 501–523.

Bystedt, J., Lynn, S., Potts, D. (2003 lub 2010). Moderating to the Max: A

Full‐tilt Guide to Creative, Insightful Focus Groups and Depth Interviews.

Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Chapter Exploring emotions, imagery and

Associations – Projectives and the use of methaphor.

Class 7 (4 hours)

Working with stimuli materials.

Literature:

Styśko-Kunkowska, M., Wąsowicz-Kiryło, G. , Grunert, G. K. (2018). Gaining

wealth and deep insight into meaning of colours in nutrition labelling using an

extended focus group interview. In SAGE Research Methods Cases.

Wąsowicz, G., Styśko-Kunkowska, M., & Grunert, K. G. (2015). The meaning of

colours in nutrition labelling in the context of expert and consumer criteria of

evaluating food product healthfulness. Journal of Health Psychology, 20(6), 907–

920. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315580251

After the class students will:

- know the basic rules of qualitative research interviewing,

- know and understand assumptions of supporting qualitative techniques,

- develop skills of developing a topic guide and of conducting interviews.

Assessment methods and criteria

1. Frequenting is required. The max. limit of absence is 4 class hours

(4 x 45 minutes).

2. Prepering and conducting a qualitative technique and theoretical

presentation – in pairs or in triads.

3. The final paper: given to the lecturer in a given deadline (one of

the pre-final classes) in a written form – in pairs or in dyads.

4. Individual test.

The final mark is an average of evaluation of the final paper and individual

test.

The plan of final paper.

Title of the class

Names and surnames of students

The title of a group technique.

Date of the course

I. The topic guide

1. The overall aim and goals

2. The proposed questions and instructions in a form questions and

expression as they could be formulated during the interview,

3. The approx. time for each topic

II. Reflection note:

1. The description of the flow of the exercise - how the topic guide

worked in practice, what worked in line with expectations and what could

be improved)

2. The role of the moderator while conducting the interview with a given

technique – the benefits and threats with examples from the own

experience

III. Written form of presentation (handout useful for other students)

- assumptions underlying usage of given methods

- various types of technique

- basis of analysis

Attendance rules Attendance is obligatory to pass the class. More than 4 hours of absence

causes that student will not be able to pass the class