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Block 4 Unit 1 Introduction Including Ethnography

1. Define qualitative research and discuss the relevance of qualitative research in psychology.

Qualitative research is a type of research that seeks to explore phenomena using methods such as in-depth interviews, experiences, and participant observation. It is relevant in psychology for understanding the complexities of human behaviour, opinions, values, and cultural contexts.

2. Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research. Do you think that qualitative research is advantageous over quantitative research? Give reasons.

Qualitative research explores phenomena with open-ended questions and descriptive data, while quantitative research confirms hypotheses using numerical data and structured methods. Qualitative research is advantageous when exploring complex or nuanced phenomena, as it provides a richer, in-depth understanding.

3. Elaborate the different types of qualitative research

Types of qualitative research include phenomenology, ethnography and grounded theory.

4. What do you understand by the term ‘ethnography’? Describe its types and assumptions.

Ethnography is the study of people and cultures in their natural settings. Types include macro and micro ethnography, and key assumptions are that culture is a system of shared meanings that shape behaviour, and that understanding requires immersing oneself in the setting.

Important Points

1. Participant observation approach involves an active participation of the researcher in the activities of the group, culture or the community under study.
2. Quantitative method helps in understanding and analysing the causal relationships.
3. Experimental Research helps in testing hypotheses concerning cause, effects and trends of events that may help to explain present events and anticipate future events as well.
4. Qualitative research can be defined as a type of scientific research that tries to bridge the gap of incomplete information, systematically collects evidence, produces findings and thereby seeks answer to a problem or question.
5. The behavioural phenomena is explained with the help of conscious experience of events with the help of phenomenology method
6. Case study is one of the widely used method in qualitative research.
7. Data is represented in form of notes, recordings and video tapes in a) Qualitative research
8. Qualitative research methods has gained much importance in the disciplines of  Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology.
9. Quantitative research is based on Numerical data
10. Qualitative research helps in collecting data under more Natural situations
11. The questions used for data collection in qualitative research are: Open ended ones
12. The questions of the qualitative researchers depend upon Response of the respondents
13. Ethnography is also known as ‘methodology of culture’.
14. Out groups refers to the people not belonging to the same group
15. The process of identifying and providing the researcher some more respondents by the earlier ones’ as a representative of their community is chaining.
16. The analysis of data leads to development of theories in ethnography.
17. Ethnography does not assume that that the researcher is an expert of the culture which he or she has selected for studying.
18. The main objective of qualitative research depends upon interpretation of community cultural understandings by the researcher.
19. The ethnographer tries to understand the cultural connotations using the symbols of a particular culture.
20. Cultural patterning refers to the study of cultural patterns formed through relationships between two or more symbols, not between respondents. 
21. It is the duty of the researcher to show respect and belongingness to the community they are studying. 
22. Tacit knowledge refers to those cultural beliefs which are firm in nature.