#Qualitative research

[hopelesslyromanticdepressedbitch]

Help I have a Qualitative Research exam tomorrow and I don't even know what ontology and epistemology are.

[superlinguo]

Linguistics education and its application in the workplace: An analysis of interviews with linguistics graduates (new publication in Language)

The Superlinguo Linguistics Job Interviews were a chance for me to ask people with a range of linguistics training and a range of different jobs about the links they saw between their education and their work. Asking the same questions each month, I noticed a real diversity in the thoughtful responses from people, but also some common threads.

I teamed up with qualitative researcher Dr Anuja Cabraal to look at what we could learn from the first 50 interviews. We looked at the kind of skills and knowledge people reported using in their jobs, and the advice they had for current students and job seekers. We also connected this to the larger literature on employment for linguistics students, and for humanities/liberal arts students in general. This article will hopefully help those who teach linguistics to make connections to how it is useful in a wide range of careers.

Having been so involved in running these interviews for years, it was great to work with someone who brought a fresh perspective to them. I’m also incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in the series over the years and shared their experience and insights.

I’ve also updated the lingjobs resources slides to include a summary of content from the article, and more resources.

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of post-study employability for students of linguistics. We begin with a review of the literature on employability, education, and skills. We then conduct an analysis of 51 interviews with people who studied linguistics and went on to work in a diverse range of occupations. We provide a summary of the interview participants and then conduct an analysis of the domain-specific and transferable skills reported and advice offered in these interviews. Finally, we look at how linguistics programs can use the existing literature and insights from these interviews to help their students think about careers. 

Reference

Gawne, Lauren & Anuja Cabraal. 2023. Linguistics education and its application in the workplace: An analysis of interviews with linguistics graduates. Language, 99(1): e35-e57 doi: 10.1353/lan.2023.0003 [published version - OA after March 2024]

See also

Superlinguo Linguist Job Interviews full list

Linguistic Job Resources slide set (bit.ly/ling-jobs)

Doing your own Linguistics Job Interviews

[studiesiread]

“You’re free from just a girl or a boy”: Nonbinary children’s understanding of their gender

In recent years, research on gender diversity in early childhood has increased significantly. However, much of the published literature still focuses on children whose experiences align with binary gender norms, inadvertently excluding nonbinary experiences from analysis. We seek to explore how nonbinary children, aged five to eight, perceive and understand their gender modality and experiences.

Salinas-Quiroz, F., Aral, T., Hillekens, J., Hölscher, S., & Demos, J. (2024). “You’re free from just a girl or a boy”: Nonbinary children’s understanding of their gender. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2351470

open access!

[derekimia]

06.03.2023

My first qualitative analysis, went pretty well, I'm in love with the subject already!

[medsocionwheels]

Sociological Theory and the Canon

It's Sociology Sunday! Today we're talking theory.

What is sociological theory?

Sociological theory is a set of interrelated ideas that allow for the (1) systematization of knowledge of the social world (2) the explanation of that world, and (3) predictions about the future of that world, and which are falsifiable through empirical research.

Theory provides a possible answer to questions like, “why did this happen?” or, “why did they do that?” This means theory is speculation, not fact, but unlike “ideas” generally, theory is speculation driven by a more formal, systematic, process, which incorporates the work of previous theorists and research findings.

The Sociological Canon

Some theories are more popular than others. Some theories, while unpopular, are considered “pivotal” to the foundation of sociology. The “sociological canon” helps us identify the “popular” and “pivotal” theories.

The sociological canon is defined as the theories, ideas, and texts that are widely considered as the most important in the field of sociology (Ritzer and Stepnisky 2018) 

“I’m not a regular mom theory, I’m a cool mom theory!”

The canonized theories are sort of like the “cool mom” in Mean Girls (oshowing my age here, the original 😘) – others exist, but these are the ones we tend to think of first when we think of “the mom in Mean Girls” (or, in this case, “sociological theory”).

Critics of the canon argue that the canon is not a neutral construction; rather, it is affected by power and the politics of the theory. To some degree, they are right.

The field of sociology has historically privileged theories that have testable hypotheses, known as “positivist” theories, and theories produced by white men faculty. In this, we can see that the canon, and relatedly, the field of sociology,  have tended to reflect power structures in society more broadly. Which means that, yes, technically the canon is full of theories created by old white dude philosophers in Europe in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Nowadays, though, most sociologists agree that the canon includes much more than Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. 

Meaning the canon is now considered to  include theories from other classical theorists writing during the same time as Mark/Weber/Durkheim, like W.E.B. DuBois and Ida B. Wells. The canon has also expanded in the last 40 or so years to include contemporary theories, such as emancipatory, feminist, and queer theories. These expansions were important steps towards accounting for the reality of the field as it presently exists, and to correctly reflect the field’s foundations which expand far beyond whiteness, masculinity, and western imperial culture. Presently, women make up the (quantitative) majority of sociology faculty, and while this women majority was historically white, the number of women, including and especially women of color, in sociology continues to grow, substantially outpacing white men. 

Sociological Theory and Empirical Research

Empirical research is rooted in theory.

Sometimes these theories are the driving force behind research, constituting the research question for an empirical study. You begin with the possible answer to the question, the theory, and you investigate to see if it holds up–your results may call into question some or all of the theory’s propositions. This is called “deductive reasoning.”

Theory is not always the starting point of research, though. Sometimes theory is generated from research. This process is called “inductive reasoning.” In this case, you begin with observations, draw conclusions, and from those conclusions, generate new ideas about the social world. 

Deductive reasoning is often linked with quantitative research. Quantitative researchers usually have some idea of theory before forming their research question, and some quantitative research is constructed with the goal of testing (falsifying) theoretical propositions.  Qualitative research, in contrast, often uses inductive reasoning, beginning with observation and developing theory as part of the study’s conclusions. This is not always the case with qualitative research, though. One approach to creating contemporary sociological theory assumes the “best” theory is constructed via inductive reasoning, and thus, begins with observation, absent of pre-existing ideas. This is known as a “grounded theory” approach, because it produces theory that is “grounded” in observation of tangible facts instead of based upon pre-existing abstract ideas. The sociologists Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss are often credited with popularizing the “grounded theory” approach, which they outlined in their 1967 book “The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research”.

Other approaches to qualitative research, like content analysis, may start with theory or observations.

Summary:

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A post shared by Dr. Heather Sue M. Rosen (@medsocionwheels)

Watch full lecture:

[educationalpsychjunkie]

Class starts next week and I am getting ready to Ace it!

[veralernt]

dusty keyboards, sunny landscapes, mind and desk - a mess 💫

[ms-alli]

Answering Tumblr polls makes me feel like I'm taking part in important sociological research.

[kiindr]

just conducted a successful aging assessment on an old person for my psychology practical. god, do people have experiences.

[insighttellers]

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[h0wt0make]

How to make theoretical framework for qualitative research?

A theoretical framework is a set of concepts and ideas that help to guide and inform your research. It helps to establish the context in which your study will be conducted and provides a structure for organizing and interpreting your findings. In qualitative research, the theoretical framework is often based on the researcher's own theoretical perspective or on the theories and concepts that emerge from the data.

To develop a theoretical framework for your qualitative research, you can follow these steps:

Review the literature: Begin by reading and reviewing the existing literature on your research topic. This will help you to gain an understanding of the current state of knowledge and identify any gaps in the literature that your research can address.

Identify key concepts and theories: As you review the literature, look for key concepts and theories that are relevant to your research topic. Consider how these concepts and theories might be related to your research question or hypotheses.

Develop a conceptual model: A conceptual model is a visual representation of the relationships between the concepts and theories that you have identified. You can use a diagram or a mind map to help you to organize your thoughts and create a visual representation of your conceptual model.

Write your theoretical framework: Once you have identified the key concepts and theories and developed a conceptual model, you can use this information to write your theoretical framework. This should be a clear and concise description of the concepts and theories that you will be using to guide your research.

Test and revise your theoretical framework: As you conduct your research, you may need to revise your theoretical framework based on the data you collect. Be open to testing and revising your framework as needed to ensure that it accurately reflects the phenomena you are studying.

[academicelephant]

One of my professors told in her lecture about how she had continued to ask follow-up questions, kinda kept pushing, when the interviewee hadn't given the kind of answer she expected. She let her preconceptions lead her and didn’t listen to the interviewee (which is something you should never do as a researcher). On the lecture she openly admitted this mistake, reflected on the reasons for it and presented ways to avoid doing so. I think it was great that she shared this, because I'm sure many novice researchers are afraid of making mistakes or feel ashamed if they do. In this way, my professor showed that these things happen even to more experienced researchers and that it's not the end of the world. You just have to learn from your mistake and avoid doing it in the future.

[philomathresearch]

Data Quality in Research: Why It Matters for Accurate Insights

Explore the importance of data quality in research, its role in ensuring accuracy, reliability, and how it impacts insights and outcomes. For more detail visit here : https://www.philomathresearch.com/blog/2024/12/11/understanding-data-quality-in-research-why-it-matters-for-accurate-insights/

[leapfrogstrategyconsulting]

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[educationalpsychjunkie]

Weed 🌿 and Research 💻📚