Notes to Self: Workshop on “Crafting a Qualitative Inquiry" at IMT Ghaziabad

We had a fantastic qualitative research FDP (Faculty Development Program) at IMT Ghaziabad over the past few days with active engagement from various attendees including faculty members and PhD students.??

Thanks to?Rohit Varman,?? Devi Vijay , and Pradeep Hota, PhD for a fantastic discourse. Thanks to Vishal Talwar and Rakesh Singh for conceptualizing and leading the charter on such programs. This is a strong demonstration of commitment to research at the institution level. Also thanks to Juhi Gahlot Sarkar , Akanksha Batra , Nidheesh Joseph, Ph.D , and ?Sudha Ramaswamy?for seamless organization.

Below is my summary:

The philosophy of social science research encompasses ontology, epistemology, and axiology, which collectively inform the foundational aspects of research design and interpretation. Ontology concerns the nature of reality and what exists to be studied, guiding researchers in understanding the phenomena they investigate, whether they view social reality as objective, subjective, or intersubjective. Epistemology deals with the nature and scope of knowledge, influencing how researchers acquire, validate, and interpret knowledge, ranging from positivist approaches that seek objective truth to interpretivist approaches that emphasize understanding subjective meanings. Axiology pertains to the role of values in research, addressing how researchers' values influence their choice of research topics, methods, and interpretations, and emphasizing the importance of reflexivity in recognizing and managing these influences. Together, these philosophical underpinnings shape the methodologies, ethical considerations, and validity of social science research, ensuring that it is rigorous, meaningful, and contextually relevant.

Qualitative research methodologies offer diverse approaches to understanding complex social phenomena. Ethnography involves immersive fieldwork where researchers observe and interact with participants in their natural settings to provide a detailed, holistic understanding of their cultures and behaviors. Grounded theory focuses on generating new theories directly from systematically gathered and analyzed data through iterative coding and constant comparison. Case study research entails an in-depth, contextual analysis of a single case or a few cases, providing comprehensive insights into specific instances of a phenomenon. Critical research methodologies aim to critique and challenge existing power structures and social injustices, often advocating for social change. Feminist research methodologies prioritize understanding and addressing gender inequalities, emphasizing the experiences and perspectives of women and other marginalized groups, and advocating for social justice and equity. Each methodology offers unique strengths and perspectives, allowing researchers to explore and interpret the complexities of social life in various ways.

Interesting Nuggets to dive into (from Rohit Varman):

·????? Science versus Philosophy (Moritz Schlick/ Vienna Circle)

·????? Positivism (Auguste Comte)

·????? Thinking precedes existence (Rene Descartes)

·????? “Structure of Scientific Revolutions” ?(Thomas Kuhn)

·????? "Methodology of proofs and refutations" (Imre Lakatos)

·????? Taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier (Pierre Bourdieu)

·????? "Apolitical Intellectuals" – Beautiful Poem (Otto Rene Castillo)

·????? Global North versus Global South

·????? “Thick” – Twitch versus Blink (Clifford Geertz)

·????? “Thick” Data (Depth) versus “Big” Data (Breadth) in Sample Design

·????? Sequential versus Emergent Design

·????? Reflexivity – Community Structure (Thomas Kuhn), Power & Domination (Foucault)

·?????"I am not your data..." by Abhay Flavian Xaxa (Simply amazing and powerful)

?

Qualitative research methods encompass various techniques for collecting and analyzing non-numeric data to gain deep insights into human experiences and social phenomena. Interviews are a primary method, involving direct, often open-ended conversations with participants to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in depth. Observationsinvolve the systematic recording of behaviors and interactions in natural settings, allowing researchers to capture real-time data and contextual nuances. Documentary sources refer to the use of existing texts, records, and media, such as diaries, official documents, and archival materials, to provide historical context, verify information, and uncover patterns and meanings embedded in these sources. These methods including others enable a comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of complex social realities.

?Establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research is crucial and involves ensuring credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability of the findings. Techniques such as member checking, triangulation, and thick description are used to enhance trustworthiness. Reflexivity requires researchers to continuously reflect on their own biases, assumptions, and influences throughout the research process, fostering transparency and integrity. Accountability involves being responsible for the ethical conduct of the research, maintaining rigor, and accurately representing participants' perspectives and experiences. These principles collectively ensure that qualitative research is rigorous, ethical, and credible.

Three Specific Methods for Quantitative Research

?Bernhardt's approach to qualitative research is a comprehensive methodology that emphasizes understanding phenomena within their specific contexts by prioritizing participant perspectives and experiences. It employs flexible and adaptive methods, such as racing methods for rapid data collection. Polar types are used to identify and analyze differing/contrasting cases based on certain assumptions for the contrast, providing deeper insights through comparative analysis and pattern identification. The iterative process of data collection and analysis is structured around a robust coding methodology, starting with open coding to break down and label data segments, followed by axial coding to connect and organize these codes into categories, and selective coding to identify core themes and integrate all categories into a coherent narrative. Reflexivity and the holistic perspective ensure that the research remains self-aware and considers the interconnectedness of various elements, aiming for rich, thick descriptions that capture the complexity of human experiences and the meanings participants assign to them.

Grounded theory is a qualitative research methodology focused on generating theories grounded in systematically gathered and analyzed data. It begins with data collection without preconceived theories, allowing the research questions and focus to evolve naturally. The process involves iterative stages of coding: open coding to identify initial concepts, axial coding to relate these concepts into categories, and selective coding to refine and integrate the core categories into a cohesive theory. Theoretical sampling is used to collect data that fills gaps and refines the emerging theory. Memo writing throughout the research process captures the researcher’s insights and aids in the development of theoretical constructs. Grounded theory aims to produce robust, contextually rich theories that are directly grounded in empirical data, offering a powerful method for understanding complex social processes and interactions.

The Gioia method is a qualitative research approach designed to rigorously develop new concepts and theories from qualitative data. It emphasizes systematic and transparent data analysis, starting with the collection of detailed, rich data primarily through in-depth interviews. This approach involves a two-step coding process. The first step, open coding, focuses on identifying first-order concepts directly from the data, staying close to participants' own terms and perspectives. The second step, axial coding, involves organizing these first-order concepts into second-order themes that are more abstract and theoretical. Throughout this process, researchers engage in constant comparison and iteration, refining categories and themes to ensure they accurately reflect the data. The final step is to aggregate these second-order themes into overarching dimensions that form the basis of new theoretical insights. Visual mapping is often used to illustrate the relationships between concepts, themes, and dimensions, providing a clear and compelling narrative of the emergent theory. The Gioia method ensures a balance between maintaining participants' voices and developing abstract theoretical contributions, making it a robust and transparent approach for theory-building in qualitative research.

There were of course numerous nuggets of wisdom and points of clarifications during the discourse. At the end, insights on publication in journals:

1.???? Position Properly - “Fit” with the mission of the outlet

2.???? “Handling” Reviewers - Respond versus Conform - Raise issues, contest issues

3.???? Problem of Dissemination- Systemic issues including “Referee Regime” / “Asymmetric ignorance”

To sum up the review process in Journals - “The truly imaginative are not being judged by their peers. They have none” Rosalyn Yalow, a Nobel Laureate :)

I’d very much appreciate if other colleagues can build on these notes and points! Also, I want to thank Dr. Richa Saxena for introducing me to the Gioia methodology a year back!

#imtghaziabad

Shailja Agarwal Ruchi Payal Anand Jhawar (Ph.D) Dr. Tripti Ghosh Sharma Dr. Abhigyan Sarkar Prof. Ashish Varma, Ph.D Dr. Ranjana Agarwal Ratri Parida ?Dr. Bhavna Bhalla Sandip Mukhopadhyay Neha Arora, PhD Dr. Sapna Tyagi Alisha Dhal Poonam Barhoi Dr. Barnali Chaklader Manas Paul Shalini Rahul Dr Subhendu Patnaik Nivisha Singh Hardeep Singh Mundi Manjeet Kharub Dr. Vivek Jadhav Dr. Santosh Kumar Shrivastava Dr. Rahul Mishra Prachi Jain Akarsh Arora Ram Mohan Dhara Vaishali Jadon Abhijeet Tewary Neharika Sobti Gupta Dr. Richa Saxena Dr. Gunjan Dandotiya? Adnan K. Dr. Dindayal Agrawal Nidhi Yadav Dr. Ishwar Kumar Bindu Gupta Dr. Radha Mohan Gupta Harsimran Sandhu Dr. Simran Sodhi Tulika Sharma Dr. Romina Mathew Dr. Pawan Kumar Dr. Veena Paliwar Dr (Prof.) Gajavelli Venkateshwara S Damini Gera Shreya Kaushik Shubham Gupta?