Theorizing and Writing Qualitative Research - Dr. Karen Golden-Biddle

What is true about qualitative research?

Seeking to understand how people in particular contexts account for and take action is central
Researchers’ current and past experiences only introduce biases and should be excluded from the analytical process
Researchers are not the primary instrument of data collection to maintain objectivity
Qualitative research avoids open-ended inquiry in favor of testing predetermined hypotheses

On Day 1, we discussed engaging with data during coding. Which of the following is NOT a recommended way to engage the data?

Focus only on broad and abstract questions about your data and labels
Begin by exploring a bounded sample of data rather than the entire dataset
Avoid moving on too quickly to validating your initial set of labels
Continue to ask questions about your data and coding choices

What is true about the definition of coding in qualitative research?

Coding focuses on creating links between data segments and ideas
Coding centers on condensing data
Coding focuses on applying well-established concepts from the literature
Coding is about counting word frequency

Which of the following best reflects the idea that a code is a provisional analytic object?

A code is jointly shaped by the empirical observations it represents and the conceptual meanings it references
A code becomes valid only after it has been used consistently across all data
A code is a fixed label assigned to the most interesting part of the data
A code exists independently of theoretical concepts it references

Which of the following best describes an effect of putting codes into categorical buckets?

It can stabilize meanings, data relevance, and researcher’s understanding of the project
It helps with organizing the data for more efficient retrieval during the research process
It helps eliminate irrelevant data early in the research process
It helps the researcher plan how to complete coding

Which of the following is NOT true about analytic objects in qualitative research?

They remain fixed once established to ensure consistency in interpretation.
They help researchers make comparisons across data.
They are provisional and subject to change throughout the analytic process.
They can delimit how to engage the data in a coding effort.

Locke et al. (2022) Identifies multiple coding actions for three coding moments – Making codes, Organizing to code, and Putting patterns together. Which one of the following coding actions belongs to Making codes?

Discuss relation among data, names and ideas
Juxtapose patterns across theory
Draw on the literature to delimit empirical field
Generate prior analytic artifacts

The following are two questions researchers must ask during the (______) process. Which of the following best fills in the blank?

What more general idea is this data an instance of?
What is similar and different in these instances?

Naming & Comparing
Naming & Stabilizing
Stabilizing & Shifting
Sensitizing & Comparing

How do you shift qualitative analyses?

All of the correct
Treat analytic objects as provisional
Ask questions of the data
Embrace challenges to the analyses

On Day 2, we discussed moving from “knowledge of” to “knowledge about” as a goal in theorizing qualitative research. Which of the following best captures this?

“Knowledge of” refers to understanding based on particular context and through the words of informants, while “knowledge about” involves understanding that is a more general and abstracted.
“Knowledge of” is generated through interviews only, while “knowledge about” is created from observational data.
“Knowledge of” focuses on generalizable facts, whereas “knowledge about” emphasizes the language used by the people studied.
“Knowledge about” focuses on describing what informants said, while “knowledge of” explains why they said it.

When is the best time to begin analyzing data in qualitative research?

As soon as you begin collecting data, so analysis can inform ongoing data collection
Once after all data has been collected to avoid premature conclusions.
Once you have nailed down an interesting research question to maximize contribution to literature
None are correct

Locke et al. (2022) identifies multiple coding actions for three coding moments – Making codes, Organizing to code, and Putting patterns together. Which one of the following coding actions belongs to Organizing to code?

Draw on literature to delimit empirical field
Assess made codes for fit
Refine prior made codes
Draw on concrete data

What does it mean to “treat analytic objects as provisional”?

Consider codes, categories, and patterns as tentative and open to revision
Avoid writing down emerging ideas until coding is complete
Assume the data speaks for itself without researcher interpretation
Finalize code definitions early to maintain consistency throughout

Which of the following best describes what Locke et al. (2008) mean by “generative doubt” in qualitative research?

A state of uncertainty that motivates abductive reasoning and imaginative theorizing
A form of uncertainty in theorizing that should be resolved quickly
A type of cognitive error that arises when researchers lack sufficient data
A skeptical stance researchers adopt to assess alternative explanations

Which of the following is NOT one of the strategic principles to cultivate generative doubt (Locket et al., 2008)?

Eliminate ambiguity quickly
Disrupt the order
Nurture hunches
Turn towards and embrace not knowing

What is the purpose of writing analytic memos during qualitative data analysis?

To document the researcher’s evolving thoughts, interpretations, and questions
To summarize interview transcripts for easier reading
To provide a final report of the research findings
To track coding frequency for quantitative comparison

On Day 3, we analyzed the method sections of Yang & DiBenigno (2024) and Gehman et al. (2013) to examine how the authors iterated through their coding process. Which of the following statements best reflects their coding process?

The authors were guided by noticing distinctions and/or patterns that arise from prior analytic work
The authors predetermined the types and number of analytic objects they would use
The authors randomly selected analytic objects to experiment with
The authors relied on standardized templates to structure their analysis

Which of the following is NOT one of the four rhetorical moves in crafting a theorized storyline?

Ground study in empirical data
Articulate study significance
Problematize literature to make space for study contribution
Foreshadow how the present study addresses problematization

Which of the following is a way of problematizing literature as “inadequate”?

Focus on oversight present in the literature
Reformulate or redirect the literature
Identify omission in the literature
Advocate for an alternative idea/thesis

Which of the following statements aligns well with the idea of constructing theorized storylines?

Theory developed should always be contextualized
Depicting real situations from the field makes a storyline less theoretical
Showing as much empirical data as possible leads to a more accurately theorized storyline
None of the these

Name	You must fill out this field.
Email	You must fill out this field.

Theorizing and Writing Qualitative Research – Dr. Karen Golden-Biddle

Quiz Summary

Information

Results

Results

Categories

1. Question

2. Question

3. Question

4. Question

5. Question

6. Question

7. Question

8. Question

9. Question

10. Question

11. Question

12. Question

13. Question

14. Question

15. Question

16. Question

17. Question

18. Question

19. Question

20. Question