COMM 88 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Rhetorical Criticism, Grounded Theory, Participant Observation
Comm 88 Lecture 17
May 31, 2018
Qualitative Research Methods
•Qualitative types of messages analysis - subjectively analyze comm messages (e.g., media
content, conversations)
•Rhetorical criticism
•Write critique of form, language, imagery, delivery of speeches/pop culture
•Ex: use of metaphors in a presidential speech
•Ex: themes in students’ “drinking stories” on FB
•Goal: greater understanding and/or appreciation (similar to literacy criticism)
•Critical theory (aka “cultural studies” or “ideological criticism”)
•Craft personal arguments about the cultural implications/oppressions of media (esp. of
gender, race, class, etc.)
•Ex: Marxist or feminist analysis of advertising images
•Goal: social/political awareness & change
•Qualitative methods for studying people (also known as field research, ethnography,
interpretive research)
•Goal: to develop rich understanding of peoples’ personal experience
•Some important features
•Natural setting is ideal (for observation/interviewing)
•Non-representative sampling
•Researcher subjectivity and reflexivity - researcher accepts and comments on own
influences on participants
•Inductive theory-building - often called “grounded theory”
•Participant observation
•Researcher “participates” (to varying degrees) in the events/groups under study
•Subjects may be aware (“overt”) or not (“covert”) of being studied
•Important issues
•Typically purposive types of sampling (individual “case studies” common)
•Construction of detailed field notes and records
•Finished when achieve “saturation” - more data will not add new insight
•Qualitative interviewing
•Unstructured (or semi-structured)
•Open-ended questions, free to change
•Getting depth is key
•Types of interviews
•In-depth interviews
•Ethnographic conversations
•Focus groups
•Popular technique in marketing and political research
•Groups discuss an issue/product led by a moderator
•Detailed criteria for selecting participants (often paid)
•Again, open-ended questions
•Leader should facilitate, not control
•Watch for nonverbals, elicit emotions/thoughts
•Evaluating qualitative research
•Qualitative research is NOT concerned with
•Reliability and validity of measurement
