Qualitative Research Skills Available to Investigators
AMPATH’s wide array of health research often focuses on studies with outcomes that can be counted, known as quantitative research. But when the numbers do not completely answer the research question and investigators need to understand the feelings and experiences of the participants, qualitative research provides valuable information. A mixed methods research design is a procedure for collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative research and methods in a single study to understand a research problem. The AMPATH Qualitative Research Core (AQRC) offers investigators a resource for qualitative and mixed method research.
Dr. Violet Naanyu
Violet Naanyu, PhD, is the founder and director of the AQRC which started in 2018 as a resource for investigators. Dr. Naanyu is an associate professor at Moi University, a visiting scholar at Aga Khan University in Kenya and field co-director of research for AMPATH.
“We want to be a one-stop home in AMPATH, in Kenya, where a principal investigator (PI) who is thinking ‘I need some qualitative research embedded in my study’ can get guidance and can get quick and high-quality support,” said Dr. Naanyu.
“We are a part of the team that tries to improve the infrastructure to make sure investigators get all the support they need to deliver on the questions that they have in mind,” said Dr. Naanyu. “When you think about any study design, it should be about the question and the best way to raise the data that you need. You don't want to go out for bananas and come back with oranges,” she mused.
During a recent presentation entitled "The sweetness of participants' stories: AMPATH support for mixed methods in Kenya," Dr. Naanyu used a quote from late anthropology professor James P. Spradley to underscore the value of qualitative research.
Spradley said, “I want to understand the world from your point of view. I want to know what you know in the way you know it. I want to understand the meaning of your experience, to walk in your shoes, to feel things as you feel them, to explain things as you explain them. Will you become my teacher and help me understand?”
“Qualitative research gives the investigator an opportunity to allow the participants to be co-creators of that knowledge, and to bring the feelings and the deep experiences to the table,” said Dr. Naanyu. “That can be data that counts together with the quantitative data. We want to encourage researchers towards mixed methods, so that you don't shy away from throwing in a focus group discussion or some phenomenology research, or an ethnography. If the question is a ‘how’ or a process or a context question, we need mixed methods or we're going to leave a lot of gaps in the quantitative data that we collect,” she continued.
Dr. Naanyu said that qualitative research is a systematic inquiry that maintains theoretical and methodological focus and stands up to scientific rigor. There are several specific methods that are employed, but it typically seeks a greater depth of understanding, uses open-ended questions and is iterative.
She emphasized the qualitative methods aid Implementation Science Research. “Our work ends up being more practical, more useful to the end users. Let's mix as much as we can so that the health problems that we are trying to address end up with implications for research that are useful in health programs, that are feasible, that are real,” said Dr. Naanyu. “Basically, our dream is to make sure the science doesn't end up on the shelves, isn't it? We want to inform care and also future areas for research in order to improve care across the globe.”
Dr. Naanyu said her passion for qualitative research began when she jumped into the deep end while a master’s student in medical anthropology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In order to graduate she had to complete a study using the qualitative research techniques they had learned. She decided to study infertility in Ghanaian women, so she moved into the home of a Ghanaian family in Amsterdam. “I wanted to immerse myself because I had a very short time. I wanted them to know me, to trust me, and to open up. Infertility is not something you want to talk to anybody about. It's painful. The experiences are deep, and you know I was not Ghanaian,” she said.
She became close to the family and they began introducing her to people in their church. Dr. Naanyu recalls that eventually a church leader said to the others, “This is our daughter from Kenya. She has a few questions. She needs to finish her masters and go back home. I want you to support her.”
“It snowballed from there and I got my interviews,” she recalled. “So if you need mixed methods to get the best out of that study that you're doing, let's not shy away from it. You can go into the deep end like me and move into the context. So come over to Kenya. I'll give you a room in my house,” she joked.
Services available from the AMPATH Qualitative Research Core (AQRC)
Specific methods of qualitative research include ethnography, narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory and case study. Ethnography studies a group in a setting over a prolonged period and often includes the researcher becoming embedded in the daily routine of the study participants. Narrative research asks people to provide stories about their lives which the researcher uses to create a narrative. Phenomenology creates a framework for understanding a shared human experience or phenomenon, such as people who have experienced a similar illness or traumatic event. Grounded theory attempts to derive a general, abstract theory based on the views of participants. A case study involves a researcher exploring a specific program, event, activity, process, or individual in depth.
Data collection methods can include participant observation, focus groups, in-depth interviews, videography, photo voice, diaries and more.
The AQRC has a virtual office of trained research assistants who provide a variety of fee-based services including:
· Co-development of qualitative protocols
· Transcription of audio recorded
· Coding of transcripts using Nvivo software including extraction of codes and illustrative quotes
· Training of research teams for qualitative research tasks including moderating interviews/ focus group discussion, note-taking during field work, transcription, and data coding
· Intensive week-long training on a variety of topics e.g. data analysis with NVivo
Dr. Naanyu encouraged investigators interested in using the services of AQRC to submit their requests for specific services. “We can discuss the study's needs and timelines, agree on specific services and cost, and then contract for those services,” she said.
Donations Requested
The AQRC also invites support from the AMPATH community through donations of voice recorders, flip charts, projectors and other resources when research projects wrap up.
Contact the AQRC
For questions about qualitative research projects or AQRC, please contact Dr. Naanyu or the AQRC research assistant Roselyn Midiwo. The AQRC office is in the Chandaria Cancer and Chronic Diseases Centre, Room 225, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Nandi Road, Eldoret, Kenya.