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In the following, we will describe what qualitative social research and its characteristics as well as its basic principles are, followed by a description of the expert or guideline interview and qualitative content analysis. Finally, we will present the study "Wege aus der Jugendkriminalität. Eine qualitative Studie zu Hintergründen und Bedingungen einer erfolgreichen Reintegration von mehrfachauffälligen Jungtätern" by Wolfgang Stelly and Jürgen Thomas.
Table of Contents
1. Qualitative social research
2. The expert interview
2.1 The role of the interviewee as an expert
2.2 Expert knowledge and research interest
2.3 The expert discussion as a guideline interview
2.4 The construction of relevant questions
2.5 Preparation of the interview
2.6 Conducting the expert interview
3. Qualitative content analysis
4. A sample study
Objectives and Topics
This work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of qualitative social research methodologies, specifically focusing on the implementation and evaluation of expert interviews. It explores how these methods can be systematically applied to retrace social processes and analyzes a specific practice-oriented study on the reintegration of juvenile offenders.
- Fundamentals and principles of qualitative social research
- Methodological design and execution of expert interviews
- Techniques for qualitative content analysis and evaluation
- Application of qualitative methods in criminological research
Excerpt from the book
1. Qualitative social research
In applied subjects such as social work, nursing sciences or childhood pedagogy and family education, qualitative research is receiving more and more attention. With the help of qualitative research, one tries to describe life worlds from the point of view of the acting people in order to gain a better understanding of social reality, patterns of interpretation and structural features (cf. Flick/ von Kardorff 2012, p. 14). Qualitative social research aims to explore the causes and meaning of social action. Social reality refers to social action by individuals and institutions, which only then create social reality. They are interrelated to each other. The result of this relationship between ongoing social construction processes are forms and contents of everyday courses of action that decide on the reconstruction of the subjective views and patterns of interpretation of the social actors (cf. ibid. p. 20).
The benefits from qualitative research are manifold. Both theoretically and practically, e.g. insights into motives, values and attitude to life as well as into social organizations, friendship relationships and loyalty of a culture are gained or general structural characteristics of a closed institution are developed (cf. ibid. p. 14). In order to grasp a person's perspectives and the social construction of his world, qualitative research can provide a clear, vivid picture and thus also a dense description (cf. ibid. p. 17). In order to develop ways of acting in qualitative research, it is important to observe certain guidelines and principles. Actions that are developed for a qualitative research process are based on the recording of the human being (subject) in its entirety, its functional and living ways as well as on the historical contexts in which he lives (cf. Mayring 2002, p. 22ff.). Concrete practical problems in the subject area should always be practice-oriented (cf. ibid. p. 25). In principle, one should not move too far away from the source material, even if one formulates general statements (cf. ibid. p. 25).
Summary of Chapters
1. Qualitative social research: This chapter introduces the definition and core principles of conducting research within qualitative social sciences to understand social realities and life worlds.
2. The expert interview: This section details the conceptualization of the expert interview, covering the selection of experts, the formulation of guide questions, and the practical implementation of the interview process.
3. Qualitative content analysis: This chapter outlines the evaluation methodology used to systematically process and structure data collected from text-based interviews.
4. A sample study: This practical example demonstrates the application of qualitative methods in a study concerning the rehabilitation of multiple-offending juveniles.
Keywords
Qualitative social research, expert interview, qualitative content analysis, research methodology, social reality, guideline interview, evaluation method, juvenile delinquency, probation, subjective perspective, data collection, category system, interpretation, social construction, empirical research.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The publication serves as a methodological manual that explains how qualitative social research can be conducted using expert interviews and how the resulting data can be evaluated through qualitative content analysis.
Which specific research fields are addressed?
The text focuses on applied disciplines like social work, nursing, pedagogy, and empirical sociology, where understanding subjective perspectives is essential.
What is the primary objective of the research methods described?
The primary goal is to provide a framework for generating hypotheses and gaining a deep, vivid understanding of social actions and everyday phenomena from the perspective of the actors involved.
Which methodological approach is central to the interview process?
The research relies on the "expert interview" as a survey method, often utilizing a guide or semi-standardized approach to ensure flexibility while covering relevant research topics.
What does the "qualitative content analysis" involve?
It involves a systematic process of extracting, processing, and evaluating collected text material, typically through a category system that allows for summarizing, explicating, or structuring the data.
What determines the selection of an "expert"?
An expert is defined not by their personal attributes, but by their specialized knowledge, institutional status, and their ability to interpret specific fields of action relevant to the research interest.
Why are audio recordings sometimes omitted in expert interviews?
Depending on the research context, omitting audio recordings can help create a more natural atmosphere, foster a secure basis of trust, and encourage the interviewee to speak more openly.
How is the "principle of openness" maintained in this methodology?
This is achieved by using openly formulated questions that allow the subject to express their knowledge according to their own perspective, rather than forcing them into predetermined patterns.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Johanna Kurscheid (Autor:in), Bianca Ulavachathil (Autor:in), 2013, Expert interview and qualitative content analysis in qualitative social research, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1466375
