The role of theory in qualitative health research

Abstract

The role of theory in qualitative research is often underplayed but it is relevant to the quality of such research in three main ways. Theory influences research design, including decisions about what to research and the development of research questions. Theory underpins methodology and has implications for how data are analyzed and interpreted. Finally, theory about a particular health issue may be developed, contributing to what is already known about the topic that is the focus of the study. This paper will critically consider the role of theory in qualitative primary care research in relation to these three areas. Different approaches to qualitative research will be drawn upon in order to illustrate the ways in which theory might variably inform qualitative research, namely generic qualitative research, grounded theory and discourse analysis. The aim is to describe and discuss key issues and provide practical guidance so that researchers are more aware of the role theory has to play and the importance of being explicit about how theory affects design, analysis and the quality of qualitative research.

Views on disclosing mistreatment: A focus group study of differences between people with MS and their caregivers

“…Statements of those not in abusive relationships were eliminated from the analyses. In the initial phase of this process, individual researchers noted keywords, phrases, and major themes (Table 2) (Liamputtong, 2011;Kelly, 2010). All members of the research team reviewed the transcripts.…”

Re-visioning Child Protection Management Embedded in Family Empowerment

“…The disadvantages linked to qualitative research are the lack of quantitative outcome, subjectivity factors, potential bias, labour intensive processes, unreliability and generalisability (Kelly, 2009;Rubin and Babbie, 2008;Finfgeld, 2003;Sandelowski, 2004). Also, qualitative research seldom yields precise statistical statements regarding the feelings, experiences and attitudes of the study participants (Rubin and Babbie, 2008).…”

“…quantitative) analysis of raw data to extract instead the deeper meaning of data through the appropriate synthesizing of qualitative findings (Kelly, 2009). The basic argument for qualitative research is its scope to go beyond instrumental reasoning and numerical interpretation of human circumstances, rather bringing philosophical perspectives in social sciences as once advocated by critical theorist Jürgen Habermas (Ngwenyama, 2002;Habermas,1986).…”

“…It is always helpful when addressing a fairly complex subject like re-envisioning child protection practice embedded in family empowerment, to begin by outlining the fundamental concepts and constructs that describe and explain the phenomenon (Kelly, 2009). This can provide a comprehensive conceptual understanding of general issues such as how different societies work, how a system functions and why people engage in certain ways (Reeves, Albert, Kuper and Hodges, 2008).…”

“…It offers different critical lenses for the researcher to look at different social circumstances, focusing their attention on different aspects of data and providing a framework within which to conduct the analysis (Reeves et al, 2008). Kelly (2009) stressed that the strength of a qualitative research study will be largely influenced by how the researcher approaches theoretical perspectives at different stages of the study. For example, in this study, social justice and anti-oppressive practice and critiques were important parts in informing the formulation of research objectives, data collection, data interpretation and discussion, in line with critical social theory.…”