Items Description of Module

Subject Name Management

Paper Name Research Methodology
Module Title Use of literature in qualitative research
Module ID Module 23
Pre-Requisites Understanding the nature of qualitative research
Objectives To study the use of literature in qualitative research
Keywords Theoretical literature, Methodological literature, Empirical literature
Role Name Affiliation
Prof.Ipshita Bansal Department of Management
Principal Investigator Studies, BPSMV, Khanpur
Kalan, Sonipat

Co-Principal Investigator

Prof. S.P.Singh Department of Management

Paper Coordinator Studies, GKV, Haridwar

Prof. S.P.Singh Department of Management

Content Writer (CW) Studies, GKV, Haridwar

Content Reviewer (CR)

Language Editor (LE)

QUADRANT –I

1. Module : The Use of Literature in Qualitative Research

2. Learning Outcome
3. Introduction
4. The Use of Literature about the Topic of study
5. The Use of Theories
6. The use of Empirical Literature
7. The use of the Methodological literature
8. Use of literature when writing about the study
9. How and Where to Find the Literature
10. Summary

1. Module 21: Qualitative research

2. Learning outcome
After reading this module, you should be able to:
 Understand use of literature about the topic of study
 Comprehend the use of theories
 Know the use of empirical literature
 Understand the use of methodological literature
 Comprehend the use of literature when writing about the study
 Know how and where to find the literature
3. Introduction
The researchers often face the idea that the qualitative research does not require to begin from a
review of the existing literature and they can avoid this stage at the start of research. This idea
originate from the fact that qualitative research is fast connected to the concept of exploring area
and discovering new field that are new to the sciences and to research. Therefore, majority of
textbooks on qualitative research do not consist the use of existing literature. It is credulous to
think that there are still new areas to explore, where no publication has been done. That might
have been the situation at the beginning of qualitative research, when there were unexplored
fields. However, after more than hundred years of systematic social research and decades of
rediscovering qualitative research, it is difficult to identify an entirely unexplored area. Though
research has not been done on everything, but almost everything one want to research will
perhaps find an existing or nearby field.
The absence of the use of existing literature may also spring from a very early statement about
grounded theory research. Glazer and Strauss (1967) in their Discovery of Ground Theory
suggested the researchers should begin gathering and analyzing data without searching the
existing literature in the field of study. Strauss revised this statement a long time ago, but this
notion is still prevailing in many impressions of qualitative research. Flick (2006) suggested that
the researcher should use different forms of literature for the purpose of a qualitative study. These
different forms of literature include :
 Theoretical literature on the topic being studied;
 Empirical literature about previous research in the field of study or like fields.
 Methodological literature tells how a researcher can do his research and how the selected
method can be used.
 Theoretical and empirical literature establishes context, compare, and generalize findings.


Figure 1 Use of Literature

4. Use of Theoretical literature about the topic of study

 The researcher should make himself conversant with the literature in the field of his study. He
should read the existing writings about the social situation in the field he desires to conduct
interviews or do observations. What is known about the people that he wants to interview?
In a quantitative study, the researcher reviews the existing literature concerning the problem of
his study, develops hypotheses, and then proceeds to test these hypotheses. In qualitative
research, the researcher uses insights and information flowing from the existing literature as
context knowledge, which is used to visualize statements and observations in research in their
context. Review of the theoretical literature in the area of research should assist in obtaining
information about:
 Knowledge about the issue in particular, or the area in general;
 The theories used and discussed in particular area;
 Concepts used or disputed about the issue;
 Theoretical or methodological debates or controversies in the field;
 Still open questions;
 The issues not yet been studied.
During 1960s there was widespread dissatisfaction with the development of theory in social
sciences. Social scientist wanted to find overall grand theories originally meant to explain
everything, but finished explaining almost nothing at the level of day to day phenomena. In this
situation, a need for theories closer to practically relevant issues arose, which empirically based
theories developed in the research of grounded theory researchers should answer.
Now we have a wide variety of models and explanatory approaches for detailed problems. The
trend is more towards diversification than to unification and a lot of these rather limited theories
and models might be useful for analysis of empirical material in concerned areas.

5. The Use of Theories

There are different forms of relevant theories:

Substantive
theories

Theory of
Ediposodic
social
interview
representation

5.1 Substantive Theories

There are theories explaining the issue under study and inform about the state of the art of
scientific knowledge and different forms. These theories may also inform about possible reasons,
for example for a disease like skin cancer and their reoccurrences, and the ways of treatment,
ways of dealing with it. This forms a part of the theoretical context that the researcher should read
 the literature about. When the focus is especially on people and the issue in a particular setting, it
might be interesting to know the issue is specifically relevant in the setting. To find this
information, the researcher will read the theoretical literature.

5.2 Theory of Social Representation

The theory of social representation gives an idea about different forms of knowledge among lay
people in different groups. It also provides ideas about how such knowledge is developed,
transformed, and communicated. This provides the researcher a theoretical framework for
conceptualization of the study.
When the focus is on the middle class, the researcher probably starts from the concept of social
classes and social inequality, and the spread of special benefits and under-privileged in society.
This is again a background theory for conceiving the study. When the focus is on women as the
target group of study, the researcher may also have a gender focus in his study, starting from the
idea of gender differences in experience, way of living, starting from the idea of gender
differences in experience, ways of living or knowing. These theories are called context theories
for research.

5.3 Episodic interviews

A specific methodology like episodic interview may be used to show how social representations
have developed along the life course of interviewees. This method comes with a particular
theoretical understanding of the problems that can be studied with it. This theory focuses, for
example, on biographical information. This method comes with a lot of theoretical knowledge
about how to design the position of gathering data so that they are as rich as possible and so on.
Here useful theory becomes relevant.

6. Use of Empirical literature about previous research in the same or similar areas
A researcher before undertaking an empirical research should find out other researcher in that or
similar area. There should e a systematic search for other studies in the study area. These can be
helpful in the guiding the research-what d do in his own research, how to design his research, and
what questions to ask in an interview. If the available research is a good example, it can be used
as an introduction how to conduct own research; in case of a bad example, it can be employed as
providing instructions not to go ahead or mistakes to avoid. Primarily, the empirical literature
should be read to see how other people in the area work, what has been studied, what has been
focused on, and what has been left out. If it is an area in which much research is being carried, it
might be useful to understand the level the research concentrates and its results.
The review of empirical literature in an area of research may assist to search answer for such
issues as:
 The methodological traditions or controversies present,
 Any contradictory results and findings which can be taken as a starting point.
Strauss and Corbin (1998) enumerate several ways of using the empirical literature:
Ideas from the literature can prove to be a source for comparisons in data gathered,
The acquaintance with concerned literature can enhance sensitivity to delicate distinction in data,
Exact descriptions of reality are useful for knowing the researcher’s own material can be derived
from published descriptive materials.
Philosophical and theoretical knowledge available can prompt and provide an orientation in the
field and the material.
The literature may also a good a source secondary data- for example; quotations from interviews
in articles may complement the materials.
The literature can be utilized to design questions helpful as a flexible board in early interviews
and observations.
 The literature may stimulate questions while the material is analyzed.
The literature can suggest fields for theoretical sampling.
The literature can be used for confirmation of findings or can be overcome by findings.
These points refer to publications from scientific writing, research, and methodology. Non-
technical literature like letters, biographies, and all sorts of documents can be used as primary
data for supplementing other forms of data like interviews.

7. Use of Methodological Literature

Before taking decision to use a specific method for the study, the researcher should read the
relevant methodological literature. If the intention is to use focus groups in a qualitative study, the
researcher should himself conversant with a detailed overview of the current state of qualitative
research. This overview can be obtained by reading a textbook or an introduction to the field.
Some of the relevant journals may also be searched for publications in the last couple of years.
Then one should identify the relevant publication about the method chosen by reading a special
book and prior research examples applying this method. This will facilitate the researcher to take
his decision concerning a specific method in the context of existing alternatives and of knowledge
about them. The review of methodological literature will prepare the researcher for the more
technical steps of planning to use the method and to avoid problems and mistakes outlined in the
literature. These steps will help the investigator to give a detailed and concise account of reasons
and ways methods were used in the study and later when the report is written.
Review of methodological literature in an area of research should assist to seek answer for such
questions as:
What are the methodological traditions, alternatives, or controversies here?
Are there any contradictory ways of using the methods, which the researcher could take as a
starting point?
For example, if the decision is taken to use a grounded theory approach for research, it may be
useful to read about the two versions developed by Strauss and Corbin (1998) and Glaser (1992).
If discourse analysis is used, it may be essential to read about the different versions (Parker, 2004,
Porter and Wetherall 1998) to see the distinctions, alternatives and strengths or weakness of one
approach over the other.
In reading and writing the method, a review of the methodological literature in that area will
assist the researcher and the readers of his research report to see his approach and findings in a
wider context.

8. Use of literature at the time of writing the study

It is also important to use the literature at the time of writing the study. Here, the existing
literature become relevant for grounding argumentation, for showing that research findings are in
concordance with the existing research, that the findings go beyond or contradict existing
research.
In more extensive report there should be a literature review. Hart gives a brief account of contents
of a literature review:
The choice of documents available both published and unpublished forms on the topic, which has
information, ideas, data, and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfill specific
purposes or represent views on the topic and the manner of its investigation, and the effective
evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed (Hart, 1998).
Thus, the researcher should demonstrate in the way he presents the literature used in his study
that he did a skilful search into the existing literature. Also it should be evident that he has a
mastery of the subject area and understands the issues, methods and the state of the art of research
in the field.
9. How and where to find the literature
A researcher can look to different places to search for relevant literature. In general, this will
depend on the topic of the study:

9.1 Usual Library

If the researcher wants to find out whether his usual library holds the literature he is looking for,
he can simply go to the library and check the catalogue. This can be time consuming and
frustrating if the book is not in stock.

9.2 Internet
If the researcher has to find out which library holds the book, he is looking for he can try to
obtain internet access to the library’s OPAC. Therefore, he should go to the home page of one or
more libraries, or use a link to several libraries at the same time. There he can find an exhaustive
overview of the existing books or the information for completing his reference lists. To get a
book, he still has to go to the library, but he will know where to go and whether it is available or
has to be ordered first.
 Figure 2Internet
9.3 Search Engines
For journal articles, he can use search engines. This will lead him to the Social Sciences Citation
Index, which can be searched for authors, titles, keywords, and the like. If he wants to read the
full article, he needs to be registered or he can use the right to download it.

9.4 Publication Services

The researcher can also utilize some online publication services organized y publishing houses
such as SAGE. At oneline.sagepub.com he can search all the journals published by this publisher,
read the abstracts, and get the exact reference dates for free. If he needs to read the full article, he
has to be a subscriber to the service or the journal, or buy the article from the home page or see
whether his library has subscribed to the journal that published the article.
 Figure 3 Publications

9.5 Theoretical, methodological and empirical literature

The researcher also should make use of theoretical, methodological, and empirical literature
referring to the topic, area and approach. This will help him to see what his material has to offer
in a wider context, inform him about how to do his research, and tell him what problems to avoid.
The Internet offers many supporting services helping him along the way to finding the literature.
Thus, a good review of the literature will be a substantial part of a research report.

Summary
The researchers often face the idea that the qualitative research does not require to begin from a
review of the existing literature and they can avoid this stage at the start of research. This idea
originate from the fact that qualitative research is fast connected to the concept of exploring area
and discovering new field that are new to the sciences and to research.
These different forms of literature include:
 Theoretical literature on the topic being studied;
 Empirical literature about previous research in the field of study or like fields.
 Methodological literature tells how a researcher can do his research and how the selected
method can be used.
 Theoretical and empirical literature establishes context, compare, and generalize findings.
The researcher should make himself conversant with the literature in the field of his study. He
should read the existing writings about the social situation in the field he desires to conduct
interviews or do observations. What is known about the people that he wants to interview?
There are different forms of relevant theories: substantive theories, theory of social
representation, and episodic interviews,
A researcher before undertaking an empirical research should find out other researcher in that or
similar area. There should e a systematic search for other studies in the study area. These can be
helpful in the guiding the research-what d do in his own research, how to design his research, and
what questions to ask in an interview. If the available research is a good example, it can provide
direction to conduct own research; if it is a bad example, it can be applied as not to proceed with
the research or mistakes to avoid.
Review of methodological literature in an area of research should assist to seek answer for such
questions as:
What are the methodological traditions, alternatives, or controversies here?
Are there any contradictory ways of using the methods, which the researcher could take as a
starting point?
For example, if the decision is taken to use a grounded theory approach for research, it may be
useful to read about the two versions developed by Strauss and Corbin (1998) and Glaser (1992).
If discourse analysis is used, it may be essential to read about the different versions (Parker, 2004,
Porter and Wetherall 1998) to see the distinctions, alternatives and strengths or weakness of one
approach over the other.
In reading and writing the method, a review of the methodological literature in that area will
assist the researcher and the readers of his research report to see his approach and findings in a
wider context.
It is also important to use the literature at the time of writing the study. Here, the existing
literature become relevant for grounding argumentation, for showing that research findings are in
concordance with the existing research, that the findings go beyond or contradict existing
research.
In more extensive report there should be a literature review.
A researcher can look to different places to search for relevant literature. In general, this will
depend on the topic of the study. These places can include usual library, internet, search engines,
publication services and theoretical, methodological and empirical literature.