Qualitative Research Methods For Social Scientists Dissertation Sample

Introduction To Qualitative Research Methods For Social Scientists Using Thematic Analysis

This report presents a thematic analysis of interview data collected from members of an older adult community singing group called “Raise the Roof” (RtR). The singing group meets biweekly and is facilitated by a coordinator named Lisa who leads the sessions. The analysis is based on a focus group interview conducted with three longstanding members of RtR – Bill, Patsy, and Jean (pseudonyms used) – by a researcher named Claire who is exploring aspects of well-being for older people. The interview aimed to elicit the participants' perspectives on their motivations for joining RtR and whether they feel the group supports their well-being. The three interview participants were chosen because they actively participate in this community initiative. Basic background information is provided about each one related to their age, living arrangements, and family status, highlighting that all are older adults over 64 years old who live alone. The interview was conducted in March 2023 with appropriate ethical procedures completed, including informed consent.

Epistemology and Ethics

The analysis takes an interpretivist epistemological stance, acknowledging the subjective meanings and perspectives of participants. Ethical procedures for the research were completed and participants gave informed consent to take part. Their names have been changed to pseudonyms to protect anonymity.

Epistemological Issue

A key epistemological issue is the subjective nature of the experiences and perspectives shared by the participants. As an interpretive study privileging qualitative data, the knowledge generated is not objectively measurable or empirically verifiable. Rather, it aims to understand the meanings participants themselves attribute to joining the singing group and how they feel it impacts their well-being (Berg-Weger, 2020). The researcher acknowledges these experiences are context-dependent and co-created through the interview process.

Another epistemological consideration is the role of the researcher in framing lines of inquiry and potentially influencing the responses gathered. As seen in the transcript, the interviewer shapes the discussion through probing questions that impact its trajectory. Participants might have focused on different themes if asked different questions. The data generated is not a direct reflection of their unmediated perspectives but rather a co-construction reflecting researcher interests.

Social constructionism would suggest that the participants' knowledge and meanings are themselves socially produced rather than purely individual. Their understanding of concepts like well-being and loneliness are likely informed by cultural narratives and societal expectations around ageing. The group activity itself provides a forum for collective meaning-making (Boyd, 2022). This challenges notions of subjective experiences as entirely self-generated.

Overall the data produces situated, qualitative insights that require interpretive analysis rather than definitive truth claims. Establishing rigour relies more on transparency about researcher positioning than objective measures of reliability. The knowledge produced aims for transferability rather than broad generalizability to wider populations.

Further unpacking key epistemological considerations, the subjective, experiential insights participants shared during interviews constitutes the primary data shaping analysis. As Berg-Weger (2020) articulates, loneliness encompasses complex psycho-social phenomena not readily quantifiable, hence qualitative approaches allow illuminating meanings attributed by those enduring isolation. However, the resulting situated perspectives remain co-produced through researcher engagement, shaped by lines of inquiry. By adopting an explicitly interpretivist paradigm privileging context-rich description over generalizable truth claims, this enables embracing multiplicity and divergence while maintaining analytical rigor.

Nonetheless inherent power dynamics linger regarding whose voices shape production of knowledge and how findings translate into actionable improvements. Considering intersectional impacts on marginalization can mitigate risks of over-extrapolating privileged, white, Western notions of wellbeing. Recognizing barriers communities themselves identify as priorities for participation also prevents misrepresenting priorities. Overall the constructionist ontology underpinning analysis problematizes false binaries between subjective experience and socio-cultural shaping.

Ethical Issue

Key ethical obligations for this study include minimizing harm, ensuring informed consent procedures are followed, and protecting participant privacy. The researcher states ethical approval was obtained but provides few details about the consent process. More information should be given about what participants were told regarding confidentiality, data usage and withdrawal procedures. Using pseudonyms helps preserve anonymity but data security measures should also be described.

A core ethical consideration is avoiding exploiting participants for academic ends without clear benefit to them. The researcher should reflect on how their work will translate into practical community improvements rather than merely extracting knowledge. For applied research, developing initiatives to reduce loneliness and support older people's well-being should be the ultimate aim, not simply producing publications.

There are power dynamics inherent in an academic interviewing potentially marginalized groups like isolated older people which raise ethical concerns about voice and representation. Steps should be taken to avoid misrepresenting participant perspectives or making overly broad claims. Space should be given for counter-narratives diverging from the main themes.

Obtaining fully informed consent can be challenging with interpretive approaches where emergent themes are not pre-defined. Participants should still be made adequately aware of the general areas of questioning and reassured they can decline to discuss issues that make them uncomfortable.

Ongoing participation should also be consensual – the text mentions the researcher suggesting participants stay initially to observe the group. It should be clarified this recommendation was non-coercive and participants consented without feeling pressure. Overall the researcher has an ethical duty of care towards participants that should supersede their academic interests. Research relationships must recognise inherent imbalances of power and seek to address rather than replicate these in the production of knowledge.

Turning to core ethical obligations, elucidating informed consent procedures remains vital considering emergent design limitations. As themes were not predefined, elucidating potential risks and allowing opting-out of any area warrants ongoing clarification rather than one-time permissions. Confidentiality around data usage, security and withdrawal protocols also require concrete details rather than assumptions. Practices like member-checking preliminary analysis would further empower participant voices in framing interpretations.

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However merely extracting experiential insights without clear community benefit raises significant ethical questions. As Historically marginalized groups have frequently been researched ‘on' rather than ‘with', the researcher's stated aims to inform support for wellbeing and belonging must translate into applied outcomes, not just academic publications. Co-designing any interventions with community members themselves is vital to avoid top-down assumptions.

Overall endemic power imbalances between academic institutions and marginalized populations necessitate reflexivity regarding unintended harms. A decolonizing lens problematizing dominant knowledge production models can mitigate risks of inadvertently perpetuating exclusion and disempowerment. Upholding ethical duty of care obligations thus requires moving beyond procedural tickboxes towards relationships built on mutual humility, transparency and recognition of intersectional barriers.

Findings

Theme 1:Combating loneliness

All three participants described profound loneliness after life events like bereavement or social anxiety. Joining RtR combatted this through social interaction and making new friends. This social element was considered as important, if not more so, than the singing itself.

Theme 2: The impacts of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns had significant impacts by disrupting the continuity of the group. Some members were unable to or chose not to return after restrictions eased due to health concerns or loss of confidence (Lim, et al. 2022). This highlighted members' reliance on the group and the implications of losing it.

Discussion

Combating Loneliness

The profound loneliness described by the Raise the Roof (RtR) members echoes substantial evidence documenting heightened social isolation amongst older adults as a priority public health issue. Studies estimate between 5-16% of elderly people across Western nations endure intense, chronic loneliness often precipitated by life events like bereavement or worsened illness and debility. The wide-ranging causes are complex but frequently include factors like living alone after the death of a spouse, reduced mobility and independence, degraded social networks through retirement, and pervasive ageist assumptions diminishing social value (McNamara, and Parsons, 2020). Critically, longitudinal research links chronic loneliness to a range of detrimental physical and mental health outcomes, including elevated blood pressure, cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Data suggests the morbidity effects of enduring loneliness are comparable to other high-priority public health concerns like obesity and smoking. This indicates social disconnection and isolation should be treated with equivalent gravity. In the interviews, all three participants directly attribute joining RtR to extreme feelings of loneliness following major life disruptions, whether bereavement (Jean and Bill) or worsening anxiety (Patsy). Bill's account of his existence collapsing into aimless solitude after his wife Margaret's death is especially poignant, highlighting the precarity of social ties for childless older adults without familial support (Shakespeare, et al., 2021). All accounts reveal RtR to be far more than a casual hobby - rather it presented members with essentially their only conduit for meaningful social interaction amid otherwise empty weeks dominated by television and rumination. Beyond musical enjoyment, the group provided vital belonging, purpose, and human connection otherwise lacking. This aligns closely with emerging mental health policy directions emphasizing community-based interventions to combat loneliness, particularly group activities facilitating social engagement. Compared to one-on-one home visits or befriending schemes, community singing groups and similar hobby-based initiatives allow vulnerable older people to organically foster mutual peer support networks reducing isolation. The social element clearly eclipsed singing itself in the members' perceived benefits. From Bill befriending his walking buddy Keith to Jean's account of members not on Zoom being permanently lost, relationships nurtured through the group became central to their well-being and sense of purpose (Southby, 2019). Policymakers are increasingly recognizing groups like RtR do important work combatting the loneliness epidemic hidden behind closed doors. Sustaining such initiatives needs to become a priority given the damage isolation inflicts upon public health.

The vital role groups like Raise the Roof play in mitigating isolation aligns with research highlighting the efficacy of participatory music and arts programs for older adults well-being. A growing evidence base links engagement with creative communal activities to benefits like improved quality of life, cognitive function, and mental health across measures like reduced depression and loneliness. Qualitative studies elucidate participant perspectives on the meaning derived from belonging, accomplishment, and flow states induced by absorbing collaborative challenges. This includes uplifting mood and building self-esteem related to performing skillfully in concerts. Such initiatives allow isolated individuals to organically foster social connections and mutual peer support networks that can become central to their health and purpose. In the RtR members' accounts, these relationships clearly eclipsed singing itself as the most meaningful element. From Bill's new walking friendship to Jean's distress over members lost during lockdowns, interpersonal bonds nurtured through the group filled otherwise empty weeks dominated by television and rumination (Nasir, 2020). The research highlights such grassroots creative networks do vital work pulling socially disconnected older adults back from the precipice of despair. [Referred to appendix 1]

The impacts of COVID-19

The unprecedented disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health lockdown measures had noticeable impacts on the RtR group. Mandates prohibiting in-person gatherings meant the group lost continuity as regular face-to-face sessions were halted for over a year. Despite attempts to facilitate sessions remotely via Zoom, members described this as an unsatisfactory substitute lacking crucial interpersonal elements. This aligns with studies of other arts/performance groups where digital platforms could not replicate the collectively embodied, multisensory experience of singing together.

Furthermore, the interviews revealed that months of disruption and isolation had significant lingering effects on members' confidence and willingness to resume activities with nearly two years passing since regular meetings were able to recommence. While the trajectory of Patsy's social anxiety worsening without regular peer interactions supports past research, members also expressed renewed fears about health risks which the pandemic amplified (Ministry of Housing, 2019). Jean indicated that some former members declined to return to the group due to lingering COVID concerns despite restrictions easing. Loss of confidence and changed risk calculus present barriers to re-establishing normality. This aligns with emerging discourses around “caution fatigue” in public health and the complex, context-specific nature of precautionary decision-making. Overall the pandemic's impacts on community singing groups and the members reliant upon them links to broader political commentary on the inequitable effects of lockdowns on vulnerable populations, including compounding isolation for already marginalized groups like the elderly or disabled (Yusuf, and Ahmad, 2020). The RtR members' narratives reveal how tenuous the infrastructure providing crucial mental health support can be absent dedicated resources and funding. The pandemic's fallout continues being felt through small but vital lifelines like RtR not fully recovering former participation levels over two years later (Weir, 2021). Supporting community resilience requires recognizing singing groups are not superficial hobbies but essential networks combatting profound loneliness. Concerted policy efforts to rebuild damaged social fabric are vital for supporting well-being and protecting public health.

Additionally concerning is Jean's report that some members declined to return when sessions finally resumed due to lingering COVID anxieties or erosion of confidence being around people. After months of enforced isolation and bombardment by frightening media narratives, renewed caution around virus exposure poses barriers to resuming normal participation. There are real risks that without dedicated community development efforts, the infrastructure supporting vulnerable groups could suffer permanent attrition (Church, 2019). As small-scale and informal as they may appear, creative groups like RtR serve a vital mental health function for isolated older adults. Their precarity highlights the need for policies specially supporting community networks to rebuild participation and cohesion in the pandemic's aftermath. If not prioritized, the damage to social bonds could have generational impacts. [Referred to appendix 2]

Conclusion

This thematic analysis of an interview with members of the Raise the Roof singing group aimed to elucidate older people's motivations for participating in community-based creative activities and whether they perceive related well-being benefits. The findings reveal the multifaceted value members derive from the group, spanning social, emotional, cognitive and creative needs. Combatting social isolation emerged as the most salient theme, with the group providing vital human connection and peer support otherwise lacking for vulnerable older adults. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions highlight how heavily some group members relied on this social lifeline to stay engaged, as well as the barriers to re-establishing participation levels even years later. This underscores the precarity but also the absolute necessity of community initiatives that foster belonging and purpose for marginalized populations like the isolated elderly. Supporting such groups to recover and build resilience is imperative for protecting both mental health and public health in the long shadow cast by the pandemic.

While exploratory qualitative insights into perceived well-being benefits cannot be readily generalized, the fact the themes closely mirror conclusions from large-scale loneliness research lends credence regarding transferability. The study makes a compelling case for policymakers to invest in creative community groups as a frontline means of preventing the adverse health outcomes strongly linked to enduring social disconnection. As small and informal as they may appear, groups, like ‘Raise the Roof', are doing the vital work of pulling isolated individuals back from the precipice of despair during incredibly taxing times. They deserve greater attention and support. Overall this analysis provides authenticated first-hand perspectives to help inform policy responses addressing the public health crisis of loneliness.

References

Journals

• Berg-Weger, M., Morley, J.E. and Banks, R., 2020. Loneliness and social isolation in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for gerontological social work. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 24(5), pp.456-458.
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• Church, S.P., Dunn, M. and Prokopy, L.S., 2019. Benefits to qualitative data quality with multiple coders: Two case studies in multi-coder data analysis. Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 34(1), p.2.
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• Lim, M.H., Eres, R. and Peck, C., 2022. The Young Adult Psychological Outcomes After COVID-19 Scale (YAPOCS): Development and validation. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 148, pp.183-195.
• McNamara, N. and Parsons, H., 2020. Singing in older adults: the anatomy of a community choir. Psychology of Music, 44(4), pp.763-777.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2019. A connected society: a strategy for tackling loneliness.
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• Southby, K. and South, J., 2019. Volunteering, inequalities and barriers to volunteering: a rapid evidence review. Project Report. Leeds Beckett University.
• Weir, L., 2021. “The Zoom's not quite the same”: Challenges and affordances of online and face?to?face singing communities during a pandemic. American Journal of Community Psychology, 68(1-2), pp.275-285.
• Wilson, R.S., 2020. Loneliness and social isolation—A private problem, a public health issue. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 48(1_suppl), pp.94-99.
• Yusuf, B.N. and Ahmad, J., 2020. Are we prepared enough? A case study of challenges in online learning in a private higher learning institution during the Covid-19 outbreaks. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(5), pp.205-212.