An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis: Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research

193 Pages·2010·1.812 MB·English

by  Claire Howell Major, Maggi Savin-Baden

An Introduction to
Qualitative Research
Synthesis
Managing the information
explosion in social science
research
Claire Howell Major and
Maggi Savin-Baden
An Introduction to Qualitative
Research Synthesis
Providing a comprehensive guide for understanding, interpreting and synthesiz-
ing qualitative studies, An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis shows
how data can be collated together effectively to summarize existing bodies of
knowledge and to create a more complete picture of fi ndings across different
studies.
The authors describe qualitative research synthesis and argue for its use,
describing the process of data analysis, synthesis and interpretation, and provide
specifi c details and examples of how the approach works in practice.
This accessible book:
• fully explains the qualitative research synthesis approach;
• provides advice and examples of fi ndings;
• describes the process of establishing credibility in the research process;
• provides annotated examples of the work in process;
• references published examples of the approach across a range of fi elds.
Helping researchers to understand, make meaning and synthesize a wide variety
of datasets, this book is broad in scope yet practical in approach. It will be
benefi cial to those working in social science disciplines, including researchers,
teachers, students and policymakers. This book will be useful to researchers with
interests in meta-ethnography, meta-synthesis, critical interpretive synthesis and
qualitative synthesis.
Claire Howell Major is Professor of the Higher Education Program at the
University of Alabama, USA.
Maggi Savin-Baden is Professor of Higher Education Research at Coventry
University, UK.
An Introduction to Qualitative
Research Synthesis
Managing the information explosion in
social science research
Claire Howell Major and
Maggi Savin-Baden
This edition first published 2010
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2010 Claire Howell Major and Maggi Savin-Baden
Typeset in Galliard by
Glyph International
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Major, Claire Howell.
An introduction to qualitative research synthesis : managing
the information explosion in social science research / Claire
Howell Major and Maggi Savin-Baden.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Social sciences—Research—Methodology. 2. Education—
Research—Methodology. 3. Qualitative research—Methodology.
I. Savin-Baden, Maggi, 1960- II. Title.
H62.M23583 2010
300.72—dc22 2009024750
ISBN 10: 0-415-56285-6 (hbk)
ISBN 10: 0-415-56286-4 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-56285-0 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-56286-7 (pbk)
Contents
List of fi gures vii
List of tables viii
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
PART 1
Arguing for qualitative research synthesis 7
1 Making the case for qualitative
research synthesis 9
2 Comparing qualitative research synthesis
with other approaches 23
PART 2
Doing qualitative research synthesis 41
3 Designing the synthesis 43
4 Analysing, synthesizing and
interpreting studies 56
5 Establishing plausibility in qualitative
research synthesis 72
6 Presenting the synthesis 89
Conclusion 105
vi Contents
PART 3
Resources 113
Examples of studies using qualitative
research synthesis 115
Executive summaries of qualitative meta-synthesis articles 123
Bibliography 157
References 171
Glossary 179
Index 185
List of figures
1.1 Process of qualitative research synthesis 11
2.1 Forms of literature use, along a continuum 24
2.2 T he position of qualitative research synthesis,
among levels of use 24
3.1 Defi ning the search parameters 44
4.1 The processes involved in research synthesis 57
4.2 The iterative cycle of qualitative research synthesis 71
5.1 Designing for plausibility 80
6.1 Example of fl ow chart 99
6.2 Illustration of hierarchies 100
6.3 Example of a concept map 101
List of tables
2.1 Approaches to combining evidence 28
2.2 Qualitative approaches to combining
qualitative evidence 33
2.3 Uses of existing studies in science and social
science research 36
3.1 Components of a good question 46
3.2 Possible alterations to study design 47
3.3 Self-refl ective questions for question development 48
3.4 Inclusion and exclusion criteria 51
3.5 Selecting articles 51
3.6 A guide to inclusion and exclusion decisions 52
3.7 Refl ective questions to user prior to excluding studies 53
3.8 Self-refl ective question set for selecting studies 54
4.1 Summary of studies 59
4.2 Comparison of articles 60
4.3 A rating schedule to establish rigour of fi ndings 61
4.4 Identifying fi ndings from data 61
4.5 Example of identifying second order themes
across studies 65
4.6 Developing third order interpretations 68
4.7 Transparency questions 70
5.1 Summary of the ways in which common
challenges with qualitative research are
exacerbated in qualitative synthesis 76
5.2 Description of commonly used strategies for
validity and attending cautions 77
5.3 A framework for questioning whether four central
criteria have been met 85
5.4 A framework for questioning whether secondary
criteria have been met 86
6.1 Elements of a social science research paper 91
List of tables ix
6.2 Questions about targeting the audience in
the introduction 92
6.3 Useful sections to present for a qualitative synthesis 95
6.4 Indication of themes and levels of analysis 99
6.5 Recommendations for infl uencing policy,
procedure and guidelines 103
List of boxes
4.1 Exemplar of summary of studies 59
Acknowledgements
We are most grateful for permission given to reproduce extracts from the
following:
Major, C. (2010) Do virtual professors dream of electric students? College
faculty experiences with online distance education. Teachers College Record,
112(8) – previously published on TCRecord.org http://www.TCRecord.org/
© Teachers College Record and reprinted here with permission.
Savin-Baden, M. and Major, C. H. (2007) Using interpretive meta-ethnogra-
phy to explore the relationship between innovative approaches to learning and
innovative methods of pedagogical research. Higher Education, 54(6): 833–52,
reproduced with kind permission from Springer Science and Business Media
© Springer Science + Business Media B. V. 2006.