Qualitative research???

Question

What are the strengths and weaknesses of using videos in qualitative research?

Which studies have used them?

Answers or good links would be most appreciated. Thanks

The videos could be used to record interview or other things - but also in terms of documentaries --- although I will specify there must surely be some gerenal strengths and weaknesses.

Thanks for the response. Some great ideas.

For those of you talking about qualitative versus quantitative the module i am studying is qualitative -- so no choice in the matter! I am looking for more specific info on video methods.

Answer 1

There is far more information recorded than with audio tapes/transcripts; the environment, body language, non-verbal signals, what is happening when nothing seems to be happening, etc. All this info allows for closer analysis by people not present so it lends itself to behavioural studies and participant studies.

The major disadvantage has been the speed of technological advances. Recording equipment becomes obsolete very quickly. This site should give you some ideas.

http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/
-Social Research Update
--10. Archiving qualitative research data
--11. Visual research methods

and...
www.esomar.org/uploads/pdf/
ps_cg_tapeandvideoresearch.pdf

http://www.scre.ac.uk/spotlight/spotlight45.html
http://www.intranel.com/videoscribe.html
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01842.x/abs/

good luck

Answer 2

Bandura (and his bobo dolls) for his social learning theory (part of the behaviourist theory) used them to show the children a model beating up a bobo doll and if that model got praised, ignored or punished. He then left the children alone in a room to see what they play with, the children which saw the model getting praised or ignored beat the doll up. The children which saw the model getting punished played with other toys.

a strength of qualitative is that the researcher can get indepth information and views about the participant.

a weakness is the responses are hard to statistically analyse.

hope this helps

Answer 3

here's a nice wiki. some people will only accept quantitative research. I think if you're going to do qualitative research you have to be prepared to undertake a longditudinal study

Answer 4

qualitative is way better than quantitative! you know this and that means u r gonna get a good grade on whatever you're doin

Answer 5

Your question is very vague. How would you use the videos? To record interviews? To record something else? To show videos and then have subjects respond to what they saw? What's your methodology?

Answer 6

If you videotape an inte rview or an observation, you can check what was said or observed to improve reliability.

You can get someone else to make the observation for inter-rater reliability.

Answer 7

it is set up and yet not natural and you have to have permission for videoing people and therefore people may not act naturally and the strenth would be good evidance of behaviour and the ability to record behaviour