Presentation Date: Saturday August 1, 2009
  Presentation Time: 8:00 am-11:00 am

CPE Session 03

Primer in Qualitative Research in Accounting

Presented By:

Marsha Huber, Otterbein College

Description: Many accounting professors have limited training in qualitative research. This session provides a “boot camp” with basic training in qualitative research design, data interpretation, and strategies for analysis. We will compare and contrast the differences between qualitative and quantitative research. Issues regarding ethics, validity, and transferability will also be discussed. Furthermore, the session will cover the “how tos” of conducting interviews, making observations, performing document analysis, and developing grounded surveys. In addition, you will learn the basic analysis techniques such as high vs. low inference interpretation, theory-building, concept mapping, and displaying data. Lastly, we will discuss ways you can tell “the story” of your data, many of which may be new to you.

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge and Applications
Program Level: Overview

Intended Audience: Graduate students and faculty members interested in conducting qualitative research, editors and reviewers that want to understand the fundamentals of sound qualitative research, and those interested in mixed methods reserach.

Format/Structure: The workshop will be structured as follows: •Begin with a comparison of qualitative and quantitative research. •Discuss the design of a qualitative study – the major methods include interviewing, observations, document analysis, and developing grounded surveys. •Design your own study. •Practice data analysis – writing warrants and assertions, coding, interpretation, concept mapping, and displaying data. •Learn how to tell “the story” of the data in a typical qualitative fashion.

Learning Objective: •Understand the history of qualitative in the positivist world and the basic differences between qualitative and quantitative research. •Design a qualitative study that addresses validity and triangulation. •Construct a data corpus that includes the basic qualitative methods of interviews, observation, document analysis, and grounded surveys. •Understand ethics involved in qualitative research such as member checks. •Understand the basics of analysis: data reduction, warrants and assertion, high inference versus low inference interpretation, grounded theory, and displaying data. •Tell the story of your data.

Prerequisites: None

Advanced Preparation Required: If you have an idea for qualitative research, bring it with you, and we can discuss it during the session.

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