Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM–1
Chapter 18
Reading and Writing the Qualitative Research Report
Activity: Dissecting Journal Articles
Ask students to read one qualitative research article. In class, divide the students into small groups to
generate a list of questions they would like to ask the authors about a particular section of the report (e.g.,
Activity: Writing About the Qualitative Method
In frustration one day, I started creating this table on the board to help students summarize how they
conducted their focus group study. They wanted to write, “we conducted a focus group study,” and I
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM–2
Grouphate
Methods: what did we do, how did we do it, why did we do it?
What
Network Sampling
Focus Group
Consent Form
Recorded
Focus Guideline
How
Working people in
groups/teams
Not too
interpersonally close
to us
At least 18 years of
age
Emails, Facebook,
phone calls, face to
face, referrals
5 sessions
60–90 minutes
3–11 people
5 different moderators
Note taker/
greeters/helpers
Faculty advisor present
but not in focus group
room (moderator still
in charge)
Written consent
statement
Moderator led
Audio for 4
1 did not work
Same guideline for
all focus groups
All contributed
Had a visual that
originated in
research
Why
General population to
get general and
different views (not
people from the same
organization)
General views
Variety of views
Inductive reasoning;
reason from data to
themes
Required
Allows anonymity
Perhaps non-
English readers
Accurate data
Want specific
quotes
Provides
retrospective
Concretize
concepts already
talked about
Provided common
ground to pull
together diversity
Limited inductive
& diversified topic
areas discussed
Keep group on
task
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM–3
What
Observers
Identity
Snacks
NOTES
Culturally diverse
Age generally 25–50
Gender balanced, one session with males only, one session
with females only
Non-university locations, across RTP
How
3 (2/1) graduate
students who are not
coauthored
Only used first names
Name tents
No identifying
organizational
information
Did not record until
after they introduced
themselves
“Stop if asked” not
requested by
participants
Provided snacks and
soda
Why
For grad students to
learn about focus
groups
Creates distance
Creates anonymity
Allows participants to
talk in confidence
Creates social
atmosphere
People talk more when
they eat
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM–4
Activity: Developing Drafts of the Written Qualitative Report
Before students start to write a qualitative research report, have them draft a list of working titles (ideally,
four or five) for their study and then select the one that best represents the study. Next, ask them to
Worksheet—Reading the Qualitative Research Report
Read any qualitative research article. Use the article to answer the questions on this worksheet. Attach a
copy of the article to the completed worksheet.
APA citation for the article:
1. What decision did the author make about authorial voice?
c. Provide information about the participants and the communication context and scene:
d. Describe the steps and methods for analyzing the data:
e. Provide evidence that the data were triangulated:
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM–5
Additional Resources
Trujillo, N. (1998). In search of Naunny’s grave. Text and Performance Quarterly, 18, 344-368.
Trujillo, N., & Krizek, B. (1994). Emotionality in the stands and in the fields: Expressing self through
baseball. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 18, 303-325.
Burnard, P. (2004). Writing a qualitative research report. Accident and Emergency Nursing, 12, 176-181.
doi:10.1016/j.aaen.2003.11.006
Very cleverly, Dr. Burnard uses the form of a journal article to teach others how to write a qualitative
research report.
Web Resources
For a list of Internet resources, visit https://www.joannkeyton.com/research-methods