Article 5 is an example of a study where the authors are interested in understanding peoples experiences and opinions about a topic to build a knowledge base in a new or emerging area. The results may be used to further develop theory from the ground up (as opposed to hypothesis testing) or they may be used to inform strategies to deal with a particular issue. Qualitative methods-based on interviews and focus groups are often the methods used to gather and analyze information.
1. What was the issue the authors were addressing?
2. What type of analysis did the authors employ to establish the eixistence of the problem? What did they find?
3. Who did they included in the focus groups? Do you think they missed any groups that should have been included?
4. What additional research questions and hypothesis are suggested by the study’s results? What light did the study shed on the theoretical framework used? On social policy questions?