An Online Forum as a Qualitative Research Method

Eun‐Ok Im · Wonshik Chee

131 citations0/0 files storedNursing Research

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods Survey Methodology and Nonresponse Qualitative Research Methods and Applications

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the positive aspects of online forums as a qualitative research method, very little is known on the practical issues involved in using online forums for data collection, especially for a qualitative research project. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the practical issues encountered in implementing an online forum as a qualitative component of a larger study on cancer pain experience. METHODS: Throughout the study process, the research staff recorded issues ranging from minor technical problems to serious ethical dilemmas as they arose and wrote memos about them. The memos and written records of the discussions were reviewed and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Two practical issues related to credibility were identified: (a) a high response and retention rate and (b) automatic transcripts. An issue related to dependability was the participants' forgetfulness. The issues related to confirmability were difficulties in theoretical saturation and unstandardized computer and Internet jargon. A security issue related to hacking attempts was noted as well. DISCUSSION: The analysis of these issues suggests several implications for future researchers who want to use online forums as a qualitative data collection method.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 131 citations exist upstream.

References

1986The problem of rigor in qualitative research 2001Validity in Qualitative Research 1997Ensuring rigour in qualitative research 1998AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF DATA COLLECTION USING THE INTERNET 2004Improving Accuracy of Transcripts in Qualitative Research 2000Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Qualitative Data Collection and Transcription 1989Standards for Qualitative Research 1996Focus Groups

Cited by

2016“I Get Paid to Have Orgasms”: Adult Webcam Models’ Negotiation of Pleasure and Danger 2016Focus Group Data Saturation: A New Approach to Data Analysis 2011E‐Word‐of‐Mouth on health social networking sites: An opportunity for tailored health communication 2018A practical guide to analysing online support forums 2021Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Hotels in Austria, Pakistan, and Indonesia 2014Quidditch

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.