Anne-Marie Ambert

Understanding and evaluating qualitative research

During the past 6 years (1989-1994), the Journal of Marriage and the Family has published 527 articles. Only 10 or 1.9% were qualitative, either entirely (4) or partly (1), or in a combination of qualitative and quantitative data (5). Four other articles were based on qualitative data, but the results were entirely quantified. These four articles would raise the total of qualitative papers to 15 or 2.8%. These statistics are rather startling, especially when considering that there is a large theoretical literature pertaining to qualitative research, numerous articles and texts on its methods, a rapidly growing body of empirical research with the family field as one of its major beneficiaries (Gilgun, Daly, & Handel, 1992; Rosenblatt & Fischer, 1993), and a well-organized network on qualitative family research, with a newsletter of the same name. JMF, however, is not unique in terms of rarely publishing qualitative articles (see LaRossa & Wolf, 1985; Nye, 1988, on family research). Editorial boards of high-profile journals in family studies, psychology, and sociology are composed of well-published scholars, only a minority of whom are experienced qualitative researchers. The result is that a majority of the qualitative articles submitted have to be evaluated by scholars who have little expertise in qualitative research, or by qualitative researchers who have no expertise in the substantive area of a submitted article or who subscribe to a different epistemology. In contrast, quantitative papers can generally be matched with reviewers who not only understand the methods, but are also knowledgeable in the substantive area covered. It thus becomes important to discuss some of the problems inherent in evaluating qualitative research. Consequently, the focus of this article is practical and not theoretical. We address naturalistic qualitative research in terms of methods. In addition, because qualitative research has become extremely varied, we have limited the purview of this article to epistemologies that involve the observation, interview, or written participation of family members, rather than the analysis or deconstruction of texts, for instance. The statistics presented earlier clearly indicate that JMF is a quantitative journal, with a readership primarily composed of quantitative researchers. We have, therefore, written this article for scholars who are quantitatively oriented: Our vocabulary and material covered reflect this focus. Because several qualitative approaches are included within the vast umbrella of naturalistic fieldwork, we also hope to reach qualitative researchers who are very specialized within one particular epistemology or qualitative approach. In order to retain a certain practical focus, we could not discuss postmodernist approaches. Moreover, because most of us are sociologically trained, the bulk of the literature reviewed falls within this discipline. We use a quantitative/qualitative dichotomy only for heuristic purposes. At a historical juncture where traditional, theoretical, and empirical alignments should at least cohabit and new configurations are appearing (Alexander & Colomy, 1990, p. 56), one can only hope for an improved understanding between advocates of both sets of approaches and a decrease in the either/or dichotomous thinking that devalues the efforts of any one approach to knowledge generation. This hope also extends to adherents of the several distinct qualitative epistemologies. In a first section, we present general information on qualitative research in terms of its goals and procedures. This is followed by a discussion of linkages between epistemologies and methods in qualitative research; our own diverse orientations are outlined at the end of this discussion. In a third section, we broach more specific aspects of the evaluation process. Then we examine frequently encountered problems in the evaluation process, focusing on problems unwittingly created both by reviewers and authors. …

Qualitative methods in family research

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION The Fit Between Qualitative Research and Characteristics of Families - Kerry Daly The Qualitative Tradition in Family Research - Gerald Handel Definitions, Methodologies, and Methods in Qualitative Family Research - Jane F Gilgun PART TWO: INTERVIEWS Interviews with Individuals Interviewing College Students About Their Constructions of Love - Susan U Snyder Case Study Interviews - Linda K Matocha Caring for Persons with AIDS Life Histories - Daniel F Detzner Conflict in Southeast Asian Refugee Families Conjoint Interviews Parenthood as Problematic - Kerry Daly Insider Interviews with Couples Seeking to Adopt An In-Depth Interview with the Parents of Missing Children - Deborah Lewis Fravel and Pauline G Boss Interviews with Multiple Family Members Using Multiple Forms of Family Data - Susan O Murphy Identifying Pattern and Meaning in Sibling-Infant Relationships A Family Case Study - Robin L Jarrett An Examination of the Underclass Debate A Feminist Analysis of Interviews with Elderly Mothers and Their Daughters - Katherine R Allen and Alexis J Walker PART THREE: OBSERVATION Participant Observation in Special Needs Adoptive Families - Anita Lightburn The Mediation of Chronic Illness and Handicap Observations in a Clinical Setting - Jane F Gilgun Team Decision-Making in Family Incest Treatment PART FOUR: DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Analyzing Popular Literature - Ellen M Harbert, Barbara H Vinick and David J Ekerdt Emergent Themes on Marriage and Retirement PART FIVE: COMBINED QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES The Blending of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Understanding Childbearing Among Welfare Recipients - Mark R Rank Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods - Margarete Sandelowski, Diane Holditch-Davis and Betty Glenn Harris The Transition to Parenthood of Infertile Couples

Parental marital status and adolescents' optimism about their future.

This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey of a representative random sample of all the schooled French-speaking adolescents of Montreal (N=4539). The sample included adolescents from legally intact homes, separated or divorced homes, and homes in which a parent was deceased. Three indicators of future success were included; adolescents from both types of broken families were less optimistic on all three dimensions than were adolescents from intact families. These results are discussed within a socioeconomic framework.

Adolescents' perception of self and of immediate environment by parental marital status: a controlled study.

Most studies on children of “broken families” are based on small and unrepresentative samples, are limited to children of divorce and do not control for basic demographic variables. In order to do a survey with fewer methodological deficiencies, we managed to obtain a completely representative sample of a francophone urban population attending High School I, II and III, with the reasonable sample size of 1519 subjects and including 72 subjects from widowed families in addition to 174 children of divorce; furthermore, we were able to control for the following eight demographic variables: fathers and mothers occupation, mothers work, respondents, fathers and mothers age, family size, and respondents rank of birth. When comparing children from legally intact, widowed, and divorced families, on a wide range of psychosocial variables, we found that on the average, divorce is associated with the greatest disadvantage in children, followed by widowhood; children belonging to intact families show the least disadvantage. Besides, when comparing girls and boys, we did not find striking differences between them in divorced families, but, on the other hand, we found striking differences in widowed families, boys being at much more disadvantage than girls. It is concluded that on the average a family breakup should be considered as a serious risk factor for teenagers and that clinicians would be well advised to monitor the situation carefully when aware of an impending family breakup.

Adolescents' Perception of their Parents and Parents' Marital Status

Summary One important aspect of the family literature has been the relationship between parental marital status and various facets of childrens psychological and social lives. Yet, this research too often has been carried out on clinical samples of parents and/or children. Moreover, the emphasis has been either on widowed or on divorced families. In contrast, the present study focused on perceptions of their fathers and mothers by a representative sample (N = 4539) of all Montreal Francophone teenagers in school. We found that adolescents perceived their separated or divorced fathers the most negatively, their widowed or still-married fathers the most positively. Perceptions of mothers differed little by parental marital status and the trends indicated a least favorable perception of widowed mothers, followed by separated mothers, and, most favorably, of mothers in legally intact families.

Remarriage and Stepparenting: Current Research and Theory

Since the mid-1970s, the texture of modern society has been changed dramatically by the increasing presence of the stepfamily. No longer considered the exception to the norm, the stepfamily has been thrust into the mainstream by a 50% divorce rate combined with a high incidence of remarriage. According to some estimates, 35% of children born in the 1980s will experience stepfamily living by the time they reach the age of 18. Although interest in remarriage and stepfamily relationships is growing, the literature often takes the form of popular work or anecdotal accounts with minimal data.This volume provides a much-needed overview of current research and theory in the field. It stems from a series of meetings sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development and funded by the Foundation for Child Development. The nine scholars who participated in the year-long study group, along with two others prominent in the field, have produced a work which explores the intricacies of remarriage and stepfamily living from a variety of perspectives. How do divorce and remarriage determine parents adjustment and parent-child relationships? How are the boundaries set within this new family form? What are the dynamics between biological and step parents, both within the newly-created nuclear family and within the linked family units--those tied together for life by their common children?This comprehensive volume sheds new light on these issues and more, including the relatively untouched area of stepsibling relationships. It incorporates findings from five recent research studies, providing data not available elsewhere. The contributors also examine the stepfamily within historical, social, and cultural contexts--from changing demographics to stepfamily stereotypes. They cast a critical eye on current literature in the field and on research methodologies, providing insights on the changing nature of the stepfamily, and developing conceptual frameworks for further research.With so much important, up-to-date scholarship under one cover, REMARRIAGE AND STEPPARENTING TODAY is a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians in the areas of sociology, psychology, psychiatry, and social work, as well as for advanced students pursuing any of these disciplines.

Adolescents' Overt Religiosity and Parents' Marital Status

In this study of a representative sample of Francophone adolescents living in Montreal, adolescents from separated/divorced families attended religious services less frequently than adolescents from widowed families. In contrast, adolescents living in legally intact families had the highest rate of church attendance. Gender differences and similarities are also presented. Overt religiosity is herein discussed in terms of its possible relevance to family disruption and cohesiveness. Note: The International Journal of Comparative Sociology invites communications in the form of short articles and reports about ongoing research, not exceeding 5,000 words, both in the empirical and theoretical fields.