Qualitative Methodology, Research Paper Example

The article selected for this review uses qualitative methodology in order to understand how a young athlete’s choice of music can influence his/her mood. In order to explore this connection, the author uses a qualitative methodology known as “grounded theory.”  Grounded theory is a methodology that collects data, usually in the form of interviews and conversation, and analyzes common themes found throughout different data streams (Bishop, Karagorghis, Loizou, 2007).

In order to explore the question, researchers selected 14 tennis players, 7 of which ultimately enrolled in the study.  After the subjects were given a baseline survey, they were then given a weekly interview in addition to keeping a diary over a couple of months time.  After the interviews were conducted and the diaries gathered, the researchers began to code the “data” based on a number of different categories.  The data was separated into three categories: 1) Raw data themes (n=42); 2) First order themes (n=18); 3) general dimensions (n=5).  The researchers then created a data scale for the music in order to understand what themes were most prevalent in the music, and what impact they had on an individual’s mood.   The researchers found a connection between certain types of music (R&B) and the mood of the participants.  The article also published snippets of the personal interviews and diaries in order to support claims of  causality in music choice and mood.

Overall, the article did a sufficient job explaining the theory underpinning the research question and the methodology employed to answer the question.  The researchers make it clear that the study is trying to understand how a young athlete’s choice of music may potentially impact his/her mood.  They also explain how grounded theory is particularly relevant in this problem: Grounded theory uses a diverse set of data sources, in this study interview and data, to try and understand underpinning individual choices.

One of the perennial problems with qualitative methodology is sample size.  While quantitative methodology is heavily dependent on methodology due to the use of statistical analysis, qualitative analyses usually have a smaller sample size: this is due to time and funding constraints more than anything else.  This study interviews a total of 7 young athletes, mapping a choice in certain music to a change in mood.  There is not clear evidence that this sample size is adequate, or that the study’s findings can be generalized to other young athlete’s choice of music.

Causality is another main problem involved in the study.  It is difficult for the authors to conclude that music alone is the cause of the rise in the mood.  For example, perhaps the athlete was thinking about a date later on in the evening or a sports team at the team he reflected on his thoughts of music.  The disentangling of causality is a major problem in qualitative studies, and one this article did not do a good job of ultimately addressing.

Finally, the article did a good job of addressing the assumptions of the researchers in the article.

References:

Bishop, D.T., Karageorghis, C.I., Loizou, G. (2007).  A grounded theory of young tennis players’ use of music to manipulate emotional state.  Human Kinetics, 29(1), 584-607.