Hello all,

Just a quick question. I am conducting my PhD within the Social Sciences. I have developed a model from reading other academics theories and will be using it to inform my analysis (which will be through semi-structured interviewing), and then revising the model afterwards if necessary. My tutor seems to think this will be call a heuristic model, but I am unsure as I can't find much to back this up. She also thinks it may be called a framework analysis. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

Thanks,

J.

Hello Jinio,

I used a heuristic methodology in my research. It lends itself to tacit knowledge systems (Polanyi). Moustakas' 'Heuristic research : design, methodology and applications' is the best place to start on this type of model. Not sure what framework analysis is though.

Good luck.

Have you tried looking in one of those big compilation books of research methods and perspectives? Something like Denzin and Lincoln's 'Handbook of Qualitative Research' should point you in the right direction. I had a quick look in my dictionary of sociology (trusty old friend from the undergrad days) and it defines 'heuristic device' as "any general concept which is framed merely as an aid to analysis" and 'frame analysis' as "the examination of this organization of experience in general and in particular terms e.g. what makes a joke a joke, or a mistake a mistake, and to the 'vulnerabilities' to which any frame is subject"

Don't know if that helps or not?!

Hi,

Thank you both for your replies. I found a couple of good books yesterday. I discovered that I am going to have a 'theoretical model' which is deductive in design. I will then incorporate a diagrammatic representation and also incorporate elements of heuristic research. I don't know if that even makes sense to me at the moment, but that's the plan!

Thanks again!

J.

Dear Jinio,

how I understand it: Framework approach is used when every interview is done in a (semi)structured way, in the end all interviews are collected and analysed. Thus you do your semi-structured interview, the next interview you do the same way, etc. In the end you have several interviews having more or less the same structure. The framework approach addresses this in a structured way. This is quick and quite reliable, yet may lack the in depth information from "Grounded Theory" analysis.

"Grounded Theory" analyis is based on an iterative process, whereby after every interview you analyse, this provides you with new issues, which are addressed in the next interview etc. etc.