RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Three of our reseach questions attempts to capture people's behaviours, experiences and opinions towards LLMs. These are:

• RQ1 Use and engagement: To what extent and in which ways do researchers who use qualitative methods engage with LLMs (Generative AI tools like ChatGPT)? 

• RQ2 Openness: How open are researchers who use qualitative methods to using LLMs (Generative AI tools like ChatGPT) during data analysis of interview transcripts? 

• RQ3 Hopes and concerns: What hopes and/or concerns do researchers who use qualitative methods have towards the use of LLMs (Generative AI tools like ChatGPT) during data analysis of interview transcripts? 

Under the assumption that people's behaviours, experiences and opinions towards LLMs will be somewhat diverse, we also have three research questions that attempt to capture more detail about demographic patterns, contextual factors and possible explanations for this diversity.

• RQ4 Who: How much diversity is there in these hopes and/or concerns across the sample population and is this diversity patterned according to particular characteristics like discipline, career stage, and methodological expertise of researchers who use qualitative methods? 

• RQ5. Contexts: What are the circumstances that researchers who use qualitative methods are operating within that could plausibly contribute to the behaviours, experiences and opinions towards LLMs? 

• RQ6. And why?: What are the mechanisms that could plausibly contribute to the behaviours, experiences and opinions towards LLMs? 

We have also developed our own process of using LLMs as a tool for data analysis. The final research question attempts to capture qualitative researchers' initial thoughts on this particular approach

• RQ7. What are qualitative researchers' views on the proposed use of LLMs to assist with Wiltshire and Ronkainen's (2021) realist thematic analysis process?

METHODS

Survey 

An online suvey is being used to help answer research questions 1-4. 

The survey can be found here: https://loughboroughssehs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aidkxM732Z99u1o

Interviews 

Between 10-20 interviews are being carried out with researchers who use qualitative methods across three categories; early career, experienced researcher and expert/though-leader. 

Interview questions are designed to help anwer research questions 1-6. 

Focus groups

Three seperate focus groups will be carried out with researchers who use qualitative methods. 

The focus group will cover some of the same topics covered in the interviews (research questions 1-6) but the focus will be on presenting the proposed use of LLMs as an assisted way of conducting Wiltshire and Ronkainen's (2021) realist thematic analysis process (research question 7).