Qualitative
research
Qualitative
research, broadly defined, means "any kind of research that produces
findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of
quantification" (Strauss and Corbin, 1990, p. 17).
"If you want people to
understand better than they otherwise might, provide them information in the
form in which they usually experience it" (Lincoln and Guba, 1985, p. 120).
Basis for
the Use of a Qualitative Methodology is for
a better understanding of any phenomenon, to gain new perspectives on things
about which much is already known, or to gain more in-depth information that
may be difficult to convey, Strauss and Corbin (1990).
Features
of Qualitative Research are:
·
Uses of natural setting as a sources
of data
·
Act as the human instrument
·
Use inductive data analysis
·
Reports are descriptive, expressive
language and the "presence of voice in the text" (Eisner, 1991, p.
36).
·
Interpretative
·
Pay attention to individual
influence or physical effect seeking the uniqueness of each case.
·
Focus on emerging process as well as
the outcomes of the research.
·
Uses special criteria for
trustworthiness.
The Role of the Researcher in Qualitative
Inquiry
·
Adopt the stance suggested by the
characteristics of the naturalist paradigm.
·
Develop the level of skill
appropriate for a human instrument, or the vehicle through which data will be
collected and interpreted.
·
Prepare a research design that
utilizes accepted strategies for naturalistic inquiry
·
Able to interact with the situation.
·
Ability to collect information at
multiple levels simultaneously.
·
Perceive situations holistically.
·
Process data as soon as they become
available.
·
Provide immediate feedback and request
verification of data.
Research Design and Data Collection
Strategies
· Determine
a focus for the inquiry.
· Determine
the fit of the research paradigm to the research focus.
· Determine
where and from whom data will be collected.
· Determine
what the successive phases of the inquiry will be.
· Determine
what additional instrumentation may be used.
· Plan
data collection and recording modes.
· Plan
which data analysis procedures will be used.
· Plan
the logistics of data collection, including scheduling and budgeting.
· Plan
the techniques that will be used to determine trustworthiness.
Sampling Strategies for Qualitative Researchers
Data
Collection Techniques
· Interviews
·
Observation
An
interview guide or "schedule" is a list of questions or general
topics that the interviewer wants to explore during each interview.
Recording
Data. A basic decision going into the interview process is how to record
interview data.
An
observation is the classic form of data collection in naturalistic or
field research is observation of participants in the context of a natural
scene. Observational data are used for the
purpose of description-of settings, activities, people, and the meanings of
what is observed from the perspective of the participants. Observation can lead
to deeper understandings than interviews alone, because it provides a knowledge
of the context in which events occur, and may enable the researcher to see
things that participants themselves are not aware of, or that they are
unwilling to discuss (Patton, 1990). A skilled observer is one who is trained
in the process of monitoring both verbal and nonverbal cues, and in the use of
concrete, unambiguous, descriptive language.
TYPES:
· Informal, conversational interviews
· Semi-structured interviews
· Standardized, open-ended interviews.
Analysis
of Data
As
the raw data are broken down into manageable chunks, the researcher must also
devise an "audit trail"-that is, a scheme for identifying these data
chunks according to their speaker and the context. The particular identifiers
developed may or may not be used in the research report, but speakers are
typically referred to in a manner that provides a sense of context (see, for
example, Brown, 1996; Duffee and Aikenhead, 1992; and Sours, 1997).
Judging Qualitative
Research
The Role of the
Reader
·
Coherence
·
Consensus
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