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Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research
Similarity and differences between qualitative and quantitative research
Qualitative research methodology
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Recommended: Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research
Research Methodology
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
Definition
The word qualitative assumes an emphasis on the qualities of object and on processes and meanings that are not experimentally examined or measured from the point of quantity, amount, depth, or periodicity. Qualitative researchers accent the socially constructed nature of actuality, the close relationship between the researcher and what is studied, and the situational imperatives that shape demands. Researchers look for answers to questions that accent how social experience is created and given meaning. In contrast, quantitative studies stress the dimension and analysis of causal relationships between variables, not processes. Qualitative forms of demand are thought-out by many social and behavioral scientists to be as much a perspective on how to approach investigating a research problem as it is a method. Denzin, Norman. K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln. Handbook of Qualitative Research. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000.
The advantage of conducting qualitative methods is that they produce rich, detailed data that leave the participants' prospects full and provide multiple contexts for
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For example, small sample sizes help you explore research problems in a detailed manner. However, small sample sizes destroy opportunities to draw useful generalizations from the findings, or to make wide course advices based upon them. Moreover, as the main instrument of investigation, qualitative researchers are often included in the cultures and experiences of others. However, falling into culture of others increases the opportunity for bias to enter into the way data is collected, interpreted, and reported. Anderson, Claire. “Presenting and Evaluating Qualitative Research.” Denzin, Norman. K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln. Handbook of Qualitative Research. 2nd edition
Richards and Schwartz (2002) listed four potential risks to research participants in qualitative studies. These are
The type of data collection for a qualitative research study depends on the research design. The qualitative design itself originates out of the disciplines and flow throughout the process of research (Creswell, 2014). Creswell (2014) recommends narrative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, and grounded theory as common qualitative research methods. These were recommended because of they are popular across the social and health and science research studies. Hays and Woods (2011) asserted that selecting a research tradition congruent with one's research orientation and study purpose, and at the same time, infusing it in all phases of qualitative inquiry, is one of the key criterions for trustworthiness of the research results. Hays and Woods (2011) recommends six qualitative research traditions, including ground theory, phenomenology, consensual qualitative research, ethnography, narratology, and participative action research. Indeed, while there are additional qualitative research methods available, scholars have identified these six qualitative traditions consistently or identified them as emerging and common methods of qualitative research (Hays & Woods, 2011).
There are significant differences in sampling strategies, requirements, and sample size between qualitative and quantitative research approaches. While quantitative research seeks generalizability, qualitative methods focus on depth, specificity of experiences, and content. As a result, quantitative research emphasizes the importance of random sampling, avoidance of bias, and sufficiently large samples, whereas qualitative approaches stress purposeful sampling and relatively small numbers (Creswell, 2013; Patton, 2002). This further holds that “what would be ‘bias’ in statistical sampling, and therefore weakness, becomes intended focus in qualitative sampling and therefore a strength” (Pat...
89). In other words, the fact that quantitative research accommodates the assumption that there exist a single reality which can be measured and that knowledge is discovered rather than constructed (Burns & Grove, 2006), makes it too rigid in understanding the complex nature of culture in nursing research. According to Cameron et al. (2010), qualitative research is considered as not only more flexible and open to alternative methods of understanding influence of culture, it is also easy to adapt to any cultural content, and gives community a high level of control over the research process. This is particularly important in today’s society in which there is a broad recognition that health status is dependent on a number of complex interacting systems (McDowell,
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Qualitative research is an approach that attempts to situate an activity that locates the observer in the world by providing the study to occur in their natural setting and by attempting to make sense of, or interpret information (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005). A characteristic of qualitative research is to use a variety of empirical materials such as personal experience, interviews, and questionnaires. It is imperative to understand the task at hand and how to fully carry out the study when using a qualitative research approach in order to find out the information needed. One view of qualitative research is it involves examining individual’s experiences and documenting those experiences in detail (Jones, 2011). By documenting these observations the researcher is ensuring validity in his or her data and giving the correct creditability to those who participated in the study.
The selection of research methodology and approaches much depend on the researcher’s theoretical lens. The nature of the research question also influences the researcher for choosing the research methodology. I believe that the educational phenomena need a qualitative methodology for in-depth understating. We cannot just rely on the numbers, this needs to address the how and why questions. In qualitative research, the researchers often spend more time in the field while collecting data in close contact with the research participants. This gives the researcher and research participants’ opportunity for personal contact and partnership. Building a partnership with study participants can lead to deeper insight into the context under study and richness and depth to the data. It is less concern about generalizability. The qualitative research treats people as research participants and not as objects as in the positivist research approach. The qualitative researcher becomes an insider to get views of the research participants and is more concerned with understanding the meaning of the
Assessment number and title: Item 1: Essay Student: Fale Ikenasio Student number: 11489641 Subject code: HCS204 Subject coordinator: Ndungi Mungai Word count: 1500 words Discuss your understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods; use examples from research reports/studies to highlight how these different methods approach social issues. In the welfare line of work, research is usually conducted to enable a decision or action to be made. It is also seen as a fundamental tool for social change, as it’s a means to bringing about change, establishing intervention strategies as well as implementing new services. Alston & Bowles -. 2003.
This essay is going to critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys and questionnaires as a method of Socio-Legal research. When conducting socio-legal research, a number of methods can be used to collect useful information.
focused on the key qualitative research methods. For each article review, a brief description, guided by Myers (2013), and a critique, guided Pratt (2009), is provided. A summary of the five articles identifying the research method, data collection technique, data analysis approach and critique is provided in Table 1. The narrative review of each article coupled with figures and tables to organize and visualize thoughts (Pratt, 2009) follows the summary table.
Liamputtong, P. & Ezzy, D., 2005, Qualitative research methods, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, pp. 12-31.
...." The decision to use qualitative methodologies should be considered carefully, though. "By its very nature, qualitative research can be emotionally taxing and extraordinarily time consuming. At the same time, it can yield rich information not obtainable through statistical sampling techniques" (Hoepfl, 1997, p. 37).
Create a Discussion Section This paper presents several lessons learned about qualitative research approach from the mock study in week three’s assignment. Qualitative methods are helpful when there is a need to explore a phenomenon via multiple aspects of discovery within its context to understand things better by answering “how” and “why” type of questions (Baxter & Jack, 2008). This means that qualitative research seeks answers to questions. A positive aspect of qualitative research approach is that the behavior of the participants cannot be manipulated (Chenail, 2011).
Qualitative research uses purposeful sampling instead of drawing a random sample and addressing the assumptions of statistical analysis techniques. Hanson, Balmer, and Giardino (2011) noted that the research chooses a sample of participants or documents to accomplish a particular purpose and to gain the insight most applicable to the research question. As the study proceeds, the qualitative researcher may identify additional participants or documents likely to confirm or challenge emerging insights in an attempt to build deeper understanding and to clarify themes (Hanson, Balmer, &...
It is important that researchers are knowledgeable of the qualitative research methodologies in order to select the most appropriate to investigate their problem of interest, and thereby selecting the most appropriate data collection methods that will aptly produce the richest data for analysis.