• What Are Eight Reasons For Conducting A Qualitative Study?

For quite a while there has been some discussion around which method of distinctions between Qualitative research and quantitative research. This has been fired in later years with some thinking that a combination of the two is best practice especially in social

Power point slide Qualitative research is a difficult term to define…. Nevertheless, it is important to be familiar with some definitions in the field. The definition provided by Creswell 2009 is enlightening because it incorporates ……….. most important part of definition for me were reports detailed views of informants and natural setting.

The study is a qualitative study, which explores subjective and descriptive information from its participants to gather information such as opinions, ideas, and behaviors. The information that is gathered can help provide an understanding of a problem or provide possible resolutions to problems

Qualitative and quantitative methods allow researchers to investigate, explore and inquire the nature of the phenomenon being studied. It is important that the researcher develops a clear understanding of the problem and design a plan to investigate it (Cresswell, 1998, para. 1). There are a variety of research methods; nevertheless, it is important to consider which research method is appropriate for the study. Qualitative research focuses on human experiences while quantitative research relies on numbers, measurements, and testing. Nevertheless, qualitative and quantitative methods use similar approaches to conduct research and collect data. For example, observations and interviews are approaches used in both research designs;

Qualitative researchers are focused on interpreting and making sense out of what they observe rather than trying to simplify and quantify these observations by collecting and observing people, places and things in their natural setting. In doing this, researchers are able to investigate hypothesis with more freedom and rigidity while accepting the fact that they relinquish their ability to control direct and indirect elements of their query. What the lose in predictability, they gain in individuality. To put it simply, qualitative research is aimed at watching and explaining in order to develop a complete understanding of whatever phenomena they are

After reviewing many qualitative case studies researches, several features have been found such as case study started with identifying a particular case. The case might be individual, group, an organization. The aim of qualitative case study can be to demonstrate a unique case or to understand a specific issue, or concern for instance, teenage pregnancy. In case study researcher collected different forms of data to have depth understanding of the case. Some case study require analysis of multiple unite within the case, but others report it as entire case. To analyze case study researcher describes the case and identifies themes or specific situations of each case. Finally, case study usually end conclusion demonstrates the overall meaning found in the case (Creswell, 2013).

not particularly familiar with qualitative research. 1 That is, we aim to write a paper which will be

Qualitative research explains, describes and characterizes the subject of investigation by focusing on words rather than numbers. It mainly collect the non-numerical data to describe a problem and helps to create ideas for further research. In qualitative research, data is collected through focus groups, interviews, direct observation or evaluation of archival material such as newspapers. Qualitative research has a qualitative dimension and relies on background and context to analyze data. In this study, researchers are interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world. Though a qualitative research, a wide array of dimensions of the social world can be explored, including the texture and weave of everyday life, the understandings, experiences and imaginings or our research participants, the ways that social processes, institutions, discourses or relationships work, and the significance of the meanings that they generate. Qualitative research involves an explanatory, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Pennsylvania State University, 2016).

Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting and attempts to understand a human problem by developing a holistic narrative and reporting detailed views of informants about the culture of a problem. It forms a report with pictures and words. One of the most important distinctions that sets qualitative research apart from more traditional types of research is that qualitative research is holistic in that researchers study phenomena in their entirety rather than narrowing the focus to specific defined variables” (p. 93). Similarly, Cresswell (1984) indicated that qualitative research “is defined as an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting” (p. 2). Cresswell’s definition clearly delineates the major characteristics of qualitative research. Pg. 50 (Smith & Davis, 2010).

Qualitative research is good at simplifying and managing data without destroying complexity and context. Qualitative methods are highly appropriate for questions where preemptive reduction of the data will prevent discovery. If the purpose is to learn from the participants in a setting or a process the way they experience it, the meanings they put on it, and how they interpret what they experience, the researcher needs methods that will allow for discovery and do justice to their perceptions and the complexity of their interpretations. Qualitative methods have in common the goal of generating new ways of seeing existing data. If the purpose is to construct a theory or a theoretical framework that reflects reality rather than the researchers own perspective or prior research results, one may need methods that assist the discovery of theory in data. If the purpose is to understand phenomena deeply and in detail, the researcher needs methods for discovery of central themes and analysis of core concerns. Each of these suggestions has a flip side. If one knows what is being hypothesized and what they are likely to find, if one do not need to know the complexity of others’ understandings, if one is testing prior theory rather than constructing new frameworks, or if one is simply describing a situation rather than deeply analyzing it, it is possible that one should not be working qualitatively. Perhaps the research question that one is tackling with in-depth interviews would be

Qualitative studies aim to gain an understanding of a specific event or organization and “aims to provide an explicit rendering of the structure, order, and broad patterns found among a group of participants” (csulb). This type of research uses observations to collect data and form conclusions.

Qualitative research involves the process of discovering not only what people think but also why they believe it. The object is to get people to discuss their stance, beliefs, or viewpoints to acquire an understanding of their feelings and motivation. The qualitative research utilizes in-depth small group studies to steer and assists the development of theory. The outcome of qualitative research tends to be indicative of the opinion of the researcher rather than estimated.

Qualitative research is a technique of promoting research that stresses the quality according to the user’s point of view and approaches. In depth interviews and focus groups are best examples of qualitative research. [Laura Lake, 2009]

“Qualitative research focuses on gaining insight and understanding about an individual’s perception of events” (Nieswiadomy, 2012). There are six common qualitative designs: phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, historical, case study, and action research. Phenomenological studies are based on human “lived” experiences and what the experience means to the person being studied. The researcher has to put aside their own personal ideas or belief systems in order for them to be able to concentrate on the person in the study. Ethnographic studies which was used in this study, the researchers went in to the “field” to observe people of various cultures and ethnicities interacting together in their own environment. “Ethnographers study how people live and how they communicate with each other”

There are many different types and designs of case studies that each use a different approach to qualitative research (Berg & Lune, 2012). The first type is intrinsic case studies (Berg & Lune, 2012). This type of case study occurs when a researcher wants to further their understanding of a particular case; the uniqueness of the case becomes fascinating and appealing. The goal is not to test or develop a new theory, but to further the understanding of the case. The data from this type of case study may stimulate ideas that would be applicable to other cases.