A Guide to Using
Qualitative Research Methodology
© 2002 Michael Quinn Patton and Michael Cochran
Reproduced with kind permission of Michael Quinn Patton
Executive Summary This guide to using qualitative research methodology is designed to help you think about all the steps you need to take to ensure that you produce a good quality piece of work. The guide starts by telling you what qualitative methodology is and when to use it in the field (understand people’s belief system, perspectives, experiences). It also flags the most important ethical issues that you will encounter (consent and confidentiality). The second part of the guide tackles how you can concretely develop qualitative research designs; starting from clearly
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For instance, if you want to lobby for better access to health care in an area where user fees have been introduced, you might first undertake a cross-sectional survey which will tell you that 16.5% of your population does not have access to care. This is essential information, but you might also have a number of other questions that the survey can’t answer very well, such as: what are people’s experiences of user fees? what other barriers exist to accessing health care? These can be addressed through qualitative methods such as interviews or focus groups. If the final report is to be used for lobbying, the quantitative data and qualitative data together are very powerful. The survey identifies the extent of the problem, and the interviews can be used to give some of the detail, and the ‘story’ of how user fees have affected people. In situations where little is known, it is often better to start with qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, etc). It can help you with generating hypotheses that can then be tested by quantitative methods. For instance, in an area where we had no idea what kinds of issue were acting as barriers to health care, it would be difficult to design a survey to cover the main factors. Once these have been identified, then a quantitative approach (such as a survey) can be used if you need
(Albert Einstein)
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(b) When to use qualitative
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Case study was research strategy adopted for this study. It is one of the types of qualitative research study (Creswell, 1998). According to Rubin and Babbie (2013) which view case study as a particular examination of phenomenon. In this study case study explore the influence e-resources has on the professional development and classroom practices of beginner teachers and providing a detailed information through multiple source of data collection methods such as semi-structured interview, observation, data analysis and research journal.However,Creswell,2007 highlighted that case study is a qualitative approach that explore bounded system of phenomenon over time. More so, Yin (2009) validates that case study is an empirical
Qualitative research reflects different ways that researcher’s collect data and explore all of the information through literature review. Participant’s that are reviewing is often observed for analysis while “the role of the researcher focuses as the primary data collection instrument necessitates the identification of personal values, assumptions and biases at the outset of the study; Qualitative researchers ask at least one central question” (Creswell, 2014, which can be explored in several contexts with further questions. According to the text Research Design (2014) “the researcher’s role is typically involved in a
This research intends to achieve a qualitative paradigm to allow for in depth opinions and perceptions to be sought (Holliday, 2016; Saldana, 2015). Flick (2008) describes qualitative research to be an ‘interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world’ that
means selected through purposive sampling. The number of participants ranged between 20 & 300 individuals in most of these qualitative studies the participants included clinical nursing accompanied by nurse educators in one study the participants were just clinical nurses & in another they were just nursing students
Following a critical overview of the literature, this chapter outlines the research methodology. It will provide a justification for a qualitative methodological approach and specification of methods employed. Highlighting the appropriateness of interviews and focus groups in relation to the methodology and overall research. It will also provide recognition of their relative strengths and limitations.
This study will utilize a grounded theory approach to qualitative research. Qualitative research methods are used to uncover meanings individuals or groups assign to a social or human problem (Creswell, 2013, p.43; Denzin & Lincoln, 1998, p.8) and to allow for a “unified theoretical exploration” (Corbin & Strauss, 2007, p.107; Denzin & Lincoln, 1998, p.8). Specifically, a qualitative approach is warranted when the nature of research questions requires further exploration (Stake, 1995). Qualitative research questions usually often begin with how or why statements, to allow the researcher to gain in, in-depth understanding of what is going on relevant to the topic at hand (Seidman, 1998; Patton, 2002, Charmaz, 2006, p.130).
My research design will be the use of the qualitative approach because it describes a person’s life experiences and situations. It focuses on a person’s experience as well as elaborating on the uniqueness of the individual. As a social inquiry, qualitative research focuses on the way people analyze and make sense of their experience and the world in which they live (Schutz, 1994). I will use the qualitative approach to explore nurses’ behaviors/ attitudes, perspectives, experiences and feelings before and after being assaulted by a mentally ill patient with emphasize on measuring nurses’ attitudes after the assault and how it affects their ability to provide care. Some of my research questions will come from Implicit Association
When utilizing a qualitative approach, the task becomes one of determining the qualitative method to be used. Additionally, Stake (2010) used purpose, research design, and methodical data techniques as a way of classifying types of qualitative research. Similarly, Cresswell & Cresswell (2007) spoke of five practices of qualitative research. These five practices consist of biography, phenomenological study, grounded theory study, ethnography, and case study. This researcher chose a phenomenological study for this research project.
his module introduces the fundamental elements of a qualitative approach to research, to help you understand and become proficient in the qualitative methods discussed in subsequent modules. We recommend that you consult the suggested readings at the end of the module for more in-depth treatment of the foundations of qualitative research. This module covers the following topics: Introduction to Qualitative Research Comparing Qualitative and Quantitative Research Sampling in Qualitative Research Recruitment
Qualitative research is exact research where the information is not as numbers. Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, make sense of, or interpreting information. My research paper is about children with mental health illnesses. Qualitative research on my paper would be the research that I found that on my topic from creditable sites that consisted of data with no numbers included. Kevin Browne stated, “There is continuing debate on the extent of the effects of media violence on children and young people, and how to investigate these effects. The aim of this review is to consider the research evidence from a public-health perspective. A search of published work revealed five meta-analytic reviews and one quasi-systematic review, all of which were from North America. There is consistent evidence that violent imagery in television, film and video, and computer games has substantial short-term effects on arousal, thoughts, and emotions, increasing the likelihood of aggressive or fearful behavior in younger children, especially in boys. The evidence becomes inconsistent when considering older children and teenagers, and long-term outcomes for all ages. The multifactorial nature of aggression is emphasized, together with the methodological difficulties of showing causation. Nevertheless, a small but significant association is shown
In order to understand human experiences, qualitative researchers ask how and why as opposed to how much or how many. Inasmuch as there are so many diverse types of people, groups, and organizations to investigate, there are varied methods as to which a researcher might use to learn about them. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of five research designs and to compare and contrast the writing styles, data collection and analysis process, as well as the role of a researcher, of each research method.
Qualitative and Quantitative study designs both can be beneficial in research design. They both provide valuable options for researchers in the field. These techniques can either be used separately in a research study or they can be combined to achieve maximum information. This paper will define the terms qualitative and quantitative; describe the similarities and differences between each; discuss how qualitative and/or quantitative research designs or techniques could be used in the evaluation of my proposed research; and discuss why linking analysis to study design is important.
In the present day scenario, researchers may take the advantages of numerous options to conduct and complete their research in effectively, fulfilling their predetermined objectives with adequate efficiency. Applicable research methods may include qualitative, quantitative and mixed approaches, which are perceived as the most common and fundamental frameworks to conduct any study. To be mentioned in this context, the qualitative research approach is most commonly used to obtain adequate theoretical underpinning of the research topic, with the assistance of narrative analysis, as relevant for the identified research issue. On the other hand, quantitative analysis emphasises assessing the acquired data with the assistance of mathematical and statistical tools to obtain appropriate responses to the determined research question. Mixed approach refers to the amalgamation of qualitative and quantitative research approaches in a single study. To obtain a better understanding in this context,
Ritchie, J and Lewis, J (2003) Qualitative Research Practice a guide to Social Science Students and Researchers. London: Sage Publications.///////////////////////////////////////////////