Advantages And Disadvantages Of Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative research is subjective data and is often used in the social sciences (Sarantakos 2013, p. 48). Qualitative research is devoted to gathering facts, this can be completed through personal experiences, behaviours, and observations (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46). The purpose of qualitative research is to gather an in depth understanding of human behaviour and the explanations for the behaviour (Martijn & Sharpe 2006, p. 1). An issue with only using a qualitative method is efficacy, qualitative studies cannot address relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46).

Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are concerned with an individual’s point of view. Qualitative analysis tends to get closer to an individual’s perspective through the use of interviews and observation (Lincoln, 2003). Quantitative methods are unable to achieve and capture an individual’s perspective as they focus more on remote standardised procedures. Qualitative analysis provides explanations that tend to be rich in detail and capable of showing sensitivity and sequences in social life (Lincoln, 2003).

Qualitative research key characteristics are the researcher immerse her/himself in the setting, contexts of inquiry are not contrived they are natural, want the subjects to speak for themselves, attend to the experience as a what not as separate variables, these is no one general method, the process entail appraisal about what was studied and it implies a direct concern with expertise as it is lived or felt or undergone (Hughes, 2006)

Rondinelli describes the qualitative research methodology as one that is used when describing and giving meaning to phenomena. In other words, it is useful when researching themes such as a life experience, a process, a health phenomenon, or when more information is desired beyond numerical data. It can help when trying to understand feelings, values, and perceptions that influence behavior. It is useful to generate

Qualitative research methods pose some limitation. For instances the findings of the study is a bit more difficult to generalized to the study population and or community. The data collection can also be time consuming compared to other research methods (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2016).

According to Schneider, Elliot, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber (2004), qualitative research methods, search for the meaning and understanding of human experiences in a naturalistic setting. A researcher obtains subjective facts in order to explore the experiences of each participant (Schneider, Elliot, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2004). As a result, qualitative research is a means in which a researcher gains an insight into the participant's point of view concerning their personal experiences; in order gain an understanding of the information given. Therefore this allows a researcher to collect subjective information to create a description of the phenomenon (Vishnevsky & Beanlands 2004).

Qualitative research is a broad field of inquiry that uses unstructured data collection methods, such as observations, interviews, surveys and documents, to find themes and meanings to inform our understanding of the

The method of qualitative research become key method in the human and social science and also in the education and health science. The definition of qualitative research is a research using methods such as participant observation or case studies which result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice. Sociologists using these methods typically reject positivism and adopt a form of interpretive sociology (Parkinson & Drislane,2011). It involves the research using data that do not indicate ordinal values. Furthermore, qualitative research includes the different kinds of data collection, techniques of analysis and diversity of theoretical frameworks (Guest; Namey & Mitchell, 2013). According to Creswell(2013) ‘’the final written report or presentation includes the voices of participants, the reflexivity of the researcher, a complex description and interpretation of the problem, and its contribution to the literature or a call for change.

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 describes the research that can produce observations and descriptions. If you were observing or interviewing someone, you would want to use qualitative research to ask questions such as "how" or "why".

Qualitative research is used to find out and understand the beliefs of individuals. Knowledge attitudes, behavior and interactions. It produces non- numerical data, e.g. How a patient describes pain instead of a measure of pain. In health care, qualitative techniques have been commonly used in health care in documenting the experiences of chronic illness and in studies about how an organization functions. Quantitative research provides statistical

Qualitative research generates information that is very detailed and or originality. It is done in a normal social setting and gets to a better understanding of participants. The method used to collect data is by observation from interviews. Qualitative research is usually criticized for lacking scientific demands.

Qualitative research is a type of research that involves word rather than numbers. This involves looking at feelings, opinions and emotions. Qualitative research is concerned with trying to explain why rather than what or how many.

Qualitative defined as a one primary research. It is utilized to pick up a comprehension of fundamental reasons, opinion, and motivation. It gives bits of knowledge into the issue or creates thoughts or speculations for potential quantitative research. Qualitative or know as subjective research is additionally used to reveal drifts in thought and assessments, and jump further into the issue. This information gathering strategies differ utilizing unstructured or semi-organized methods. Some normal strategies incorporate concentration bunches, singular meetings, and perceptions.

Qualitative research methods are utilized to study the social and cultural phenomena. So it includes observation, participant observation (field work), interview sessions, documents and texts and finally the researcher’s imitations and feedback. [Myers, 2009]