1. Session: Introduction to Qualitative Research in Psychology
Qualitative research not only refers to the techniques used to collect and analyse certain data but also to a field of research in itself. The different philosophical positions have in turn informed the varied approaches to qualitative research.
As an exploratory type of research, it seeks to gather the in-depth understanding of the behaviour of a sample group. The personal opinion, values and experiences of them. It affords the opportunity to observe the participants behaviour as well as allowing the researcher to delve into the participants beliefs and really probe to obtain a greater detailed understanding of the issue.
Qualitative research techniques are flexible and normally conducted in naturalistic settings using semi structured data collection methods as this accommodates the deviation to obtain that greater depth of answer. There are different types of analysis used for example, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, grounded theory, narrative, thematic and pattern based discourse analysis.
Unlike quantitative research that use numbers as data and statistics, qualitative methods rely on words and meaning. It seeks to understand the problem rather than quantifying it placing more emphasis on subjectivity rather than objectivity.
Qualitative methods tend to use smaller sample sizes due to the personal form of research putting the persons perspective at the centre of the work. The results are
Qualitative research seeks to answer the “why” and not the “how” of the research project that is being conducted, this is done through a complex system of analyzing unstructured information such as survey’s , questionnaires, interviews, interview transcripts, open end survey’s, focus groups, observations, emails, notes, video’s, feed back forms and photo’s; most of the time a qualitative report won’t depend on statistical evidence alone it must be accompanied by detailed facts and proven facts and not hypotheses or in accurate data, this can lead to misunderstanding of data findings and can through the whole aim of the research project off and waste valuable time.
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).
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.
Quantitative and qualitative research generates from two different perspectives, and it provide different types of crucial information from the research subject. Qualitative research corresponds more with comprehensive and thorough descriptions of events, whereas quantitative research creates statistical models to explain events. Several advantages and disadvantages in qualitative and quantitative research, depends upon the researcher's purpose and area of focus and information that will answer those research questions (Creswell, (2013).
Qualitative method is using open-ended questioning, non-statistical research techniques, or value-based observations. In this research, three main methodologies are adopted as focus group, distributing questionnaires and conducting personal interviews simultaneously. Methods are all appropriate and contributed to a comprehensive research. The reason is that aim of this research is to acquire an in-depth understanding of
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 data is not numerical and is more likely to take the form of observations or interviews. Obviously, it is very difficult to perform any statistical analysis on this kind of data. A further problem is that another researcher cannot replicate this data and therefore it is difficult to check the validity of what has been written. Researchers using this kind of data must be careful to avoid subjectivity, that is, they must avoid letting their personal beliefs or preferences affect the way they record and interpret the data. The advantage of this form of data collection is that it allows the researcher to answer open-ended questions; consequently, it is more flexible. Qualitative data also provides opportunities to explain the context of an observation and can therefore present a fuller picture (OU, 2001).
A qualitative methodological approach was the obvious choice in that it allows for the collection and interpretation of stories, narratives, interviews and other forms of non-quantifiable data. A qualitative approach also does not demand or strive for detached objectivity of the researcher but instead encourages the disclosure of researcher bias and the engagement of the researcher with the research and subjects, often in the role of participant-observer (Dade, Tartakov, Hargrave, & Leigh,
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.
Thematic analysis technique is used to identify and analyze patterns or themes within the work being analyzed (Vaismoradi, Turunen, & Bondas, 2013). In order to familiarize oneself in the data, they must reread the diary so that they themselves are submerged in the data (Gray et al., 2017, p. 270). Thematic analysis was used in the study to expose 18 meaning units, which consist of a group of words that are associated with each other through relevancy (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004, p.
Research methodology generally involves qualitative research or quantitative research, or a mixture of both. A quantitative research methodology involves the analysis of data collected from a large number of surveys or interviews. On the other hand, methodologies for qualitative research often involve using surveys or interviews to collect information about people — their attitudes, experiences and behaviors.
General speaking, quantitative research is thought to be objective, however qualitative research often involves a subjective element. There are differences designs in qualitative research in comparison to quantitative research. Qualitative research involves words, pictures, or objects; Quantitative involves data in the form of numbers and statistics.
Qualitative research comprises of receiving information that gives a verbal expression of the participates, providing more detail and depth than quantitative studies. It can be used to analysis people’s attitudes and emotions towards a topic encouraging them to expand on their answers to explain the reasons behind why they gave a particular response. The drawbacks to this being as it requires more time to collect the data so smaller sample sizes
Qualitative research is the technique that is used as a part of exploratory research and to derive the independent variables. There are different methods through which we can conduct the qualitative research. As a part of this study we have adopted the following methods:
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]