Qualitative Research : Research Methods

Moving on to another aspect, anonymity and confidentiality is an essential component of research ethics. According to Boeije (2010), researchers must keep confidential the data collected as well as its sources. There is a great possibility that participants hurt in many ways if the information collected approach is insensitive. It is worth mentioning that participants do not always seek for anonymity since there are contributors who prefer to share their stories (Grinyer,

Respect for human dignity includes two rights; the right to self-determination and the right to full disclosure. When conducting a research study these two rights must be maintained to ensure that the participants are not coerced into participation and that they are making the choice of their own free will. Patients must be provided with all the information necessary to make an informed decision and voluntarily participate. No deception or concealed data collection can be done because it will violate the patients’ rights.

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

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,

I have learned that “what” the research finds isn’t the only thing that is important. We need to also be considered with “how” they went about finding it. The treatment of the research participants is always a consideration when doing research. Beneficence is the process of finding the most accurate results possible while ensuring fair treatment of the participants (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Some steps taken to ensure proper treatment of participants begin with informed consent. This ensures that those involved understand the all parts of the research that may affect their decision to participate (Cozby & Bates, 2012). This does not necessarily mean that there is full disclosure as that may interfere with accurate results. Debriefing is helpful after the completion of the research to counteract any ill effects suffered because of the research (Cozby & Bates, 2012). A safeguard in place to further protect participants is the Institutional Review Board. This board is in place and responsible for the research conditions taking place at their institution (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Another way to protect participants is confidentiality. This can be achieved through anonymous questionnaires, or coding of answers to protect privacy (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Protection doesn’t only apply

There are several ethical issues that can arise when conducting research. A few of these are field of study dilemmas, the researchers’ integrity, social and economic issues, physical and psychological issues. Field of study refers to areas of research that are controversial in nature. Ethical dilemmas that can arise under fields of study are contentious topics such as embryo research and fetal tissue research (National Institute of Health, 2008). Studies such as this could be deemed not ethically acceptable research. Researchers’ integrity can pose problems when researchers behave in ways that are not appropriate for the sake of research. Social and economic issues in research include problems such as stigma, embarrassment within social groups and financial burdens. If research data is disclosed to outside sources it could damage a participant’s reputation, they can become

The article I chose to discuss is: Davis, H. A., & Bowman, S. L. (2015). Examining experiences of weight-related oppression in a bariatric sample: A qualitative exploration.

The research investigates information from the public and comes up with favorable conclusions that can be used to increase knowledge. Some of the data gathered from the public can be sensitive information that may interfere with the privacy of the subject or put the subject at risk. Some of the dangers that may affect the participant are physical danger or emotional torment. It is thus important to protect the privacy and integrity of the people being interviewed to ensure that their contribution does not affect them. Since research is a continuous process. It is important to ensure that the process of research is effective. Interviewed individuals need to feel safe to produce credible information that will enable the researcher to provide credible information to the public. Apart from providing credible information, participation in a research can be as part of an experiment that requires subjects to participate (Miller & Yang, 2007).

Research Materials, Records, and Privacy Issues. (Identify the sources of material that will be obtained from subjects, what information will be recorded, concerns relating to privacy of subjects, and explain why this information is needed to conduct the research activities.) The information received from potential participants will be recorded and filed with a lock and key in the researcher’s office. Participant’s identity will be unknown to the researchers, and their responses will be

In agreement to this Greetham (2009, p. 115) discusses six key ethical issues that should be considered when working with others. Privacy, confidentiality, consent, safety, fairness, and impartiality. This is to ensure that any information given is conducted properly and that it is not used for anything other than the study it is intended for. It will be explained to all participants that no names

This chapter will discuss and outline the case study and the ethical consideration of the research. Research is a mutual undertaking between researchers and participants and therefore, must be handled with trust and fairmindedness. This is to “avoid harm to participants, ensure informed consent of participants, respect the privacy of participants and to avoid the use of deception” (Gray, 2011, p.73). Furthermore, consent must be given without coercion, meaning that participants fully understand the actions of the research and how the results will be used, Burns (2000).

The research should not harm the participant and at no point should they feel distressed or uncomfortable, the participant needs to obtain the correct information and at no point be deceived or lied to (Diniz, 2008). The participant needs to be seen as an individual not just a number and needs to take into account that they are unique and will respond differently to other participants. Furthermore, the participant needs to agree to take part in the research on their own accord and must not be forced into partaking. Social research and the experiments conducted to acquire the research sometimes have ripple effects that can cause unanticipated consequences on the community. The community and in particular community psychologists need to identify an ethical dilemma that could result from social research when they see one, understand the fundamentals of the predicament, and decide what a solution should include

If they agreed to allow me to use the information, ask I spoke with them about it, I would include it. If they said they did not want me to include that information, I would not. Considering the ethical issues of conducting an ethnography, I would not want to bring any harm to the group I was studying. I would respect their honestly and their wish to not include the information in the ethnography. In the end, although the information may be a key piece to my research, my overlying goal would be to protect the group from harm. If I were one of the individuals of the group who confided information in an ethnographer, who I came to view as a friend, I would hope that they would respect me. For this reason, I would give the group members the same respect that I hope they would give me if they were in my shoes. I believe that friendship and compassion should come before a research

One of the two articles reviews by me was a quantitative study to find out the incidence of sports injuries occurring in adolescents (6-18yrs) playing ball games: soccer, handball and basketball by Yde et al, where the number of sports injuries, their pattern and mechanism were quantified into numerical values to support a hypothesis. Other was to find the psychosocial status of injured players during their injury-rehabilitation phase: a qualitative research by Clement et al where the psychological state viz. cognitive appraisal, behavioral responses and emotional responses during the three main phases viz. injury, rehabilitation and returning to sports. The key difference between the researchers of the two studies was that the qualitative researchers wanted to

This article defines qualitative research and what it is used for. After reading this article the reader will have a better understanding of what we have often thought the purpose of qualitative research answered ( “why” rather than “what”). This article also discusses how the method is used in different settings or scenarios.