Qualitative research
Qualitative research is concerned with developing and applying mathematical, statistical and econometrics models to test hypotheses involving a natural phenomenon (Patton, 2005). The qualitative research approach is made up of many research methods. The goal is to examine the why and how of decision making as well as what, who, where, and when. Qualitative methods have basis in political sciences, social work, special education and education researchers
History
At the beginning of the 20th-century scientists rejected the theoretical idea that there exist an objective in the world which can be applied to collect data and be used to verify the data empirically which was referred to as positivism. The researchers opted
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Interviews, focus groups, and observation are the methodologies used to collect data on sensitive issues in the society. Data collection in qualitative research is cost efficient.
Despite the merits of this methods, there exist limitations that hinder the effectiveness of qualitative research methods. The findings of the research cannot be generalized to the whole study population. Unlike the quantitative methods where the findings are pervasive in qualitative methods, the results are only related to small groups of people. The data collected through this approach is difficult to analyze since there are no standard tools for interpreting such data. The data do not fit nearly in the standard categories which means it would take the time to analyze data. Data collection is time-consuming because of the open-ended questions formats where the respondents take time to respond to such questions. Soliciting for explanations also take time.
Purpose
The purpose of qualitative research is trying to understand some suspect of social life in the society. It seeks the why and how of decision making in human beings.
Qualitative research designs
What are some qualitative research methods?
The three most common qualitative research designs, explained in detail in their respective modules, are in-depth interviews, participant observation, and focus groups. Each of the methods is particularly suited for obtaining a particular type of data.
•Participant observation is
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).
Qualitative methods may include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and reviews of documents. Primary inductive process is used to formulate theory or hypotheses. The qualitative method is more subjective, it describes a problem or condition from the point of view of those experiencing it. It is
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).
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 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 Methodology that will be used in terms of the research question will be the qualitative research which involves a phenomenological perspective. The researcher aims to evaluate the meaning of events for people in particular situations, the characteristic of qualitative research are as follows.
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".
This study will be conducted using the qualitative case study method of research. As noted by Merriam (2009), “qualitative researchers are interested in understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences.” As defined by Merriam (2009), “a case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system” (p. 40). Likewise, defined by Merriam as, “understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world.” Patton explains qualitative research as:
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 is investigations which use sensory methods such as listening or observing to gather and organize data into patterns or themes. Qualitative research deals more often with language than numbers. Methods of gathering information might be focus groups or interview panels. It uses a flexible research design and utilizes an inductive process to formulate a theory. The idea is to get in depth information from the participants. The purpose is to understand and interpret social interactions.
According to Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) a qualitative research is designed to reveal a target audience’s range of behavior and the perceptions that drive it with reference to specific topics or issues. The information collected was analyzed statistically due to the fact that a qualitative research reflects information in a numerical manner. Everything in life has advantages and. A qualitative research allows the following advantages:
Qualitative research is a method used in different academic disciplines, generally in social science, but also in research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to attain detailed understanding of human behavior rand the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused mainly on samples are more often used than large samples.
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 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]