A500.6.3.RB_LarsonKurt, Qualitative Research
Qualitative methodologies can be powerful
tools utilized toward our understanding of the educational process that is
increasingly gaining momentum.
Researchers that have been instructed in
the proper use of quantitative designs tend to face challenges when requested to
use or teach qualitative research, and there has been a growing body of
laterally professionals who have devoted themselves to qualitative research in
education.
Defined qualitative research means, research
that produces findings not normally acquired through the primary means of
statistical process or quantification and qualitative analysis resulting in a
differing degree of knowledge.
Qualitative research and analysis are
collocated toward the fictive end of the continuum and without being fictional,
statistical research and analysis are not able to take full advantage of
interaction and its effects in social settings.
Qualitative research is accepting of
complexities and dynamics in the social world, including hosting several paradigms
of primary methods of judging methodological quality. This allows for what has
come to be known as "situational responsiveness" which is basically
an adherence to one paradigm over another. There are various researchers that refer
to qualitative and quantitative research that may be effectively comingled into
the same research project. It has been said qualitative methods are utilized as
a means toward a better understanding of a phenomenon about which yet little is
known.
Quantitative methods may be used in
acquiring new perspectives of topics about which much is already known, or, as
a means toward gaining a more in-depth informative position, which may be difficult
to convey quantitatively?
Qualitative research are methods which
are appropriate to situations in-which the first order of business are to
identify the variables to be be tested quantitatively and at a point in time
have been determined quantitative measures do not adequately describe or
interpret a situation.
Qualitative data and its ability to fully
describe an important situation from both the researcher and reader's
perspective, in other words… “If you want people to understand better than they
otherwise might, provide them information in the form in which they usually
experience it.”
The following list is representative of
qualitative research:
1. Qualitative research uses the natural
setting as the source of data.
2. The researcher acts as the "human
instrument" of data collection.
3. Qualitative researchers predominantly
use inductive data analysis.
4. Qualitative research reports are
descriptive, incorporating expressive language.
5. Qualitative research has an
interpretive character.
6. Qualitative researchers pay attention
to idiosyncratic and pervasive uniqueness.
7. Qualitative research is an emergent
design; focus on emerging process and outcomes.
8. Qualitative research is judged using
special criteria for trustworthiness.
The Role of the
Researcher in Qualitative Inquiry:
Qualitative research needs to specify
primary questions and strategies for data collection prior to commencing a study;
a researcher must do three things:
1. Adoption of a position suggesting the
characteristics of a naturalist paradigm.
2. Develop the necessary level of skill
for the appropriate study or method data will be collected and analyzed.
3. Preparation of a research methodology with
accepted practices for a naturalistic inquiry.
The
above-mentioned items are crucial in maintaining the credibility of a qualitative
research report. The confidence that readers have in the researcher's ability toward
complete, concise and accurate data and making appropriate decisions in the
field will mark the success or failure of a research project.
Research Design
and Data Collection Strategies:
For qualitative research to be accurate,
there must be a fairly detailed outline from which the study should be
conducted and should include the following general steps:
1. Determine a focus for the inquiry and establish
a boundary for the study, plus providing inclusion/exclusion criteria for new
information.
2. Determine the fitness of the research
paradigm to the research focus. The characteristics of the qualitative paradigm
with the goals of the research project should be considered.
3. Determine when and where and who will
collect the data.
4. Determine milestones of the inquiry.
5. Determine if any additional research
instrumentation may be used, or is appropriate.
6. Plan data collection and recording
parameters.
7. Plan which data analysis procedures
will be used and any acceptable variables are considered appropriate.
8. Plan the logistics of data collection,
including scheduling, budgeting and unexpected conditions.
9. Plan the methodology that will be used
in the validity process.
In qualitative research researchers should
validate a relationship and then test the hypnosis. The naturalistic researcher
will assume there is a multitude of realities and attempts toward annotation of
the multiple realities adequately. Credibility becomes the litmus test for this
since credibility is less dependent upon sample size but rather the content of
data gathered and the analytical abilities of the researcher to interpret.
Discussion and
Conclusion:
Qualitative research has gained a momentum
and increased interest in recent years with a newfound and basic understanding
of the paradigm of the technology and education researchers need to complete
this research methodology accurately, completely and concisely.
Reference: Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing
qualitative research: A primer for technology education researchers. Journal
of Technology Education, 9(1),
