Exploratory research is the main focus of qualitative research. It is primarily utilised to figure out what's driving people's decisions, attitudes, and motivations. It helps to develop ideas, forecasts, or theoretical underpinnings for possible quantitative research by providing insights into the topic. Qualitative research is also used to find trends in thought and opinion, allowing researchers to delve further into a topic. Unstructured and semi-structured procedures are used in qualitative data collection. Focus groups (group talks), individual interviews, and observations are the ways whereby research data can be collected. The sample size in qualitative research is usually small. In terms of procedural details, qualitative research is inherently unstructured and flexible.
TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS/DESIGNS
NARRATIVE RESEARCH
Narrative research is method of qualitative inquiry in which the researcher examines the lives of persons and tell their stories by following the essentials of narrative mode. The researcher will frequently retell this material in the style of a narrative timeline. In the end, the narrative frequently incorporates perspectives from both the participants' and the researcher's lives in a shared narrative. As the researcher and the study participants collaborate in this collaborative dialogic interaction, a variety of data collection methods can be used. Field notes, diary entries, interview transcripts, one's own and others' observations, narrative, letter writing, autobiographical writing, audio /video recordings and photographs can all be used to collect data.
PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH
The researcher describes the lived experiences of persons concerning a phenomenon as recounted by participants in phenomenological research, which is a design of inquiry derived from philosophy and psychology. Phenomenology is based on the works of Edmund Husserl, a German philosopher who founded the phenomenological school. This philosophy is based on the belief that every experience has a true essence or structure.
Phenomenological research centers on the essence of the experiences of various people who have all witnessed the phenomena. This approach has strong philosophical foundations and usually entails conducting in-depth interviews. The researcher uses a phenomenological approach to investigate the essence of human experiences concerning a phenomenon as expressed by participants. The phenomenological technique aims to discover patterns and connections of meanings by studying the participants over a lengthy period of time.In this approach, the researcher attempts to put his or her own experiences aside in order to comprehend the experiences of study participants.
Phenomenologists study how people create meaning and how their own meanings influence social or cultural meanings. Phenomenology reflects a retrospective examination of an event. For example: "What is the meaning of loneliness," a phenomenologist could inquire.
"How does it feel to be alone?" "How do people communicate their loneliness with others?"
Reality, according to phenomenologists, is found in the interpretation/consciousness of an experience. The researchers' purpose and role is to immerse themselves in the experiences of participants and perceive them through their eyes; in this way, the researcher and the research participants are co-researchers. Nowadays, virtual communities on the internet (through blogs, online diaries, and other means) share their experiences, making phenomenological research easy to conduct.
GROUNDED THEORY RESEARCH
Grounded Theory was first outlined by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in their ground breaking book The Discovery of Grounded Theory (1967).
Grounded theory is a sociological method of investigation in which the researcher develops a comprehensive, abstract theory of a process, action, or interactions based on the perspectives of participants. Multiple stages of data gathering, as well as the refinement and interaction of categories of information, are used in this procedure. This design has two distinguishing characteristics:
- Constant comparison of data with emerging categories
- Theoretical sampling of different groups to maximize similarities and differences of information.
A researcher might examine the first wave of data from a study, formulate a hypothesis based on it, and then gather additional data to test the hypothesis. The researcher moves on to the next wave of data if the existing version of theory fits the new data. If fresh data does not suit the hypothesis, the researcher adjusts it to fit the original and new data, then tests it against more new data. The procedure continues until the hypothesis is no longer revised / no fresh data is required. The goal is to develop a theory that can be applied to any set of data. The grounded theory data analysis method, in which the researcher compares new data to previous data on a regular basis and decides if new category is required, is called Constant Comparative Method.
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Ethnography is a method of research used in anthropology and sociology that involves studying the shared patterns of behaviour, language, and actions of a cultural group in a natural context over a prolonged period of time. Observations and interviews are frequently used in data collection. The research methodology is adaptable, and it changes in reaction to the reality experienced in the field.
Sub-Genres of Ethnographic Research
- Internet ethnography/cyber ethnography/virtual ethnography
- Autoethnography
- Institutional ethnography
- Critical ethnography
- Historical Research
Virtual ethnography is based on the core ideas of ethnography, but it focuses on sites on the internet. Researchers consider the World Wide Web to be socially produced and characterise themselves as full participants in visual worlds. On the sites, the researchers refer to themselves as "true participants" or "natives." Virtual ethnography raises a number of ethical concerns (for example, how well-informed are the participants?). Is it ethical to utilise texts on blogs that aren't written by the blogger? Is the blog still active in virtual worlds after a certain period of time? Is the information really authentic?)
"Note: Critical autobiography, ethnobiography, ethnographic poetics, emotionalism, compelling storytelling, and first-person descriptions are only a few examples of autoethnography".
It's a hybrid method that incorporates personal stories. This form of inquiry is linked to phenomenology and socio-communication tactics. The emphasis is on the individual and their particular experiences. A researcher can use auto-ethnography with specific reference to his own actions (researchers as doers). In other cases, the subjects of the research may relate to their own actions, which the researcher may examine thereby (participants as doers). A variety of rhetorical devices, poetry, auto-ethnographies, personal reflections, and other personal narratives can be employed as means.
Institutional ethnography aims to better understand and investigate the social structures that impact people's daily lives, primarily in organisational and institutional settings (for example, how do wider societal factors shape workplace behaviours?). Institutional ethnography is based on empirical observation.
The concepts that underpin critical ethnography are critical and postcritical. It aims to reform repressive social structures in a radical way (by looking at issues of power and oppression in social systems). It focuses on hierarchies based on class, race, and gender. Critical theories provide the foundation for critical ethnography's theoretical framework.
CASE STUDY
In case studies, the researcher develops an in-depth examination of a case, which is often a programme, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals, and is used in many domains. Cases are defined by time and activity, and researchers collect detailed information over a long period of time utilising a variety of data collection approaches.
In case studies, the researchers investigate the occurrences using interviews, observations, and document analysis. According to the researchers, the case is a unique, complicated, bounded, and integrated system. An organisation, a corporation, or an ongoing support group are all examples of systems. A sense of wholeness, interdependence of parts, and harmony are all characteristics of a system.
Time (e.g., the year 2019), space (e.g., an educational institute, a cultural centre), and purpose (e.g. analyzing the growing intolerance) are the boundaries of a system . It's worth mentioning that in a case study, the researcher must specify a "sampling rationale" for the case that will be studied. The researcher's voice is more prominent in case studies than it is in ethnographic or phenomenological research. Case studies produce a description/interpretation/exploration of "the context of a case" (e.g., social, historical, philosophical, ethnic, cultural, economic, or geographical).
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
The historical technique is used to understand current conditions and forecast future decisions by describing past events. In other words, the use of primary historical material to address a question in a research context, is referred to as historical technique. Data may include demographic information such as birth and death certificates, newspaper articles, letters and diaries, government records, images, audio/video-recordings, etc. depending on the topic being answered.
Using historical data may raise a number of issues:
1. Is the information relevant to the research questions and objectives?
2. How were the pieces of information/ documents / records, etc. collected in the first place, and what meanings were contained in them at the time?
3. How should the collected data be understood, or what are the current meanings of the collected data?"
4. What is the yardstick to address the validity of findings based on the collected data?
0 Comments