Qualitative Research
Investigate the why, not the how. But in more personal terms.
Qualitative research is an umbrella term for a collection of
methods and techniques used to study social phenomena or action
[Babbie & Mouton, 2010]
There are various worldviews and perspectives that hold qualitative
research together.
E.g., constructivist, interpretivist, feminist, methodology,
postmodernist, and naturalistic research
These frameworks (of the researcher) inform the approach to
qualitative research.
It is interpretative! Relay what people tell you and how you
interpret that or what you learn from it
Qualitative research has and continues to evolve, and so does its
many definitions
E.g., Scientific vs non-scientific
Refining methods - transformative, critical, decolonizing
research
Denzin and Lincoln (2005, p. 3) provide an extensive definition
The characteristics of QR
QR begins with assumptions, a worldview, the use of a theoretical
lens, and a study of research problems
, Qualitative researchers use a particular approach to such problems,
and collect data in a natural setting
We explore the common characteristics of qualitative research that
apply across different approaches
Reflexivity. Acknowledge your bias in your research.
These characteristics are found in every qualitative study.
Natural setting: Collecting data at the site where participants
experience the issue or problem you want to study. (ethnographic)
Researcher as key instrument: Qualitative researchers collect data
themselves in various ways including examining documents, observing
behaviors, and interviewing participants. (This is why reflexivity
is encouraged because reporting of results is based on your
subjectivity and positionality – reflect on these – be transparent)
Multiple sources of data: Qualitative researchers use multiple
sources of data such as interviews, observations, and documents
Inductive data analysis: Qualitative researchers build their
themes, patterns, and categories from the ‘bottom up’. Don’t come
to do research with a theory already in mind. Let the data tell the
story and create its own themes.
Participants’ meanings: Qualitative researchers focus on learning
the meaning that participants hold about the problem or issue – not
their own meaning
Emergent design: The qualitative research process is emergent,
flexible and evolving – open to changes in the field
Theoretical lens: Qualitative researchers often use a lens to view
their studies
Interpretive inquiry: Qualitative researchers make an
interpretation of what they see, hear and understand
Holistic account: Qualitative researchers try to develop a complex
picture of the problem under study
Investigate the why, not the how. But in more personal terms.
Qualitative research is an umbrella term for a collection of
methods and techniques used to study social phenomena or action
[Babbie & Mouton, 2010]
There are various worldviews and perspectives that hold qualitative
research together.
E.g., constructivist, interpretivist, feminist, methodology,
postmodernist, and naturalistic research
These frameworks (of the researcher) inform the approach to
qualitative research.
It is interpretative! Relay what people tell you and how you
interpret that or what you learn from it
Qualitative research has and continues to evolve, and so does its
many definitions
E.g., Scientific vs non-scientific
Refining methods - transformative, critical, decolonizing
research
Denzin and Lincoln (2005, p. 3) provide an extensive definition
The characteristics of QR
QR begins with assumptions, a worldview, the use of a theoretical
lens, and a study of research problems
, Qualitative researchers use a particular approach to such problems,
and collect data in a natural setting
We explore the common characteristics of qualitative research that
apply across different approaches
Reflexivity. Acknowledge your bias in your research.
These characteristics are found in every qualitative study.
Natural setting: Collecting data at the site where participants
experience the issue or problem you want to study. (ethnographic)
Researcher as key instrument: Qualitative researchers collect data
themselves in various ways including examining documents, observing
behaviors, and interviewing participants. (This is why reflexivity
is encouraged because reporting of results is based on your
subjectivity and positionality – reflect on these – be transparent)
Multiple sources of data: Qualitative researchers use multiple
sources of data such as interviews, observations, and documents
Inductive data analysis: Qualitative researchers build their
themes, patterns, and categories from the ‘bottom up’. Don’t come
to do research with a theory already in mind. Let the data tell the
story and create its own themes.
Participants’ meanings: Qualitative researchers focus on learning
the meaning that participants hold about the problem or issue – not
their own meaning
Emergent design: The qualitative research process is emergent,
flexible and evolving – open to changes in the field
Theoretical lens: Qualitative researchers often use a lens to view
their studies
Interpretive inquiry: Qualitative researchers make an
interpretation of what they see, hear and understand
Holistic account: Qualitative researchers try to develop a complex
picture of the problem under study
