Qualitative research involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of narrative data.
The focus of qualitative research is typically on the quality of a particular activity.
Holistic description of the phenomenon, setting, or topic of interest is a key characteristic of qualitative research.
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are valuable in their own rights.
When deciding on a research methodology, it is best to begin with a topic of interest or specific question and then select the method that will provide you with the best answer to that question.
Five essential features of qualitative research are as follows:
Qualitative research is naturalistic.
Qualitative research is descriptive
Qualitative researchers are concerned with process as well as product.
Qualitative researchers analyze their data inductively.
Qualitative researchers are primarily concerned with how people make sense and meaning of their lives.
Although the basic steps are fairly consistent, those used in conducting qualitative research may occur out of sequential order, may overlap, and are sometimes conducted concurrently.
The general steps in conducting qualitative research are as follows:
Identification of the phenomenon to be studied
Review of the related literature
Identification and selection of participants
Collection of data
Analysis of data
Generation of research questions
Additional data collection, analysis, and revision of research questions
Final interpretation of analyses and development of conclusions
Many different approaches exist for conducting qualitative research.
Commonly used qualitative approaches include ethnographic research, narrative research, historical research, grounded theory research, phenomenological research, and case study research.
Ethnographic research involves the in-depth description and interpretation of shared practices and beliefs of a social group or other community.
Narrative research is an approach used to convey experiences as they are lived and told by individuals.
Historical research describes events, occurrences, or settings of the past to better understand them.
Grounded theory research is used to discover an existing theory or generate a new theory resulting directly from data.
Phenomenological research is used to describe and interpret experiences or reactions of participants to a specific phenomenon from their individual perspectives.
Case study research is an in-depth analysis of a single entity, known as a case.
Ethnography is a research approach used to study human interactions in social settings.
Important features of ethnographic research include the following:
Ethnographic research focuses on social behavior in natural settings.
It relies on narrative descriptions made by observers or participants in the group being studied.
Its perspective is holistic.
In some studies, research questions may emerge after data collection is well under way.
Procedures of data analysis involve contextualization within the group, setting, or event being observed.
A privileged observer, also known as a nonparticipant observer, does not engage in the activities of the group.
A participant observer actively engages in all activities as a regular member of the group being studied.
Naturalistic observation is a holistic technique where the researcher must record all pertinent information.
A strength of ethnographic research is its holistic view of education or personal behavior.
Concerns about ethnographic research involve the reliability of data and the validity of research conclusions, as well as the generalizability of findings.
Several forms of narrative research exist; all forms tell stories of lived experiences, but they differ according to perspective, amount of life story told, and theoretical lens.
A biographical study is a type of narrative research where the researcher records the experiences of another person’s life.
An autobiographical study also involves the experiences of a person’s life but is told by the individual who is the subject of the study.
A life history tells the story of an individual’s entire life.
A personal experience story is a study of an individual’s personal experience related to a single or multiple incidents.
An oral history is conducted by gathering personal reflections of events and their implications from one or more individuals.
A key technique used in narrative research is restorying, a process of reorganizing personal information and stories into a format that makes sense for the intended audience.
During the process of restorying, participants as well as the researcher may experience epiphanies.
A clear strength of narrative research is its ability to tell detailed stories of people’s lives.
Narrative research, however, is a lengthy process wherein the researcher must uncover a multitude of details in people’s lives.
