A500.6.3.RB_MalvoisinLeon

Qualitative research is mainly exploratory research.  It is used to get an understanding of reasons, opinions, and motivations.  Qualitative research can also be used to uncover patterns in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem. Furthermore, it provides insight into the problem or helps to develop ideas or theories for potential quantitative research.

 

Role of the Researcher in Qualitative Research

             Prior to conduct a qualitative research, a researcher has to first define his questions so he/she knows what it is he/she is going to be looking for.  Second, it is important that he/she becomes familiar with your research instrument.  Third, identify gatekeepers, once he/she has defined the research questions, the task before him or her is to set up his/her study.  Setting up a qualitative study starts with relationship building. It is significant to put yourself in the shoes of the people you will be studying and to think about what their concerns might be.

 Research Design

            To properly design the qualitative research, the researcher must determine a focus for the inquiry, where and from who data will be collected from, what additional instrumentation may be used, plan which data analysis procedures will be used, plan the logistic of data collection,  and plan the technique that will be used to determine trustworthiness (Sanders and Hoepfl, 1997).

Data Collection Strategies

            Data collection in qualitative research usually includes two processes: interviews and observation. As far as interviews the research must know how and where to conduct the interviews.  He or she must also make the person being interviewed at ease so he or she can candidly answer the questions.  An interviewer must know how to listen, clarify, reflect, and summarize.  Furthermore, the reason of observational data is to explain the setting that was observed, the activities that took place in that setting, the people who participated in those activities. Observations may include descriptions of the participants, descriptions of the physical settings, and accounts of particular events and activities
 

Data Analysis

            Once data collection is done the next step is to analyze the data as objectively as possible. Data coding can be done if a certain pattern is identified in the responses.  The data can also be sort into categories.  Once sorted, the findings can be written.

Conclusion
              Qualitative research in general is a brilliant way to make significant discoveries that can improve the effectiveness of a service of anything. I personally have no experience in conducting a qualitative research yet; however, I have been one of the participants of qualitative research survey base on a service that I had recently received from a company. The company did use a qualitative questionnaire research approach to collect feedback from me. Reading this article about qualitative research helps me put things in perspective for any future qualitative research that I may have to conduct.

Reference:

Sanders, M. & Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers. Journal of Technology Education. 9(1). Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html