Week 12: Qualitative Research Methods

Question 1

Define Quantitative research

Answer 1

Concerned with empirical evidence and the findings reflect on reality rather than beliefs

Question 2

Define qualitative research

Answer 2

Facilitates our understanding of human experiences and helps us learn about human motivation, perceptions and behaviour

Question 3

Why is qualitative research beneficial?

Answer 3

• uses non-numerical data to discover and understand perceived truths and phenomena
• recent success to uncover silent issues
• to understand human experience and cultural issues

Question 4

What does qualitative research use ?

Answer 4

Words, questionnaires and interviews

Question 5

What is inductive research?

Answer 5

Research that generates ideas and theories from what is observed during the research

Question 6

Is qualitative research inductive?

Answer 6

Yes

Question 7

What are some advantages of qualitative research?

Answer 7

• detailed description of participants feelings/experiences
• interprets meaning of their actions
• holistically understands the human experiences in specific settings
• flexible structure as the design can be constructed and reconstructed

Question 8

What are some disadvantages to qualitative research?

Answer 8

• smaller sample size raises the issue of generalisability
• hard to replicates
• data interpretation and analysis may be more difficult
• analysis of the cases take a considerable amount of time

Question 9

What are the different research designs for qualitative research?

Answer 9

• ethnography
• grounded theory
• phenomenology

Question 10

What is the ethnography design?

Answer 10

• aims to understand peoples cultures, beliefs and values
• done by researcher immersing themselves in the community or environment

Question 11

What is the ground theory design?

Answer 11

• method for collecting and analysing data in order to build a theory
• makes use of transcribed interviews and observations
• uses the qualitative data to develop theories that are grounded in the data
• creates the theory as the research occurs- inductive

Question 12

What is the phenomenology design?

Answer 12

• designed to understand the common meaning attached to a particular phenomenon by research participants who have experienced it
• to understand lived experience
• uses strives to remove researcher personal bias
• mainly uses interviews, but also some observation techniques

Question 13

What are some data collection techniques?

Answer 13

• interviews
• field visits/observations
• questionnaires/surveys

Question 14

What is reflexive research?

Answer 14

Acknowledges that the researcher is part and parcel of the setting, context and culture that they are trying to understand and analyse