Qualitative
research is essentially the process of looking for meaning and understanding to problems and information not recorded by means of
statistical data. This can mean that the
data received can be any number of things and is often up to the researcher to
define the value of the data.
Researchers, when searching for qualitative data frequently look to be
enlightened by the questions they are asking and not necessarily the number or
statistics provided by the data.
Qualitative research is often referred to as naturalistic research,
focusing on the quality of data rather than numbers. According to many researchers there are a
number of items needed to be considered qualitative research. These include observing in the natural
setting. This gives the researchers the
opportunity to see behavior in an unaltered state. An example of this type of research comes
from Diane Fossey. In 1963 Fossey went
on a seven-week safari to study Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat. Over time she was even accepted by the
gorillas as an observer and grew to develop relationships with them. The next characteristic is that the
researcher is the "human element" that collects the data. This means that the researcher is the one
collecting and interpreting the data.
This is not left up to machines or counter, but the researchers themselves.
Qualitative researchers generally use
inductive data analyses. This is an in
depth analyses of the information and can be very time consuming, focusing on
the properties of the information rather than quantitative data. When performing inductive research the
researchers are looking for the critical themes that exist within the data. They also include descriptive research
reports that use expressive language in
the explanations. This form of research
involves an interpreter. One of the most
difficult things about qualitative research is that the data is meant to be
interpreted by a researcher. This person
needs to analyze the data and discover the relevance and meaning behind it. They look at the cases from their own
viewpoint and study the data based on the uniqueness of each study. Each and every case will flow differently. It has what is called an “emergent
design”, meaning that what will take place is not
predetermined. Just like in the case
with Diane Fossey. Her only goal was to
study the lives and habits of Mountain Gorillas. What happened during each study was up to the
gorillas.
Once a
researcher knows he/she wants to perform qualitative rather than quantitative
research they then decide on two forms of collecting data. These are interviews and observation. The distinctions between the two are simple and
work exactly as they sound. This does
not necessarily mean that the two need to be completely separate. One can be an observer and still perform
interviews and vice versa. When
interviewing subjects the questions need to be open ended allowing the
individuals answers to be unique and personal.
When collecting the answers or data in the interviews the two methods
that can be used are either writing the answers down or recording them. It seems that this is up to the researcher
and the opinions of professionals tend to vary.
Observing
subjects in the field is the more classic approach. The researcher will take note of the
surroundings and environment in order to give context to what is taking place
and what the person being observed is doing.
This is important because in nature we tend to communicate in a number
of different ways and understanding the surrounds and how we communicate will
help the researcher understand the “why” of what is going on. If as an observer you state that you saw two
people fighting at work over something tedious you may suggest that they are
impatient and rude people. For example, once you
include the context of stress, lack of sleep, personal lives, that air
conditioning at work broke and the boss is breathing down both their necks it
will completely change the data and the understanding the observer has of the
situation. Although observing in the
natural environment is a good way to gather information the observer needs to
understand that the presence and knowledge that the observer exists will in
itself change the data. Those being
observed may react differently when being watched than when they are alone.
When analyzing
data themes need to first be identified, this is called “open coding”. This is where the researchers identifies the
different themes found within the research and names them. These become categories and will hopefully be
descriptive enough to provide a good framework to analyze the data. After doing this the data must be broken down
into manageable sections that can then be separated out. The next state in analyzing data involves
what is known as “axial coding”. This is
when researchers determine how the categories discovered in the data are
connected. Each category is compared in
new ways enabling the researching to develop better overall understanding of
the data. After all this is done it
needs to be translated into a report that will be comprehensible by others.
When the
research has been finished, the report written and finally in the hands of
those that will read it, it must then be judged. For the reader or “judge”, this can be a
delicate matter and requires them to think creatively. Essentially the quality of the research and
data is in the eye of the beholder. It
is up to the reader to determine its validity.
The question becomes, how is this done?
The reader must follow three distinct features. According to the article, Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for
Technology Education Researchers, by Marie C. Hoepfl, these are "Coherence,
Consensus and Instrumental Utility". (Hoepfl, 1997) Coherence is whether or not the story makes sense and are the
conclusions being supported? Consensus
is whether or not the readers concur with the findings and if they are
consistent with their own experiences.
Instrumental Utility is the testing the usefulness of the study. Does the study help us to understand a
problem or situation?
When these
guidelines are followed qualitative research can help us to understand the
“why” of many of life’s questions. We
can look and watch and learn why people do things and why the world works the
way it does. Suddenly many of life’s
questions wrapped in enigmas smothered in riddles are peeled back just a little
bit and we are able to see all of the ingredients that make them what they
are. References Fossey, D. Gorillas in the Mist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983.
Hoepfl, M. C. (1997). Choosing Qualitative Research:
A Primer for Technology Education Researchers . Journal of Technology
Education
No comments:
Post a Comment