Anything which involves feedback on something and does not have quantitative values in it is called qualitative data. Often this data is collected by using qualitative research methods. What are those research methods? What are common examples of qualitative research? Wait a bit; why the rush, dear student? I know your dissertation writing process is about to begin, and you are eager to know all these things.
Do not worry because today’s topic is all about discussing the common examples of the qualitative methodology of research. There will be a mention of all the methods you can use in this methodology. Along with this, there will also be a description of how you can use them effectively. So, let’s start today’s article with the following question.
What is a qualitative methodology of research? Explain with importance.
Qualitative research involves collecting non-numeric data, i.e., expressions, text, or descriptions. It is defined as “the study of the nature of a phenomenon.” It also includes studying the quality, different manifestations, and the context in which the phenomenon appears. The qualitative method of research does not account for the range, frequency, and place of the phenomenon. Most of the time, this research method is used to do an in-depth study of the subject or generate new ideas for the research.
Why conduct research using qualitative methods?
Often, many novice researchers ask: why is there a need for qualitative methods for research? Why is it important to conduct qualitative research on some subject matter? The answer to these questions is very simple. Researchers exercise qualitative methods because some research questions cannot be answered using quantitative methods only.
For example, a hospital is facing an issue in terms of the attendance of health workers. Health workers of the hospital are often late on duty. The hospital conducted interviews with those employees and found out that the poor transportation system of those areas is the primary reason behind this. See, this could not have been identified using quantitative methods. The quantitative research method could have only told you about the number of late patients. So this makes the qualitative method an important and effective one.
Common examples of qualitative research
From the discussion above, you have got a good idea of the meaning of the qualitative method of research. However, you still do not know the common examples or methods of doing this research and how to use those methods effectively. Hence, a brief description of all the methods is as follows:
1. One-on-One Interview
The first and the most common example of qualitative research is conducting a one-on-one interview. In such a research method, the researcher asks some questions from the research participants, and the participants answer his questions based on their knowledge about the subject matter. The greatest advantage of this method is that it provides precise and accurate data about what people think about the topic or research issue. Although the participant and researcher bias is a major issue in this method, most of the time, the answers and the interpretations are objective. Meanwhile hiring a dissertation writing service can also play an important role to get it done perfectly.
2. Focus Groups method of qualitative research
The second most commonly used method of research for the collection of non-numeric data is focus groups. In this method, the researcher selects some participants and arranges them in a group. After the formulation of the groups, he then interviews all the group participants in one go and collects their responses. It is important to note that the study group size should be between 5 to 8 research participants. Anything more than that severely affects the research results. Additionally, the same question is asked from each participant.
3. Qualitative observation
Another example of qualitative research is qualitative observation. This method uses subjective methodologies to gather information about the research population. In this method, the researcher observes the target audience or research population with all his five senses, i.e., hearing, smelling, touching, seeing, and tasting. Upon careful observation of the research audience, the researcher infers the results. It is important to note that qualitative observation does not involve counting the number of participants. Instead, it involves the measurement and observation of the characteristics.
4. Ethnographic research
It is a type of observational study, but the difference lies in the level of observation. Ethnographic research is a more in-depth observation that studies the research participants in their natural environment. It means that the participants do not know they are participants and are being observed by the researcher. This common example of qualitative research mainly aims at understanding culture, the motivation behind something, and changes that occur in a society over time. To make this happen, the researcher has to mould himself according to the environment of the participants.
How to use qualitative research effectively?
After describing the common examples of qualitative research, it is now time to shed some light on how to use them effectively in research. Hence, a brief description of the points related to this is as follows:
- To use the qualitative method of research effectively, make sure that you have defined the problem in its true sense. The reason is that the method of research depends on this.
- Knowing the research context is another good point that can make your qualitative research effective. It is because when you know the context, you can better collect the data and analyse it.
- Eliminate the research bias from your collected data. Researcher and respondent bias is the biggest problem in this research methodology because personal beliefs and experiences can influence the responses.
Conclusion
Conclusively, qualitative research is a powerful method for researching something not possible using quantitative methods. It provides you with expressions and descriptions instead of numbers so that you can infer the results from the answers of respondents. However, the most common methods of doing this research are discussed above. Also, the guide to making this research effective is also up there. So, what are you waiting for? Read the whole article now and conduct your qualitative research.