What are the main types of qualitative approaches to research? Show
While there are many different investigations that can be done, a study with a qualitative approach generally can be described with the characteristics of one of the following three types: Historical research describes past events, problems, issues and facts. Data are gathered from written or oral descriptions of past events, artifacts, etc. It describes “what was” in an attempt to recreate the past. It is different from a report in that it involves interpretation of events and its influence on the present. It answers the question: “What was the situation?” Examples of Historical Research:
Ethnographic research develops in-depth analytical descriptions of current systems, processes, and phenomena and/or understandings of the shared beliefs and practices of a particular group or culture. This type of design collects extensive narrative data (non-numerical data) based on many variables over an extended period of time in a natural setting within a specific context. The background, development, current conditions, and environmental interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded, and analyzed for patterns in relation to internal and external influences. It is a complete description of present phenomena. One specific form of ethnographic research is called a case study. It is a detailed examination of a single group, individual, situation, or site. A meta-analysis is another specific form. It is a statistical method which accumulates experimental and correlational results across independent studies. It is an analysis of analyses. Examples of Ethnographic Research:
Narrative research focuses on studying a single person and gathering data through the collection of stories that are used to construct a narrative about the individual’s experience and the meanings he/she attributes to them. Examples of Narrative Research:
5 Types of Qualitative Research MethodsQualitative research is the process of acquiring data by studying subjects in their natural habitat. The focus is on understanding the why and how of human behaviour in situations, and is defined as a scientific research method to obtain non-numerical data. Qualitative research is subjective in nature: Types of Qualitative Research methods: 1. Ethnography Example of application: This on-the-field method can help companies in assessing how consumers use certain products or services, and accordingly develop new products or revamp existing products. 2. Narrative Example of application: A business can use this method to understand challenges faced by their target audience that can in turn be utilised for innovation and development of products. 3.
Phenomenology Example of application: Universities can rely on this method to understand how students make their choices about applying to universities/colleges. 4. Grounded Theory Example of application: A product-based company can use this method to understand how their customers use their products or individual features of their product or products. 5. Case study Example of application: For a business, case studies are a useful tool to formulate strategies, understand influences, devise new methods etc. With open-ended questions, qualitative research methods produce results that are descriptive and inferences that are useful in breaking down complex problems into simpler components. The onus is on the researcher – he or she can change the course of the research based on the responses from or observations of the subjects. Is an appropriate qualitative method when you want to describe an event activity or phenomenon?When you want to describe an event, activity, or phenomenon, the aptly named phenomenological study is an appropriate qualitative method.
What is the most appropriate qualitative research design?Case studies, one of the most common qualitative designs, are used to examine a person, group, community or institution. Researchers often use a bounded theory approach that confines the case study in terms of time or space.
Which of the following method is used in qualitative research?However, the three most commonly used qualitative research methods are in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and observation.
What research design should be used if you want to study the experiences of people?Phenomenology. The aim of a phenomenological approach to qualitative research is to describe accurately the lived experiences of people, and not to generate theories or models of the phenomenon being studied.
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