Qualitative
Research
Characteristics
The following are some
of the characteristics of
qualitative research:
1. Natural environment
(natural setting)
• Qualitative researchers collect
field data at the locations
where participants experience
the problem or issue to be
studied. Qualitative researchers
do not change the
environmental settings and
activities of the participants.
Information is gathered by
talking directly to people and
seeing them act directly in a
natural context.
2. Researcher as a
key instrument.
• Qualitative researchers generally
collect their own research data
through participant observation,
documentation, or direct interviews
with participants. These researchers
generally do not use instruments or
questionnaires made by other
researchers, because they are the
only key to the study.
3. Multiple sources
of data
• Qualitative researchers
generally choose to collect
the required data from
various sources such as
interviews,
documentation, and
observations, rather than
relying only on one source
data.
4. Inductive
data analysis.
• Qualitative researchers build
categories, patterns and
themes from the ground up
(inductive) or from separate
data into a complete
conclusion.
• In
5. The meaning
of the
participants
6. Design that
develops
• Qualitative researchers argue that qualitative
research is always evolving and dynamic.
This can mean that the initial plan is not a
standard that must be adhered to, all stages
of research may change after the researcher
goes into the field and collects data.
Provided that these changes are still in line
in achieving the research objectives, namely
obtaining information about the problem or
research issue.
7. Theoretical perspective
(theoritical lens)
• Qualitative researchers
often use certain
perspectives in
conducting research
such as ethnography,
cultural concepts,
gender differences, race
and others.
8.
Interpretive.
9. A holistic
account.
Strengths of
Qualitative
Research
• Issues can be examined in detail
and in depth. Interviews are not
restricted to specific questions
and can be guided/redirected by
the researcher in real time. The
research framework and
direction can be quickly revised
as new information emerges
EXAMPLE
A well-designed process evaluation
of a trial may provide important
insights into participant attitudes,
beliefs, and thoughts about the
intervention and its acceptability,
which may not be evident from the
quantitative outcome evaluation.
•The importance of
strengths of
qualitative research is
that the issues can be
examined in detail and
in depth.