Qualitative Research
Supervisor
Dr. Çise Çavusoglu
By
Hiba Sabah, Hayder Ali and Mustafa
Menteşoğulları
Content
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Background
Define Qualitative Research.
The methods.
Themes.
Assumptions.
Design differences.
Data collection.
Data analysis.
Advantage and disadvantage of Qualitative Research
Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Validity and Reliability. ( By Mustafa)
Background
Definitions
• Qualitative research is phenomenological
inquiry . It is based on phenomenological
paradigm which uses a variety of interpretive
research methodology. (Johan & James,2006).
• “ Qualitative researchers study things in their
natural settings, attempting to make sense of or
interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings
people bring to these setting”.
Denzin and Lincoln (1994)
• Qualitative research is a process of naturalistic
inquiry that seeks in-depth understanding of
social phenomena within their natural
setting. It focuses on the "why" rather than
the "what" of social phenomena and relies on
the direct experiences of human beings as
meaning-making agents in their every day
lives.
(Merriam ,1998)
(Bogdan & Biklen, 1992)
Qualitative research is concerned with the social
aspects of our world and seeks to find answers to
the following questions
• Why people behave the way they do?
• How opinions and attitudes are formed?
• How people are affected by the events that go on
around them?
• How and why cultures have developed in the way
they have?
• What are the differences between social groups or
between males and females?
Types of Qualitative research
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Ethnographic
Case Study
Content Analysis of Documents
Focus Groups
Surveys
Ground theory .
Phenomenology.
Theme of Qualitative research
patton (2002)
Design strategies:
The research is a work in progress that may be change as
the data are collected .
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Naturalistic inquiry .studying real world situations as they
unfold naturally ; non manipulative and non controlling.
Design flexibility :openness to adapting inquiry as
understanding deepness and ,situations change; the
researcher avoid getting locked into rigid designs.
• purposeful sampling : Explaining phenomenon rather
than making a generalization.
Data collection and fieldwork strategies
• Qualitative data: observations , thick description; inquiry in
depth ;interviews that capture direct quotations about
people s ’personal perspectives and experiences
• personal experience and engagement : the researcher has
direct contact with and gets close to the people; situation
and phenomenon under study.
• Empathic neutrality and mindfulness: the researcher must
approach the subject empathically but approach the data
from a neutral position
• Dynamic systems: assumes change as ongoing whether
focus is on an individual ,an organization ,a community, or
an entire culture
Analysis strategies
• Unique case orientation.
• Inductive analysis: immersion in the details
and specifics of the data to discover important
patterns, themes and interrelation; begins by
exploring ,then confirming.
• Context sensitivity.
• Voice perspective and reflexivity.
Kinds of research questions
• Theoretical
“ How does play affect reading readiness ?
Through what cognitive and affective process?
Do children who take certain roles for example :
Play leadership roles learn faster ? “
( Marshall & Roseman)
Particular population
“How do school superintendents manage
relations with school board members? What
influence processes do they use?”
Site specific questions
“Why is the program working will in this school
but not in the others ? What is special about
the people? “ ( Marshall & Roseman, 1999)’
Assumptions
• Quantitative there is a single knowable
reality then can be defined measured
quantified .
• Qualitative there are multiple realities that are
context and – or person dependent
• Quantitative: researcher is removed from the
research for objectivity .
• Qualitative to truly understand a reality the
researcher must become part of the reality.
Design differences
Quantitative
Qualitative
Predetermined time frame
Exploration over undetermined time
Structure time frame
Flexible open ended
Predetermined questions or hypotheses
Hypotheses is development
Hypotheses is testing
Data Collection Techniques
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Observation(field studies)
Interviews
Document review
Surveys
Case studies
Researcher as instrument
The choice of strategy depend on the focus of the
researcher(what is to be studied) and the desired time frame
for the study
Document content analysis
Sources of data
• Records ;Reports; printed forms ;letters;
autobiographies; academic work; books; films;
pictures; diaries ;syllabi; court decision; archival data.
Observation
The observers’ role
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Participant observer.
Covertly observation.
Those being observed full ;partial no explanation.
Duration
The breath of focus
• Setting or Physical environment; social
interaction ;physical activities; non verbal
communication ;non occurrences.
• Field notes (detailed notation )
• Direct quotations
• Date; how was present ; place ;time; activities.
• Vague or poor field notes
The new client was uneasy waiting for her
intake interview ,
• Detailed notes
At first the new client sat very stiffly on the
chair next to the receptionist's desk .She
picked up a magazine and let the pages flutter
through her fingers very quickly.
Interviews
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Informal conversational
interview guide approach
Standardized open-interview
Closed fixed response interview
Data collection
• Proxemics : is the study of peoples s’ use of
space and its relationship with culture
• Kinesics :is the study of body movements
• Street ethnography: Concentrates on the
person becoming a part of the place under
study
• Narratives: people s’ individual life stories.
Data analysis
• Organizing the data .
• Description.
• Interpretation .
Program used to organize and
analyze Qualitative data
• Computer software .One such program ,called
NUD*IST :
( Non-Numerical Unstructured Data Indexing
Searching and Theory- Building).
• Atlas / ti. program .
These two programs permit the researcher to
set up codes.
(Gohn & James ,2006)
Advantage of Qualitative Research
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In-depth examination of phenomena.
Uses subjective information.
Not limited to rigidly definable variables.
Examine complex questions that can be
impossible with quantitative methods.
• Deal with value questions.
• Explore new area of research.
• Build new theories
Weaknesses of Qualitative Research
• Fewer people studied usually .
• Less easily generalised as a result.
• Dependent upon researcher's personal attributes.
and skills (though it is also true with quantitative
research but not easily detected) .
• Participation in the setting can change the social
situation (although not participating can always
change the social situation as well).
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
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Philosophy:
2. Goal:
Phenomenology
Understand, meaning
3. Focus:
4. Method:
Quality (features)
Quantity (how much, numbers)
Ethnography/Action research
Experiments/Correlation
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5. Data collection:
Positivism
Prediction, test hypothesis
Interviews, observation
Questionnaire, scales,
documents,
tests, inventories
6. Research Design: Flexible, emerging
Structured, predetermined
7. Sample:
Small, purposeful
Large, random, representation
8. Generalisation:
Unique case selection
Generalisation
9. Analysis
Inductive (by the researcher)
Deductive (by statistical methods)
10. Role of Researcher:
Immersed
Detached
RELIABILITY AND
VALIDITY
IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• RELIABILITY
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ACCORDING TO NAHID GOLAFSHANI, IT IS
IRRELEVANT.
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THE RESEARCHER SHOULD PERSUADE THE
PEOPLE THAT THE STUDY IS WORTH FOR A
GOOD RESEARCH.
• A GOOD QUALITATIVE RESEARCH SHOULD
HAVE;
• CREDIBILTY
• NEUTRALITY
• CONFIRMABILTY
• CONSISTENCY
• DEPENDABILTY
• APPLICABILITY
• TRANSFERABILITY
• THE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH’S RELIABILITY IS
CLOSE TO QUANTITIVE RESEARCH’S
RELIABILTY.
• A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IS RATHER RELATED
WITH TRUSTWORTHINESS THAN RELIABILTY.
• THE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH SHOULD BE
REPEATABLE.
• VALIDITY
• THE VALIDITY OF ANY QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
DEPENCES ON THE QUALITY OF THE RESEARCH.
• THE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO HAVE GENERALIBILTY.
• DEL SIEGLE INTRODUCES THREE BASIC ELEMENTS
FOR VALIDITY;
 UNOBSTRUSIVE MEASURES
 RESPONDENT VALIDATION
TRIANGULATION
REFERENCES
Best, J .W .& Kahn ,J .V . (2006) . Research in
education . ( 10th Ed ) . Boston ,NY :Pearson.
Brown,J.D . (1995).Understanding research in second
language learning.(2th Ed).New York :Cambridge.
Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (1984). Handbook of
Qualitative Research, Newbury Park: Sage
Publications.
Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case
study: Applications in education. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/MEdHOM
E/QUALITATIVE/Reliab.VALIDITY.pdf
• http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/acade
mic/aged5980a/5980/newpage18.htm
• http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research
/qualitative/qualitativeinstractornotes.html