I, like most people, am familiar with quantitative research.
This is one of the more popular forms of research. We have all be subjected to quantitative
research when we answer survey questions from a telemarketer or receive a
survey in the mail. Quantitative research is statistical based in an attempt to
prove or disprove a hypothesis. The form of research I am not very familiar
with is qualitative research. What is quantitative research and how is it best
used? According to Hoepfl (1997), “Qualitative
research uses a naturalistic approach that seeks to understand phenomena in
context-specific settings” (“Qualitative versus quantitative research paradigms,”
para. 1). Straus and Corbin (1990) claimed
that this type of research is used to yield findings by methods other than
statistical procedures. (as cited in Hoepfl, 1997, “Qualitative versus
quantitative research paradigms,” para. 2) After reading the definitions I
believe that qualitative research is a method used when the research is in pursuit
of the human aspect and not just numerical or statistical data.
According to Cronbach (1975), qualitative research is useful
because numerical or statistical data is not able to account for the exchanges
that take place in a social setting. (as
cited by Hoepfl, 1997, “Qualitative versus quantitative research paradigms,” para. 6) Hoepfl (1997) indicated that there are 8 basic elements of qualitative
research: (a) a natural setting is the source of the data, (b) the researcher
is the human instrument while collecting the data, (c) inductive data analysis
is usually used as the research method, (d) the research reports are
expressive, (e) research has an interpretive character where the goal is to
determine the meaning an event has for a person who experiences the event, (f) pays
attention to the characteristics and
seeks to discover the unique habits of each case, (g) the outcome is not
prearranged and the researcher just goes with the flow of the process, and (h)
the research is judged by specific criteria to measure trustworthiness.
Because qualitative research is more naturalistic than
quantitative research, the role of the researcher is much more important.
Lincoln and Guba (1985) identified several characteristics that allow humans to be the instrument of choice
in qualitative data including: the ability to respond to environmental cues,
ability to interact in different situations,
able to collect information from multiple levels at the same time,
ability to process data very quickly, and the ability to give immediate feedback.
(as cited by Hoepfl, 1997, “The role of the researcher in qualitative inquiry,” para. 5) Eisner (1991) also noted the significance of the researcher when
stating that qualitative research places an importance on the strengths of the
researcher. (as cited by Hoepfl, 1997, “The role of the researcher in
qualitative inquiry,” para. 6)
Qualitative research differs from other types of research in
the collection of data. This type of research uses open ended questions that
will result in individual variations when a survey or interview is
preferred. They do not use the standard
multiple choice questions like other forms of research. According to Hoepfl (1997) observations in a
natural scene are also a useful form of data collection and they can lead to a
deeper understanding than interviews or surveys. After the objective of the
research has been determined and the observation or interview has taken place
the data must now analyzed. According to Straus and Corbin (1990) the data must
be examined to determine the themes that come out of the raw data by using a
process known as open coding. (as cited by Hoepfl, 1997, “Analysis of data”,
para. 3).
The goal of open coding is to form a framework by creating
descriptive categories. (Hoepfl, 1997) Once the categories are created the next
step is to re-examine the categories and describe how they are linked together
to create a bigger picture. (Hoepfl, 1997) The final step of the researcher is
to convert all of the information and categories into an article or story to be
read by other individuals.
As I was reading about this method of research it sounded
foreign to me and was difficult to understand and discuss. As an accountant I
deal with stats and numbers on a regular basis so they are much easier for me
to comprehend. I thought about any experiences I have had with qualitative
research and struggled to identify a time where I had been subjected to this
type of research. It is not used as often as the quantitative method so I
believe it gets lost. I believe individuals can be subjected to qualitative
research and not realize it since it is not as common as quantitative research.
Eventually I was able to recall an instance where I was involved in a
qualitative research study.
Several years ago the college I work for was in the process
of hiring its next president. The Board of Trustees determined that the
employees would be a great asset to question regarding what they were looking
for in the next president. An open ended survey containing several questions
was emailed to each employee. These questions revolved around the future
direction of the college, the values the next president should hold, and the
opinion of the current state of the college. An open ended survey was also
mailed out to a portion of the alumni asking the same types of questions. This
data was used in conjunction with the board’s requirements for the incoming
president and a new president was hired.
Overall, qualitative research differs greatly from other
more well-known methods of research. I believe that these differences make this
type of method much more useful when an individual is searching for more than
just statistics as it relates to the objective of the research.
Reference
Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing qualitative research: a primer
for technology education researchers. M.
Sanders (Ed.), Journal of Technology Education, 9(1). Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html
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