Analytical Skills for Community Organization Practice - Assignment Example

 Research Discussion Questions Introduction Researchers can choose from several methods of conducting research. There are two main methods that are most commonly used to conduct research. These methods include the quantitative and the qualitative method performing any research. Whether to select the quantitative method or the qualitative one depends on various factors that need to be considered. Before conducting research, an individual needs to have a knowhow of the different characteristics associated with research methods, the impact of scenarios and factors on the selection of research method as well as the benefits and disadvantages of these research methods. DQ 1.1 1. What are the key characteristics of qualitative research? Please some examples Qualitative research is categorized as studies conducted in order gain an understanding of phenomenon based on their environment and their interaction with the environment. Another important feature of this research is that those conducting the study have to make their own effort to collect as well as analyze data. These studies are based on observations so the researcher has to himself visit the settings in order to observe constructs and their behaviors (Tracy, 2013). This form of research is conducted for inductive purposes. This means that this type of research helps in developing theories as well as hypothesis that is used in further researches. For example a study was conducted by Heslehurst et al. in which the researchers tried to understand the perception of healthcare practitioner’s regarding ways through which maternity services can be further developed (Heslehurst, 2011). For this study the researchers personally interviewed 30 participants and they identified that maternity services can further be developed in order to counter obesity among pregnant women by increasing communication between private and public healthcare organizations. 2. How do the characteristics differ from quantitative research? Please some example. There are major differences in the characteristics of both qualitative as well as quantitative researches. The quantitative ones are objective in nature and the qualitative ones are subjective and the quantities ones try to answer the question of how strong is the connection between environment and the phenomenon, while the qualitative ones only focus on why the phenomenon occurred and the definition of the phenomenon. The quantities ones focus on identifying whether the theory developed through qualitative research is true or false. The outcomes of the study in quantities are based on statistical tools, while in qualitative study the outcome is interpreted by the researcher. For example a quantitative study was conducted by Van den Broeck et al. in which the statistical tools of correlation was used to identify what motivated workaholics to work extremely and impulsively (Van den Broeck, 2011). The study helped in revealing that independent motivation had a higher correlation with excessive work amongst the population of workaholics. Discussion Q1 These questions were very helpful in identifying the difference between two kinds of the study and how the results of the study are obtained by the researchers. Answers to these questions will help me during my thesis and research while deciding about the topic and the form of research that I want to pursue. DQ 1.2 1. In what types of situations would a qualitative research design be appropriate? Please some examples. There are various situations in which qualitative research is preferred over other forms of research such as mixed method and quantitative research. The main aim of most of qualitative studies is to gain an understanding of the perceptions and believes of a particular population (Hardina, 2013). For example the study conducted by Heslehurst et al. the researchers had an aim to identify the perception of the healthcare professionals and that is why they opted for qualitative research. These researches are mostly conducted in scenarios in which the researcher aims at understanding and answering questions regarding what, how as well as the reason for the occurrence of a particular phenomenon. For example Heslehurst et al. wanted to identify the ideas that professionals of healthcare industry had regarding ways for increasing the development of maternity centers in order to counter the issue of obesity amongst the population of pregnant women (Heslehurst, 2011). The researchers identified that in order to develop maternity institutes there needs to be an increase in the communication between public and private healthcare service providing organizations (Heslehurst, 2011). 2. In what situation would it not be appropriate? Please some examples. In various situations qualitative research method is not recommended and in these situations other research methods such as the quantitative ones are utilized. When researchers aim at identifying numbers or they want to identify the prevalence of a particular phenomenon amongst a certain population, they should not use qualitative research. For example Van den Broeck et al. wanted to identify how many (number) workaholics were motivated to work in a disproportionate and irrational manner (Van den Broeck, 2011). Due to this they did not use qualitative research and used quantitative research method. Secondly, when researchers aim at challenging a previously held concept they should not use qualitative research. For example: Van den Broeck et al. wanted to verify the theory that excessive work had a relationship with independent motivation or internal motivation Due to this they used a statistical method called regression which provided subjective findings that the theory was true and statistically proven (Van den Broeck, 2011). 3. What factors would you consider when deciding if a qualitative method is appropriate for your study? Please some example. Factors that need to be considered while selecting qualitative research method includes the type of inquiry, funding as well as availability of time. If the type of inquiry is descriptive in nature or the researcher wants to describe a particular phenomenon, then they will implement qualitative method. For example: if the researcher wants to define Ebola instead of trying to identify the number of patients suffering from Ebola, they will implement qualitative research. Qualitative research required more funding as well as time since the researcher himself has to visit settings and observe people and constructs (Grove, 2013). They have to conduct interviews which are even time consuming. If the researcher has less availability of funds and time they should not opt for qualitative research. For example a student may want to conduct a research for his final thesis and does not have enough money and time to perform research as the deadline of submitting the thesis may be nearing. Due to these limitations, the student may not choose qualitative research. Discussion Q2 The question provides insight regarding the scenarios and factors that need to be considered while selecting the research method. This question has assisted in identifying factors including time, purpose of research and funds that need to be considered while selecting a research method for any particular study. For example: if I am going to conduct a study while focusing on factors that satisfy employees, I will conduct a quantitative study because as a student I have limited time and funds and because I would want to identify whether the theories of motivation are statistically true or not. DQ 1.3 What are three advantages of conducting qualitative research? What are three disadvantages of qualitative research? Why are these considered advantages and disadvantages? Please some example. Advantages 1. There are several benefits and disadvantages of qualitative research. One of the main benefits of qualitative research is that it helps in defining and detailing a concept or phenomenon that might be lacking a proper definition (Myers, 2013). This is a benefit because there are several concepts that do not have a clear definition and by conducting a qualitative research one can clarify the definition for themselves which can be useful in different walks of life. 2. Another benefit is that it can provide solutions to various questions that cannot be answered with the assistance of quantitative research. For example one of the questions that human beings are trying to answer is what the place from which human beings came from is. Quantitative research cannot provide a possible explanation of where human beings came from, but thorough observation of religions is one way through which qualitative researchers can answer the question. 3. Another important and one of the most significant benefits of quantitative research is that it helps in developing new theories. This is an advantage because people in their professional lives as well as personal lives may suffer several problems that might not have been researched and with the help of qualitative research one can easily identify new solutions to their problems. These theories can later be used as a basis of quantitative research for further exploration. Disadvantages 1. While several benefits are associated with qualitative research, several limitations even exist in this form of research. One of the major issues with qualitative research is that the outcomes of the results is based on human perceptions and believes (Myers, 2013). Since human senses are involved in the forming of their perception, the chances are that the findings may be biased and the findings may not be highly generalizable since an individual makes opinions based on their backgrounds and their environment. This even means that if other researchers conduct a similar study based on the same method, the possibility is that they will attach a different meaning to their observations. 2. These researches require the researchers to be at a particular setting or arrange a particular setting in order to observe individuals in different settings. This means that since a lot of arrangements need to be made, qualitative research will require more time as well as funds. 3. Another limitation of this form of research is that it requires a number of individuals to conduct proper research. This means that individuals may be needed to be hired for research purposes and to employ the right individuals having the right skill sets and traits may become quite a tiresome job for the researcher as well as the subjects. Discussion Q3 This question was quite significant in identifying the advantages and disadvantages associated with qualitative research. These advantages and disadvantages can have a major impact on the researcher’s decision of whether to opt for this form of research or not. The advantages include the detailing and defining of unknown constructs, identification of new solutions to existing problems and development of new theories that can be used for the purpose of further research. The limitations associated includes the high amount of cost and time, the huge and right numbers of subjects required and the biased solutions since the outcome is interpreted by the researcher and his/her perception. Conclusion The main characteristics of qualitative research are that these researches are mostly observation based and the researcher has to be involved in present at the settings where they are in order to collect and interpret data and results from this research can be used for further quantitative research. These researches are conducted when the researcher wants define and explain a construct and to gain an understanding of what people think. The main benefits of these researches are that it can solve problems that cannot be solved with quantitative research, it can help develop theories that can be used to solve new business and can be used for further research and can even help in clarification of existing terms and concepts. References Grove, S., Burns, N., & Gray, J. (2013). The practice of nursing research. St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier/Saunders. Hardina, D. (2013). Analytical skills for community organization practice. New York: Columbia University Press. Heslehurst, N., Moore, H., Rankin, J., Ells, L., Wilkinson, J., & Summberbell, C. (2011). How can maternity services be developed to effectively address maternal obesity? A qualitative study. Midwifery, 27(5), e170-e177. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2010.01.007 Myers, M. (2013). Qualitative research in business & management. London: SAGE. Tracy, S. (2013). Qualitative research methods. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Van den Broeck, A., Schreurs, B., De Witte, H., Vansteenkiste, M., Germeys, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2011). Understanding Workaholics' Motivations: A Self-Determination Perspective. Applied Psychology, 60(4), 600-621. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00449.x Read More