Qualitative Research, and Its Appropriateness to Educational Research - Case Study Example

Running Head: Qualitative Research, and Its Appropriateness to Educational Research Qualitative Research, and Its Appropriateness to Educational Research [The Writer’s Name] [The Name of the Institution] Qualitative Research, and Its Appropriateness to Educational Research For thousands of years, philosophers and other academics have formulated and debated theories of knowledge in attempts to conceptualize and analyze reality. These ways of knowing are commonly referred to as epistemologies that help us make sense of the world in which we live. Epistemological theories attempt to address the perception of reality, truth, justice and the pursuit of knowledge (Evers and Walker, 2005: 29). In science, there are two main theoretical approaches to research. Research Methods The Quantitative tradition relies on numerical data and has been associated with the positivist, empiricist and behaviorist schools of thought. Qualitative research focuses on the collection of non-numerical data such as narratives and unstructured interviews. The qualitative approach is often associated with post-positivist, hermeneutic or constructive schools of thought (Evers and Walker, 2005: 42). Each of these approaches provides researchers with different paradigms or conceptions and views of research problems and methods. As a result, the conclusions generated from each of these methodologies are different. Accordingly, methodology deals with the methods and principles used in an activity, the researcher explain how he did the research, the methods of data collection, materials used, subjects interviewed, or places he visited. Give a detailed account of how and when he carried out his research. Explain why he used the particular methods, which he did use, rather than other methods. Once a person has decided upon a research topic, the next important step is to choose an appropriate method. He may decide on a qualitative study, collecting data by interview, or you may choose a quantitative method, carrying out a survey by means of a self-completion questionnaire. Research Design: In order to have a good piece of research, a researcher must have a detailed plan of how the research will be conducted. A good research design not only will anticipate and specify the seemingly countless decisions connected with planning and carrying out data collection, processing, and analysis, but also will present a logical basis for these decisions. As a researcher, several different questions surface concerning which design to choose. The distinction between design and method must be made clear. The design is your plan, whereas the method is the means by which you investigate your research interest (Bassey, M. 1999, 24-26). One of the key decisions a researcher must make is how to operationalize their research study. Often, a researcher decision to choose either "quantitative" or "qualitative" methods influences his design choice. However, researchers often triangulate their methods making the line between these approaches less clear. Once the researcher has decided on the theoretical or conceptual framework informing or underpinning the study and has formulated the research questions, the next step is to decide on the data-collection strategy and the precise methods to be used. Whilst the general nature of the research design is known at the outset, the research design may evolve as the study progresses. The degree of statistical manipulation that can be performed depends on the nature of the data collected. Whilst a wide variety of methods can be used to generate quantitative data, those wishing to test hypotheses usually make use of surveys, experiments, structured observation, and the analysis of secondary data such as official statistics. Data collection Following the research design stage is data collection. There are a number of decisions the researcher must make in terms of how data can be collected for a study. The choice strongly depends on the question the researcher is asking and the phenomenon being researched. A common decision in choosing a type of approach often centers around the choice between collecting qualitative or quantitative data. A number of distinctions can be made between these approaches; more fundamental differences differentiate quantitative data as focusing on quantity and qualitative emphasizing the quality of a construct. While other researchers have suggested that research is directly linked to the assumptions we have about ontology, epistemology, and human nature. However, there are two kinds of data collection (Larry 2000, 65-70). I. Primary Data: is original information that a researcher gathers himself. Which is direct, authoritative and not influenced by anybodys opinion such as statutes, cases, treaties, Law reports and various official publications. II. Secondary Data: Although a research will probably be based on original (primary) data researcher collects by himself, he must also be familiar with secondary sources. Data that is secondary for some research may be primary for other kinds of research. The following sources would be secondary for most research: Books, encyclopedias, newspapers, journals, magazines, conference proceedings, and reports. For instance, In English law articles in periodicals’, which can also be called "reference materials" is considered on of the most important secondary data (Tight, M. 1996, 55-65). So, the researcher is the prime instrument of data collection. When analyzing information for a research project, two of the major types of research to be considered are qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research methods are considerably different from those of quantitative research methods. Quantitative research is known to be effective in collecting data. Qualitative research, on the other hand, explores an area, collects data through observations and interviews with people and generates hypotheses. Different Ways of Knowing First, it may be useful to look at two examples in order to illustrate the distinct contributions of both the quantitative and qualitative traditions. As well, these examples highlight the importance of selecting research methods and techniques that are best suited for the type of study under investigation (Rose G. 1990, 85-90). Suppose a medical researcher wants to determine the personal attributes and number of people who do not adhere to drug and alcohol counseling programs. The researcher would perhaps design a study using a tightly controlled experiment involving random samples from the population under study. The study would assign subjects into an experimental groups and a control group, with the experimental group given the treatment for the addiction (David. 2000, 65-66). A quantitative investigator would look for a cause and effect relationship between the defined variables in the study and then either accepts or rejects his or her hypotheses based on the data produced. The medical researcher would probably conduct this research as a quantitative study and possibly attempt to establish more effective drug and alcohol treatment programs. On the other hand, a criminologist might be more interested in trying to reveal useful information about the reasons why some people do not adhere to drug and alcohol counseling programs. As well, the qualitative researcher might also be interested in the importance that these programs have in the subjects lives. In the criminologists study, s/he might use various techniques such as unstructured interviews, narrative descriptions, focus groups, and non-participant observation in order to elicit the point of view and personal experiences of the subjects under study, (Morgan, G. & Smircich, L. 1980). The criminologist, in this case, would take a qualitative approach to acquire the necessary information. Largely, quantitative methods are used in the physical sciences whereas studies in the social sciences lean toward qualitative methods or a combination of both research methods. Both methods are also supported by different aspects of quality, credibility, reliability and validity throughout their methodology. Moreover, qualitative research has been referred to as post-positivistic. Qualitative methods take a holistic or hermeneutic approach to scientific investigation, which involves using a wide variety of techniques to study phenomena. Phenomena are usually described in words instead of numbers using qualitative techniques. (Larry. 2000, 35-36) describes qualitative research as, "research that describes phenomena in words instead of numbers or measures" (Wiersma, 2000:11). In qualitative research, a hypothesis is not needed to begin research. This is due to the fact that qualitative research practices are commonly used for investigating phenomena of which the researcher knows very little about. It is thought that the qualitative researcher can learn the most by participating and/or being immersed in a research situation. These basic underlying assumptions of both methodologies guide and sequence the types of data collection methods employed. Qualitative researchers stress the socially constructed nature of reality, the intimate relationship between the researcher and what is studied and the situational constraints that shape inquiry. In qualitative research, a hypothesis is not needed to begin research. This is due to the fact that qualitative research practices are commonly used for investigating phenomena of which the researcher knows very little about. As a result, qualitative methods are seen as looking at the world through a wide angel lens. Instead of viewing the world only through the researchers eyes, qualitative research strives to understand and interpret the world in the same way in which those who are being researched understand and interpret the world. Many qualitative researchers would agree that there are many different ways of understanding the world in which we live and that in order to gain a better understanding of these competing views, researchers must be able to see the world through the eyes of those whom they are researching. The qualitative approach goes across many disciplines such as education, psychology, history and sociology and can be described as being many things at the same time. The use of a variety of methodologies and research practices from other academic disciplines, referred to as triangulation, characterizes the qualitative approach. Some of the more common qualitative methods include ethnography, participant observation, unstructured interviews, case studies, ex-post facto research and historical analysis (Trochim, 2002, 85-94). Through detailed interviewing and observation, the qualitative scientist believes that s/he can get closer to the phenomena under study. The ultimate goal is to capture the subjects perspective and qualitative scientists often argue that quantitative approaches fail to adequately do this. As in traditional qualitative research, action research often adopts qualitative methods including observation and survey techniques. Action research is often seen as an ideal way for practitioners such as teachers and school administrators to identify specific classroom problems in schools and to help provide quick and effective solutions that will create a better educational environment. Consequently, educators and school administrators to solve local problems commonly use action research. Qualitative methods such as observation and unstructured interviews allow investigators to portray a more complete "picture" of the social phenomena under investigation. Phenomenology, which is a term used to refer to a method for the description of categories of lived experiences (Fielding, 2001,80-85) these qualitative techniques are viewed among social scientists as being invaluable in guiding the research process. In addition, the narrative method normally employed in ethnographic studies can reveal aspects of group and individual behaviors in ways that other research methods cannot. Qualitative research has come to denote research approaches that are underpinned by a set of assumptions about the way the social world operates. It derives many of its basic tenets from the perspective that the science of the human world is fundamentally different from that of the natural world and therefore needs to deploy distinctive (often interpretative) methods. Here, the focus is upon seeing the world through the eyes of those being studied and upon developing concepts and theories that are grounded in the emerging data. Thus, qualitative research is concerned with individuals own accounts of their attitudes, motivations and behavior. Qualitative methods are useful, not only in providing rich descriptions of complex phenomena, but in constructing or developing theories or conceptual frameworks, and in generating hypotheses to explain those phenomena Moreover, the great strength of qualitative research is the validity of the data obtained; individuals are interviewed in sufficient detail for the results to be taken as true, correct, complete and believable reports of their views and experiences. However, its main weakness is that small numbers of respondents cannot be taken as representative, even if great care is taken to choose a fair cross-section of the type of people who are the subject of the study. If qualitative research is dismissed as a weak alternative to a survey this is because the validity problems in survey data are largely invisible and regularly overlooked as a result, particularly by economist and statisticians who routinely work with large datasets and official statistics. References Johnson, Burke and Christensen, Larry. (2000,35-40). Educational Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Silverman, David. (2000,80-85). Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook. London: Sage. Trochim, William. (2002). Research Methods Knowledge Base. Retrieved on November 25, 2003 from: http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/ Cornell University. Walker, J. and Evers, C. (2005). The Epistemological unity of educational research in Educational Research Methodology and Measurement: An International Handbook. Ed. J.P. Fielding, (2001), Sydney, pp. 28-36. Wiersma, William. (2000, 11-15). Research Methods in Education. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn andBacon. Bassey, M. (1999, 24-26) Case Study Research in Educational Settings. Buckingham: Open University Press Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (1996, 55-65) How to Research. Buckingham: Open University. Morgan, G. & Smircich, L. (1980). The case for qualitative research. The Academy of Management Review, 5, 491500 Rose G. (1990, 85-90) Designing Sociological Research. Oxford University press. Read More