Qualitative Research - Report Example

Qualitative Research Report of the Contents Main Approaches Available for Collecting Qualitative Data 2 1.Individual Interviews 3 1.2. Focus Group 3 1.3. Observation and Self Study 4 1.4. Action Research Approach 4 2. In-depth Interview Analysis 5 3. What is involved in Analyzing Qualitative Data? 6 3.1. Recording and Organizing the Data 6 3.2. Review of the Research Objective and Ensuring Reliability and Validity of the Collected Data 6 3.3. Coding of the Collected Data 7 3.4. Interpreting the Findings and Summarizing the Observation 7 3.5. Triangulation of the Data Sources 7 3.6. Communicating the Research Paper and Reviewing the Feedback 8 Part 2: Case Study- Strawberry Fields Forever 8 Task I: Interviewer’s Outline 8 Task II: 5 In-depth Interviews 9 Question 1 9 Question 2 9 Question 3 10 Question 4 10 Question 5 11 Task III: Analysis of the Obtained Information 11 References 13 1. Main Approaches Available for Collecting Qualitative Data Qualitative data is used for conducting an in-depth analysis, mainly at the individual level. Such data is descriptive in nature as it reveals the attributes, characteristics and intrinsic values of the research objective (Ezzy, 2013). However, as this kind of data cannot be quantifiable or measured, the process of collecting qualitative data is a complex one. The main approaches available for collecting data are as follows: 1.1. Individual Interviews Conducting individual interviews is the widely practiced method for collecting qualitative data. The approach aims to identify the underlying motivation, beliefs and values of the respondent regarding the focal subject of research. Individual interviews can be unstructured, semi-structured or structured in nature. Unstructured interview involves detailed discussion on the research agenda. Semi-structured interview includes a series of open-ended questions in order to derive maximum of the respondents’ opinion and outlook regarding the associated subject. In contrast, the structured interview tends to ask the same set of close ended questionnaire to all the respondents and provided them with a limited range to answer so that the answers of the respondents does not deviate from the objective of the researcher. An ideal individual interview should last for 30 minutes on average (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). 1.2. Focus Group The focus group is defined as an assembly of 5 to 15 people with an aim to discuss and provide inference regarding any product, services, and contemporary political or socio-economic agendas. The group is formed with individuals who may not be the representative of the general population. Such discussion is conducted under the surveillance of a moderator who will be responsible for documentation of the individual response and extracting the qualitative data. The method is particularly ideal for generating new and innovative ideas, problem solving and forecasting a qualitative trend based on the opinion and anticipation of the focus group (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). 1.3. Observation and Self Study Observation method of collecting qualitative data is a time taking procedure that aids the researcher to analyze the behavior and response of the individual public and draw an inference by monitoring the change in the attitude related to the research objective. As the process involves observing the changing behavior for a longer period of time, notifying written description, video referencing and photographic evidences are used by the researchers for the future purpose of qualitative data analysis (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). 1.4. Action Research Approach Action research is a collaborative approach for collecting qualitative data in which the researchers actively engage into planned intervention in order to carry out in-depth research on the agenda in concern. Proper analysis of the qualitative data obtained from such approach results in improving the outcome. The approach is based on FMA the criteria in which framework of ideas are constructed (F), qualitative methodology is applied (M) and finally, research is done on the area of concern (A), on the ground of collated qualitative data (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). 2. In-depth Interview Analysis In-depth interview is a technique for conducting qualitative research which involves recording explicit interviews of a relatively small number of respondents in order to explore their intrinsic outlook regarding the research objective (Ratcliff, 2014). Running an in-depth interview involves the following steps. First, the researcher should plan and prepare the list of potential stakeholders who can prove to be the source of quality information. Then the interview protocols and required instructions should be developed. In the next step, the interview should be conducted in order to derive qualitative data from the respondents. In this regard, the researcher should keep in mind that interviewer should comply the interview session with the selected group of stakeholder in such a manner that serve the purpose of conducting in-depth interview. Finally, the accumulated qualitative data is transcribed and analyzed by the researcher. Accordingly, the research findings are framed in report style and published for obtaining feedback on the research report (Boyce & Neale, 2014). Various techniques are used for conducting an in-depth interview among which face-to-face interview is considered to be the best way to acquire data for in-depth analysis. Through this type of interview, along with the raw information, the attitude and body language of the respondents can also be observed and video-recorded so that every little detail can be captured. Telephonic interviewing is another convenient way through which even the respondents of rural areas can also be connected if requirement is understood. Internet is another technique for an in-depth analysis if response from various corners of the globe is required to accumulate for detailed analysis of qualitative data acquired from in-depth interview (Ratcliff, 2014). 3. What is involved in Analyzing Qualitative Data? As the qualitative data are incalculable, it involves a series of steps to critically evaluate, understand and interpret such type of data. The steps are as follows. 3.1. Recording and Organizing the Data Data must be accurately recorded and systematically arranged so that correct and error free analysis can be done. While recording and organizing the data set, the researcher should also ensure that all the required ideals and concepts are assembled in a proper manner. 3.2. Review of the Research Objective and Ensuring Reliability and Validity of the Collected Data Before starting the actual analysis, it is important for the researcher to review the research objective and ensure the relevance of the data collected. This is done by reliability and validity test. Validity test ascertains accuracy and relevance of the data set, especially for the augmented research. Reliability test ensures the quality and consistency of the data which is very important for arriving at constructive research findings. (O’connor & Gibson, 2014) 3.3. Coding of the Collected Data Coding of data indicates the process of extracting the pattern of the data and finding rationale behind the research objectives. 3.4. Interpreting the Findings and Summarizing the Observation Once the data are coded, the researcher is supposed to interpret his findings from the analysis in a descriptive manner. Quality of the research also depends upon the researchers’ expertise on summarizing all his observations and findings and representing the research report in a structured manner. 3.5. Triangulation of the Data Sources Triangulation of data involves the process of cross-checking all the sources of data and ensuring assimilation of the data and information in the research process. (O’connor & Gibson, 2014) 3.6. Communicating the Research Paper and Reviewing the Feedback This is the final step of qualitative data analysis in which the analytical report is communicated to the target audience and receiving feedback on the paper which is important for further improvement of the project (O’connor & Gibson, 2014). Part 2: Case Study- Strawberry Fields Forever Task I: Interviewer’s Outline The demand for Australian strawberries experienced tough competition as against the Californian strawberry varieties. Therefore, the Victorian Industry Development Committee (VSIDC) conducted a market research in order to capture the pattern of strawberry consumption of the consumers in Australia and derive the features of strawberries that may influence purchasing power of the consumers. For this purpose, the Market Research Company of Melbourne has designed the following questionnaire. The questionnaire is open-ended so that it can depict the holistic approach of the consumers regarding the matter (Charles Stuart University, 2014). 1. What is the main reason for you to consume Strawberries? 2. Do you look for any particular features while purchasing strawberries? 3. Frequency of consuming strawberries. 4. Will an increase in prices of strawberries influence your buying behavior of strawberries? 5. If you will not consider purchasing of strawberries in future, what can be the main reasons behind this? Task II: 5 In-depth Interviews In the next segment, the response of five respondents selected from a supermarket, on the basis of their shopping pattern will be documented, following each question of the questionnaire. Question 1 When the respondents were asked their reasons behind purchasing and consuming strawberries, the first respondent replied that it is healthy to consume strawberries. According to him, strawberries minimize the possibility of degenerative disease and cardiovascular disease which are very common these days. The second respondent was on the opinion that strawberries contain anthrocyanin which works as antioxidant and cure radical damages. That’s why he consumes strawberries on regular basis. Third respondent was a lady, working in a reputed organization. She revealed during the interview that she read in a magazine that strawberries are very helpful for reducing level of stress. In the contemporary business world, complexities at workplace are so high that it has become very important for all individuals to consume strawberries and reduce their level of stress in a natural way. According to the fourth respondent, she uses strawberries as homemade beauty remedies and prepare skin tonner, cleanser, acne and pigmentation remover from the extracts of strawberries, whereas the fifth respondent replied that he is required to purchase strawberries on bulk as he owns beauty product manufacturing business. Question 2 Considering the particular features of strawberries, the first three respondents are of the opinion that freshness is the most important criteria that they consider while purchasing strawberries. The fourth respondent replied that she is happy with the packaged strawberries available in the market. According to the fifth respondent, rather that emphasizing on quality and attributes, he would like to purchase where bulk of strawberries are available at a cheaper rate. Question 3 Regarding frequency of consuming strawberries, the first two consumers expressed their habit of consuming fresh strawberries daily in the morning in order to ensure complete protection from their health problems. The third responded shown two types of consumption pattern. She eats raw strawberries in the afternoon, during the post- lunch period and she also loves to consume strawberry shakes and smoothies available in the fruit juice stalls and restaurants. Hence, purchase of raw strawberries is less frequent for this respondent as compared to the first two. Purchasing strawberries twice in a month is sufficient for the fourth consumer whereas, the fifth respondent prefer placing of bulk order in the beginning of the month. After stocking the bulk, he again purchases strawberries once or twice in a month as per the requirement and demand of his products in the market. Question 4 As the first two consumers are very serious about their health, it is inevitable for them to consume strawberries. Therefore, increase in prices of strawberries will have a little impact on their purchasing behavior. Considering the third respondent, she revealed that any fruit that contains vitamin C is helpful for reducing stress. Hence, if the prices of strawberries go up, she will shift her consumption pattern towards less costlier fruits such as mango, oranges, papaya, and pineapple etc. The fourth responded also showed similar attitude towards price increase of strawberries and said that she will opt for other fruits such as lemon, grapes and banana for consuming juices and preparing homemade products for beauty therapies. As strawberry is an important ingredient for his business, increase in the price level of strawberries will lead to increase the cost of raw material for the third respondent, reducing his profitability. On the other hand, if he opts for any alternative, it will degrade his product quality. Therefore, he does not want the price of strawberries to increase at any cost. Question 5 When the fifth question is asked to the first respondent, he was of the opinion that rather than price, quality of the strawberries matters the most for him. In fact, he also revealed that he is not very fond of imported fruits as such fruits are often pasteurized and the freshness of the fruits does not remain intact. Hence, if he ever considers of not purchasing strawberries in future, the reason will be inferior quality of the fruits. The second respondent was also on the opinion that if the fruits are imported, the intrinsic benefits of the fruits get destroyed due to excessive use of chemicals and fertilizers. In such scenario, there will be no point for him to purchase and consume strawberries. Increment of price level may lead the third and fourth respondents to avoid purchasing strawberries. According to the fifth respondent as well, if the prices increase and quality deteriorates, he will also opt for an alternative source of raw material as using such strawberries will hamper his business in both ways. His production cost will increase as well as the quality of products will decline. In such circumstances, he will stop purchasing strawberries. Task III: Analysis of the Obtained Information Thematic analysis is the process of qualitative analysis that involves detailed examination of the consumer responses obtained from the series of questions asked to them during in-depth interview, whereas, content analysis leads to contextualize the concepts derived from studying the responses obtained during interview session (Ezzy, 2013). From the in-depth discussion with the respondents, it is clear that strawberries hold importance in the daily lives of the consumers of Australia in different ways. Thematic analysis of the questionnaire feedbacks helps the researcher to understand that though strawberries are rigorously used by the consumers over the country, they give immense emphasis on the quality and price aspects of this particular fruit. It cannot be denied that the fruit contains a number of ingredients that attracts consumers to purchase more of it; it is also equally true that a large number of alternative fruits are also available in the market that serves the same purpose. Hence, probability is very high that an increase in price or a decrease in quality will influence the consumers to purchase the alternative product. Moreover, concerning fruits, the consumers are not very fond of imported products. Import of strawberries may appear to be profitable from the producers’ perspective; however the time lag between overseas export and import in Australia reduces the quality of the fruits. In fact, over-importation of strawberries cause for further deterioration of the quality of the fruits. In addition to that, there is a general consensus among consumers that imported goods are bound to be overpriced. Such beliefs lead to create avoidance among the consumers regarding the products. Therefore, instead of importing Californian frozen strawberries, it will be beneficial for the domestic producers in long term to produce and distribute Victorian strawberries as well as to introduce variety of by-products such as cosmetics, fruit juices and smoothies in order to diversify the business of strawberries and attract more consumers overtime. References Boyce, C., & Neale, P. (2014). CONDUCTING IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS: A Guide for Designing and Conducting In-Depth Interviews for Evaluation Input. [PDf] Retrieved from: http://www2.pathfinder.org/site/DocServer/m_e_tool_series_indepth_interviews.pdf Charles Stuart University. (2014). Human Research Ethics Committee. [online] Retrived from http://www.csu.edu.au/research/ethics_safety/human/ehrc_applying Ezzy, D. (2013). Qualitative Analysis. London: Routledge. Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E. & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. British Dental Journal, 2(4), 291 – 295. O’connor, H & Gibson, N. (2014). A Step-by-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Analysis. [PDf] Retrieved from http://www.pimatisiwin.com/uploads/1289566991.pdf Ratcliff, D. (2014). 15 Methods of Data Analysis in Qualitative Research. [PDf] Retrieved from https://connect.ssri.duke.edu/sites/connect.ssri.duke.edu/files/upload/help-resource/Ratcliff.15%20methods%20of%20qualitative%20data%20analysis.pdf Read More