Steps of Implementing Qualitative Research - Essay Example

Qualitative Research al Affiliation) Question Two: Steps Undertaken to Implement the Intended Research Design In order to implement the intended research design, which in this case seems to be a qualitative research, there are six steps that would be taken in to consideration. 1. Problem Identification; this is the step first in this case; the research simply needs to focus on a proper selection and definition of the problem. In this case, the researcher will be in a position to determine, what he/she intends to research about, however, taking into consideration that the problem should be manageable and should not specifically focus on what one desires, for instance: The problem studied on this research is exploration of murder effects on faculty, students and parents based on a 2010 murder incident at Illinois. 2. Formulation of Research Objectives; this is the second step that should be undertaken when implementing the research design, specifically, it entails the formulation of clear objectives, which are achievable and realistic. Objectives are usually applied to facilitate or guide the study for instance in this study, the objectives could be (Bryman & Cramer, 2011): To assess the psychological effects of the 2010 murder on Northern Illinois University Faculty, students and Parents; to explore how affected persons manage psychological stress concerning the murder and; to investigate actions taken by the faculty to prevent such incidences. 3. Determination of Types and Sources of Data needed; there are different dimensions of data; however, the researcher should identify and determine the types of data needed to for the research (Yin, 2011). This information should be clearly stated in the research. In the case provided, sources of data that could be used include; secondary data, which basically involve documented or already researched information as well as primary sources of data, which involves first hand information collected from the research field collected through interviews, questionnaires et cetera. 4. Data Collection Techniques; in this case, the researcher will identify reliable, appropriate and realistic methods of data collection. This information should be state clearly within the research. In the Illinois Case Study, the research would use primary data collection techniques such as; questionnaires focus groups, observation as well a action research. Additionally, a research secondary data sources can also be undertaken through critical research techniques as well as analysis (Salkind, 2011). 5. Scope of the Study; in this step, the researcher should clearly identify and state the scope of the study, basically indicating the specific sample size and geographical coverage of the study for example: The study of effects of 2010 murder on faculty members, parents and students could be only undertaken within a sample size selected from the university premises. 6. Tools of data analysis; this is usually the last step undertaken when determining a research design. It basically involves the identification of tools of analysing the collected data, followed by an interpretation that would lead to decision making (Creswell & Creswell, 2012). Owing to the fact that the research provided in the case study seems more of a qualitative research, tools of qualitative data analysis techniques would be applicable. Question Three: Data Collection Methods in Qualitative Research Three Methods of Qualitative Data Collection The three major data collection methods applicable in qualitative researches are: Focus Groups; this is a dimension of qualitative data collection technique whereby a selected whereby a selected group of people, acting as the research sample size are collectively asked about their ideologies, perceptions and feelings towards particular research questions (Gibson & Brown, 2012). The groups are usually set in a manner that the participants can freely interact with one another during the interview process (Gibson & Brown, 2012). Observation; this is a study of participants of a research taking into consideration their behaviors in the natural environment. Observation can also be structured in the sense that the environment is modified to ensure that the participant of the research behave in a manner desired by the researcher (Silverman, 2012). Interviews; Interview is another method that is applied to collect data in qualitative researches. Interviews basically involve asking participants pre-determined questions regarding the research (Salkind, 2011). In some cases, interviews may be closed ended or open ended in the sense that; open-ended interviews allows the participants to answer questions without limiting them to the scope of the research, while closed ended, the participants are provided with a set of pre-determined answers for them to make a preferable choice (Creswell & Creswell, 2012). Appropriate Usage of the Three Qualitative Data Collection Methods The application of focus group is majorly exhibited when conducting research on issues ascribed to social studies. Focus groups generally create a platform where the researcher can observe his/her participants in a more natural phenomenon, characterised by natural conversation patterns than the one, which would occur in a structured interview section (Silverman, 2012). In relation to observation it is also appropriately applied in the study of social science, but majorly on those researches that focus on a study of behavioral patterns. On the other hand, interviews can be used in social studies, scientific as well as theoretical studies. Interviews have been considered a data collection tool that can also be appropriately applied in both qualitative and quantitative studies and even mixed-method data collection. For instance the case study provided above is basically social science research, which can entail the use of these data collection tools. Limitations of the three Data Collection Tools Taking into consideration observation as a method of qualitative data collection, it is usually associated with high amount of time consumption as one of its weaknesses (Silverman, 2012). Observation can also entail scenarios of observer bias, where the observer may record bias information regarding the results of the observation basically through manipulation of the results to fit his/her needs. Observer effect is another potential limitation of observation as a qualitative data collection method; observer-effect may influence the outcome of observation majorly because the presence of the observer may influence the behavior of the participants (Silverman, 2012). In relation to interviews, it has also been considered a time consuming method of data collection; additionally, in some cases, interviewers may be biased on their method of data collection thus leading to collection of biased results. Lack of consistency during the interview process may also lead to collection of manipulated or inaccurate data (Gibbs, 2011). On the other hand, focused group as a means of qualitative data collection has a limitation emerging from lack of in-depth owing to the fact that the participants may not provide their genuine opinions regarding certain research questions (Gibson & Brown, 2012). Research has indicated that when participants feel that there is an opposing view among other participants, they may fail to give their honest opinions. Focus groups may also be expensive at some time, especially of the people who have participated need some form of compensation. Moderator bias is another issue associated with focus group; in some cases, the moderators may influence participants’ ideas by injecting their own opinions and ideologies. Question Four: Similarities between Data Collection in Theoretical, Case Studies and a Phenomenological Study Similarities In the three categories of study named above, both secondary and primary data may be collected for instance; in a case study, the researcher may decide to collect data from previous case study results that are recorded for purposes of comparison and analysis; a similar scenario also occurs in theoretical and phenomenological studies where the researcher may refer to already documented materials for purposes of comparison and analysis (Grosby, 2013). Additionally, the three research methods can also be implemented through application of data collection tools such as interviews, observations as well as focus groups, especially when the research is focused towards attaining qualitative data instead of quantitative data. Differences In most cases, theoretical studies are usually qualitative in nature meaning that specifically qualitative methods of data collection and analysis (Grosby, 2013); however, in the case of a case study, it may focus on qualitative data and quantitative data, meaning that both methods could be applied, while in some cases mixed method approach i.e. application of the quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously could be applied. Phenomenonal studies may also require qualitative and quantitative data, meaning that either dimensions of data collection could be applied or in some cases a mixed method approach integrating qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously could be applied (Grosby, 2013). References Bryman, A., & Cramer, D. (2011). Quantitative data analysis for social scientists. London: Routledge. Top of Form Bottom of Form Creswell, J., & Creswell, J. (2012). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Top of Form Bottom of Form Darnell, M. (2012). Case studies. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins. Top of Form Bottom of Form Gibbs, G. (2011). Analyzing qualitative data. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Top of Form Bottom of Form Gibson, W., & Brown, A. (2012). Working with qualitative data. London: SAGE. Top of Form Bottom of Form Greasley, P. (2013). Quantitative data analysis using SPSS an introduction for health & social science. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Grosby, S. (2013). Theoretical studies. London [u.a.: Tauris. Top of Form Bottom of Form Salkind, N. (2011). Encyclopedia of research design. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage. Top of Form Bottom of Form Silverman, D. (2012). Interpreting qualitative data: Methods for analysing talk, text, and interaction. London: Sage Publications. Top of Form Bottom of Form Yin, R. (2011). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Read More