Qualitative Approach, Quantitative Approach - Essay Example

Name Course Instructor Date Introduction In business research, there are key research approaches that are used to present a way of thinking for the researcher or an investigator. Qualitative research is one of the approaches which focusses on explicitly and implicitly describing the why and how in a research besides presenting what or who is being investigated. the definition of the term has been challenging and therefore it is difficult to provide a concise universal definition of the term (Silverman 33). Since qualitative research covers many aspects and approaches research, it can be presumed to imply that it studies things under natural setting as an attempt to draw conclusions and make sense through interpreting phenomena in order to bring out meaning for people (Guba 17). This retrospect paper seeks to discuss qualitative research through analyzing the traditions and theoretical frameworks involved in the study besides discussing the main methods used and the criticisms leveled against qualitative analysis. Main traditions and theoretical approach Qualitative approach to research is grounded in various traditions and theoretical perspectives. The main traditions involved in the qualitative research are intertwined with the theoretical approaches under the same (Silverman 7). The traditions here include phenomenology, ethnography, critical theory, and grounded theory. The grounded theory has been known to be involved in the study of social sciences in which theories are constructed basing on data analysis. From the constructivist perspective, the theory revolves around collecting qualitative data after which, the data is reviewed to reveal repetitive ideas leading to construction of concepts basing on the extracted data (Guba 25). Under qualitative analysis, though grounded theory may differ in some ways with positivism, in many of the situations the application of the grounded theory utilizes the concepts under positivism to provide direction to the researcher in developing a theory based on the data analyzed (Charmaz 37). This theory involves several stages in the analysis of the collected data in order to demonstrate underlying relationships in the ideas presented. Coding of the text forms the first step in which each line is coded to come up with conceptual components from which theorizing can begin where comparison of the concepts take place. This is then followed by memoing in which notes on the concepts are made to lay out insights and observations. The last step involves integrations and refining of the theories before they are written down in which the concepts and the memos are linked through comparative method. In order to succeed with the grounded theory, one builds and test the theory all through. Phenomenology as a tradition is focused on presenting the usefulness of experience under a certain phenomenon and is used mainly under philosophy, psychology and sociology (Guba 20). Ethnography on the other hand focusses on description and interpretation of a given social and cultural group. Critical theory paradigms have also contributed to the traditions under qualitative research approach in which reality is presumed to be apprehendable. This implies that the concepts investigated under qualitative approach when considered from the realist perspective are determined by social, political and economic forces (Guba 23). As a result, these realities have crystallized into the social structures and are presently taken to be part of the natural reality. As such, the critical theory serves to reveal the inappropriateness of this assumption in qualitative research. However, this theory has been modified under the subjectivist perspective to demonstrate that what a certain investigator knows will tend to influence the inquiry, as such. the critical theory under qualitative research therefore plays a role to determine the interaction between the investigator in a research and what is being investigated (Guba 18). As such, the qualitative research under this theory can be viewed as determining the reality of a concept through analyzing the linguistic aspect in the documentation. This perspective therefore produces a shared reality in which objectivity and subjectivity of a concept under investigation is revealed through the stability of language. Main research methods associated with qualitative research As much as qualitative research is presumed to be focused on analysis of data, it is important to understand that the data for analysis can be sourced from different sources through different methods (Corbin&Anselm 45). Under qualitative research, various methods are used for data collection and analysis. For instance, one of the key data collection methods under qualitative research is the use of interviews. The interviews take up different formats: structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews. Other methods involved in the data collection include participant observation and Focus groups is usually used in obtaining data from a group when there is limited time for individual interviews. This method is usually important especially under conditions where greater insights are needed and therefore the focus group provides cause and effect criteria in data collection (Eriksson&Anne 80). Furthermore, the intention under focus group is to ensure the researcher demonstrates group skills through listening, observing, facilitating, moderating and analyzing the responses from individual members in a group. Observation as a method involves the researcher being involved in a natural setting and taking note of what may be taking place. This is essential for establishing insights for the researcher and understanding the bigger picture of the research. This data is further recorded through written descriptions, photographs and artifacts and video recording. Observation is however subdivided into two: participant and non-participant observation. In participant observation, the investigator takes part in the activity being investigated for example marketing or advertising of a brand. In this manner, the researcher is able to come up with better research design for the research activity (Silverman 70). However, this might negatively influence the information collected since the researcher may misinterpret certain situations and therefore end up recording contradicting facts. Non-participant observation takes place when the researcher does not participate in the activity but rather is a by-stander and only takes notes on what is being observed. This allows the researcher the opportunity to visualize the given scenario into a bigger picture through observing the object under investigation within the environment (Eriksson&Anne 51). However, the downside to this method is that the presence of the observer will influence the behavior of the people as people tend to change how they act when they know they are being watched. Case study is further a fundamental method used under qualitative research. Under this method, there is an in-depth analysis of a given case or multiple cases in order to establish the relationships in the concepts existing under the object of investigation (Eriksson&Anne 51). This involves analysis of multiple documents and sources to determine descriptions and make assertions based on the themes from the concepts. Criticism to qualitative research Basing on the fact that qualitative research is focused on analysis of recorded data, it is at most instances criticized for lack of scientific rigor. This is facilitated by criticisms that research under qualitative approach is usually flexible to allow the researcher to develop and test theories (Sandelowski 92). Due to this, it is argued that the researchers are at liberty to present their opinions in their wok making it less important for other researchers to base their work on such opinions. Due to this, it is therefore presumed that qualitative research can be termed as an assembly of personal impressions from researchers making the findings subject to bias (Corbin&Anselm 68). Moreover, the research is at times considered to lack reproducibility. This is facilitated by the fact that the researchers are allowed to draw their own conclusions from the concepts presented in the object under investigation (Sandelowski 90). As such, the researchers tend to present their understanding of the concepts and therefore the conclusions drawn may not be reproduced for use by another researcher (Silverman 73). Therefore, other researchers are likely to come up with radically different conclusions from the ones presented by one investigator. It is further argued that generalization under qualitative research is usually limited and at times impossible (Sandelowski 87). This is because during data collection, in most of the situations the researcher is present and therefore the quality in the research is dependent on the skills of the investigator. As a result, the researcher’s bias will contribute to the final outcome of the research which implies that the same research under similar conditions but done with a different investigator will probably yield different results (Silverman 41). Therefore, it becomes almost impossible to generalize the findings under qualitative approach. Conclusion Conclusively, qualitative research is associated with various traditions and theoretical approaches that facilitate analysis of the concepts and ideas established under research (Eriksson&Anne 15). Notable of them is the grounded theory, critical theory, ethnography and phenomenology. Besides, the research is associated with key methods like case studies, interviews, focus groups and observations (Charmaz 30). These methods are used in collection of data that is further analyzed using the theoretical approaches included in qualitative research. However, there various criticisms against qualitative research which point out that the research is not scientifically grounded but rather depends on the perspective of the investigator (Sandelowski 85). References Charmaz, Kathy. Constructing grounded theory. Sage, 2014. Corbin, Juliet, and Anselm Strauss. Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications, 2014. Eriksson, Päivi, and Anne Kovalainen. Qualitative Methods in Business Research: A Practical Guide to Social Research. Sage, 2015. Guba, Egon G., ed. The paradigm dialog. Sage Publications, 1990. Sandelowski, Margarete. "A matter of taste: evaluating the quality of qualitative research." Nursing inquiry 22.2 (2015): 86-94. Silverman, D. Qualitative research. Sage, 2016. Read More