The Methods of Data Collection and Analysis - Term Paper Example

Researchers have the option of choosing among quantitative, qualitative or mixed method approaches to educational research. These approaches have been developed over a long period of time due to various kinds of research needs. While the emphasis of quantitative research is to ascertain fact and figures based findings, the stress on quantitative research attempts to build deeper understanding of the social world and revolves around the researcher's hypothesis. Some researchers appreciate the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research paradigm and used mixed method approaches. The following article attempts to detail out the only qualitative research paradigm in light of its strengths and weaknesses. Qualitative Research in Education Let us first understand the concept, nature and philosophy behind qualitative research to appreciate its strengths and weaknesses better. Qualitative research looks for answers to naturally occurring social phenomenon and presents facts as they appear, with less chance of manipulation of the experiment. Data is collected through direct interaction with respondents to gain a good understanding of their perspectives. This research paradigm in education was developed when researchers struggled with weaknesses of quantitative research such as inability to answer questions about social phenomenon such as how, why, and in what ways. The researchers, therefore, have attempted to develop new paradigms based on the notions that were missing in quantitative research in education. Practitioners also included researcher's viewpoint in qualitative research as this factor too was completely missing from quantitative methods. A researcher's expertise, knowledge and thoughts influence the research to a large extent. There are several situations in which qualitative research is more suitable such as to gain better understanding of lesser know phenomenon, or gather more information or new viewpoints. Since there are no standardized methods of qualitative enquiry, practitioners usually follow a generally accepted sequence of steps. The first step towards designing qualitative research is to ascertain the focus of the study and the objectives which should also be able to justify the need for a qualitative research paradigm. This is followed by identification and location of the sample group and size. Data collection, recording, interpretation strategies and timeline also need to be planned ahead. Sampling in qualitative research is mostly done through purposive method so that a specific population is targeted to receive in-depth information and build a case study. Purposive sampling is also of many types such as snowball, convenience and needs to be decided according to the objectives of the research. Data collection techniques in qualitative research usually employ interview focus group discussions and observation methods as well as secondary review of available data. Interviews are open ended and can be in form of informal conversations, semi-structured or standardized interviews. On the other hand, observations provide rich data about respondents in their natural settings. It allows researcher to interpret a lot of information about the subjects without them even being aware of. Observations also allow the opportunity to record verbal and non-verbal cues in given settings, situations and among other people. At times, a researcher may also become a participant and get involved in the groups activities to gain insider knowledge about he subjects, especially when studying cultures. In addition to conducting first hand interviews and observations, review of documents, reports, notes or published data effectively supplements data collection efforts. Literature review also forms one of the first steps to gain more understanding of the area that needs to be researched. Data analysis in qualitative research has its own bouquet of challenges like the whole qualitative research paradigm. Data must be studied, organized, broken, coded into patterns and selected for dissemination to audiences. This does require lot of logical thinking and creativity to arrange the data into themes. With years, there has been slight ease in data analysis with advent of advanced software, which was a tough manual task earlier. Strengths of Qualitative Research Researcher's viewpoint is central to qualitative research which provides a rich social, cultural and interpersonal context to the whole research design. It reflects not only in the methodology but also the results which are more explanatory and richer in content for a better understanding. There is an ease in ability to integrate human thought and psychology which is not possible quantitatively, in numbers. Individual experiences form an important part of the whole exercise. The findings and analysis is able to capture intentions, meanings, experiences and feelings because the method depends on conversations and narrations. Such data is gathered over a significant duration of time by examination of locations, people or situations. Data collection is usually done through recording of observations, participation in activities, interviews and focus group discussions and thus able to build a rich understanding behind each action and word. Qualitative research helps academicians, practitioners and general public to understand how human beings construct meanings on focused issues about the world around them. Let us take a few examples from educational research field to understand how qualitative approach is meaningful. Qualitative approach can make known people's views and feedback on their experience of training programs, need or expectations from training and reflect on the training curriculum. This will help trainers develop better and need based programs which are more valuable. From the above mentioned example, we can also ascertain the reasons for success or failures of programs and establish best practices for future. Such research will also collect views of different trainees who bring with them their individual competencies and background thus helping us understand how people learn inside centers in relation to what they bring from outside. This kind of research is also able to find difference and similarities arising due to differences in age groups, socio-economic backgrounds, gender, ethnic, cultural and geographical diversity. There is also some amount of flexibility associated with a qualitative research design. The researcher is not limited to a set of given questions and can probe the respondents to gain in-depth understanding of their responses. As the research begins, it can be revised immediately to incorporate any new information that surfaces. The data can also be collected through various methods, can be fun and relaxing for all and can be adapted to various audiences. For example, with illiterate sample, more of visuals or games can be used to elicit responses. Weaknesses of Qualitative Research Qualitative research approach does seem extremely fascinating while exploring human views and perspectives. However, it has its own set of limitations and there are some areas where it doesn't work as effectively. It particularly does not appeal where reports must be based on statistical data. It is also not easy to generalize and apply finding from one qualitative research to another, especially because small samples are used to collect data and the research is also dependent on the unique ideology of the researcher. Since the researcher's view point is central to the design and method, the whole approach seems highly subjective. Especially in research studies whose topics are ethic based, researcher's judgment may bring in bias. For instance, a researcher because of his/her personal views and training may view a teaching learning set up for young children developmentally inappropriate, while another researcher may perceive the same setting at the same time, developmentally appropriate and wonderful. Thus, bias and subjectivity in interpretation is a big limitation here. Another disadvantage is the amount of time and labor involved in data collection and then the analysis of data. People interaction is an important component of data collection in qualitative approach. A researcher needs to spend effort to know the subjects, build a rapport and trust with respondents. Data collection techniques such as observation or interview and transcription of the data collected is itself a highly time consuming task. The researcher then needs to go through all manuscripts, notes, videos, photographs or transcripts to find patterns, analyze and present the data. It may seem at the end that lot of the data collected is actually not usable but one still needs to record all the data as it appears. In qualitative researchers interact directly with respondents. Though the identity of the participants must be protected and the researcher promises to do so, some respondents may feel uncomfortable sharing information, especially on sensitive topics. Thus, it becomes more important that the researcher is trained and extremely sensitive to respondents while interactions and maintains ethics in research. The researcher must be extremely skilled to develop, conduct and analyze the whole research with ability to be sensitive as well as objective. The researcher also needs to present data so strongly that readers are able to appreciate the research even without statistical presentation. Conclusion Like any research, qualitative research too has its share of strengths and limitations. It has been found extremely valuable in studying social phenomenon. The methods of data collection and analysis have also been improvised over a period of time. This method provides rich information which qualitative methods cannot provide. However, it should be worked out carefully as it can be prove to be very tiring and time taking by the end. Any researcher deciding to go in for the qualitative approach must study this paradigm in detail by referring through the enormous amount of work done on the approach itself. The researcher has a big responsibility of designing the research, asking the right questions to know what information is needed, maintaining ethics and interpreting the data in as objective way as possible. In certain cases, researchers may also consider supplementing qualitative data with quantitative data. References Hara, K. Quantitative and Qualitative Research Approaches in Education. Education, Spring95, Vol. 115 Issue 3, p351. Hull, G. Research with Words: Qualitative Inquiry. Focus on Basics: Connecting Research & Practice, Volume 1, Issue A, February 1997. Retrieved April 26, 2009 from http://www.ncsall.net/id=468 Hoepfl, M.C. Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers. Journal of Technology Education, Volume 9, Number 1 fall 1997. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html Read More