Analysis for Characteristics of Qualitative Research - Essay Example

The meaning is mediated through the investigator's own perceptions of patterns and it forms the basis of the researcher's curiosity hence the need for the research. Qualitative research usually involves fieldwork since the respondents are always scattered in different places and also the field gives a good representation of the whole population in research. This implies that the researcher must go to the people, setting the site for observation of behavior in data collection so that he gets the true view of the whole process. The product of qualitative research is deeply descriptive and this is evident from this research when the researcher divides the five themes into sub-themes to enable him to come up with proper discussions of the result findings. The sub-themes in this research are paying attention to thoughts and development of mindful living at which enables the researchers to give more support to the research findings in coming up with credible conclusions (Griffiths, Camic and Hutton, 2009).

The purpose of this sampling is the fact that it's information-rich. Since the researcher wants to deduce some information from this natural event, it proves that this is qualitative research since the sampling is aimed at insight into the phenomenon. The researcher’s personal experience is important for the inquiry and critical to understanding the phenomenon so that he comes with better results and conclusions. An empathic stance during interviews seeks vicarious judgments with neutrality by showing openness and mindfulness to the research process since the results largely depend on this. By receiving ethical approval prior to conducting research, it shows that the researcher is sensitive to research outcomes and therefore wants the respondents to be open-minded as the research shall not be used against anybody. The researcher places his findings within the social, historical, and temporal context to prove that he is context-sensitive, a characteristic of qualitative research.

Strengths of qualitative research
The data is based on participants' own categories of meaning about the research topic hence it’s useful in describing complex phenomena in any study (Nicholls, 2011). Qualitative research methods can make it possible for a study of a limited number of cases in depth than quantitative research which is often shallow in the research study. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research can provide individual case information hence its possible to conduct cross-case comparisons and analyses of various subjects.

Qualitative research also provides understanding and description of people’s personal experiences of phenomena making it possible to get as many views as possible making the research more accurate. It is possible for Qualitative researchers to study dynamic processes like documenting sequential patterns and change, a factor which is unlikely in quantitative research. It’s possible for the researcher to use qualitative methods to determine how participants interpret constructs like self-esteem and IQ, conditions which are of great importance in research (Nicholls, 2011). The data for qualitative research are usually collected in naturalistic settings hence the researcher may need to travel far and wide to gather the information that is representative of the topic under the study.

Weaknesses of qualitative research
The findings of qualitative research might be unique to relatively few people included in the research study hence the knowledge may not be generalized to other people in other settings due to differences in the environment. The hypothesis and theories with large participant tools may be difficult to test since the data collection and analysis is time-consuming. Since the researcher manages everything from the population of the study to data collection and analysis, the results can more easily be influenced by the researcher’s personal idiosyncrasies and incompetency in managing the research process (Nicholls, 2011).

There are only two possible ways of conducting research and a method is chosen after a careful analysis of the research topic and all the factors involved before coming up with the results. Matters of cost effectiveness and time must be taken into consideration since they are key in coming up with research findings. Since this research in question is about studying peoples feeling, it’s impossible to apply quantitative research method making the only possible method to remain the qualitative research method. The study is about health psychology and most studies dealing with health psychology cannot be quantified to have a quantitative research leaving qualitative research best way to come up with credible findings. The findings in this research are represented in the form of themes a condition which is impossible in quantitative research.

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