2. Many everyday skills– such as reading, listening and
watching– are important research skills;
Researchers use such skills for the collection,
selection, analysis and presentation of data;
Researchers, however, make use of these skills in a
conscious, considered and systematic fashion, and
aim to be rigorous, critical and analytical;
3. Which method is best?
“You can never empirically or logically
determine the best approach. This can only be done
reflectively by considering a situation to be studied
and your own opinion of life. This also means that
even if you believe that one approach is more
interesting or rewarding than another, we . . . do not
want to rank one approach above another. In fact,
we cannot on any general ground. The only thing we
can do is to try to make explicit the special
characteristics on which the various approaches are
based”. (Arbnor and Bjerke 1997: 5, emphasis in
original)
4. You may ask, ‘Why can’t we “just” collect data and make
statements?’ (Arbnor and Bjerke 1997: 3);
However, the choice of the ‘best’ method is not simply the
technical or practical question that it might at first appear;
Different kinds of research approaches produce different
kinds of knowledge about the phenomena under study;
There are many ways of thinking about, and categorizing,
the wide variety of methods available for designing,
carrying out and analysing the results of research;
5. A key distinction may be made here between “method” and
“methodology”.
The term “method” can be understood to relate principally
to the tools of data collection or analysis techniques such as
questionnaires and interviews.
"Methodology" has a more philosophical meaning, and
usually refers to the approach or paradigm that underpins
the research.
Thus, an interview that is conducted within, say, a
qualitative approach or paradigm will have a different
underlying purpose and produce broadly different data from
an interview conducted within a quantitative paradigm.
6. The most common paradigms that new
researchers are introduced to are those termed
"quantitative" and "qualitative";
The approach you adopt will depend on:
the academic discipline within which you are
working;
the nature of your particular research project;
the research questions you are attempting to
answer;
7. arch families/ approches Quantitative Vs. Qualitative
earch methods • Case Studies
• Interviews
• Questionnaires
• Surveys
• Action Research
8. What is qualitative research?
qualitative research : research devoted to developing an
understanding of human systems or a cultural system;
It involves the collection of information and its analysis rather than
the application of quantitative methods;
It is less concerned with numbers and accurate measurement and more
concerned with the depth of data;
It will typically involve the collection of data via interviews, focus
groups, participant observation, oral history etc;
Focuses on meaning: Qualitative researchers seek to gather meaningful
data;
Rather than focusing on numbers and statistics, qualitative research
analyzes texts (written word, images), talk (spoken word,
conversations), and interactions (encounters, events);
Available to the social and human scientist for years;
9. What is qualitative research?
“Qualitative research, with its focus on the experiences of
people, stresses the uniqueness of individuals…qualitative
researchers collect data from their respondents, often in
their natural environments, taking into account how cultural,
social and other factors influence their experiences and
behaviour” (Parahoo 1997)
10. Qualitative research is a type of scientific research;
In general terms, scientific research consists of an
investigation that:
seeks answers to a question;
systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer
the question;
collects evidence;
produces findings that were not determined in advance;
produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate
boundaries of the study;
Qualitative research is especially effective in obtaining
culturally specific information about the values, opinions,
behaviors, and social contexts of particular populations;
11. The nature of qualitative research
Qualitative research is concerned with developing
explanations of social phenomena;
Its aim is to help us to understand the world in which we
live and why things are the way they are;
It is concerned with the social aspects of our world and
seeks to answer questions about:
Why people behave the way they do;
How opinions and attitudes are formed;
How people are affected by the events that go on around
them;
How and why cultures have developed in the way they
have;
The differences between social groups;
12. Qualitative research is concerned with finding the
answers to questions which begin with:
why?
how?
in what way?
13. Features of qualitative research
Qualitative research is concerned with the opinions,
experiences and feelings of individuals;
Qualitative research describes social phenomena as they
occur naturally;
No attempt is made to manipulate the situation under study
as is the case with experimental quantitative research;
Data are used to develop concepts and theories that help us
to understand the social world;
Qualitative data are collected through direct encounters with
individuals, through one to one interviews or group
interviews or by observation.;
Data collection is time consuming;
Different sampling techniques are used;
14. To explore a phenomenon that has not been studied
before;
To add rich detail that illustrates or documents existing
knowledge of a phenomenon;
To better understand a topic by studying it
simultaneously (triangulation) or concurrently with both
methods (mixing quantitative and qualitative methods at
the same time or in cycles);
To try to “understand” any social phenomenon from the
perspective of the actors involved, rather than explaining
it from the outside;
To understand complex phenomena that are difficult or
impossible to approach or to capture quantitatively;
Reasons to use qualitative reseearch
15. What can we learn from qualitative research?
The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual
descriptions of how people experience a given research issue.
It provides information about the “human” side of an issue – that is, the
often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships
of individuals.
Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such
as social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion,
whose role in the research issue may not be readily apparent.
When used along with quantitative methods, qualitative research can help us
to interpret and better understand the complex reality of a given situation
and the implications of quantitative data.
Although findings from qualitative data can often be extended to people
with characteristics similar to those in the study population, gaining a rich
and complex understanding of a specific social context or phenomenon
typically takes precedence over eliciting data that can be generalized to other
geographical areas or populations.
In this sense, qualitative research differs slightly from scientific research in
general.
16. Types of qualitative studies
Four major types of qualitative research design are
outlined. They are:
phenomenology
ethnography
grounded theory
case study
Surveys can be either qualitative or quantitative in
their approach to data collection.
17. What is quantitative research?
Quantitative study: the data you collect and analyse
involves the accurate measurement of phenomena
and the application of statistical analysis;
It is essentially concerned with numbers and
anything that is quantifiable (or measurable);
It uses methods such as statistical modelling
techniques and experimental design, and statistical
computing;
18. Quantitative research:
It focuses on gathering numerical data and
generalizing them across groups of people;
A process of inquiry based on testing a theory
composed of variables, measured with numbers, and
analyzed using statistical techniques;
19. Characteristics of quantitative research
It has a clearly defined research question to which
objective answers are sought;
All aspects are carefully and precisely designed
before data collection;
Data are in the form of numbers and statistics;
20. Reality is objective, "out there" and independent of
the researcher, therefore reality is something that
can be studied objectively;
The researcher should remain distant and
independent of what is being researched;
The goal is to enable the researcher to predict,
explain, and understand a phenomenon;
23. Qualitative research
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriate in many
different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences;
Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of
human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior;
It investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what,
where, when;
“All research ultimately has a qualitative grounding“ - Donald T.
Campbell
24. Quantitative research
Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation
of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships;
The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ
mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to
phenomena;
The process of measurement is central to quantitative research
because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical
observation and mathematical expression of quantitative
relationships;
Quantitative research is concerned with questions about: how much?
How many? How often? To what extent?
“There's no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0“
- Fred Kerlinger
25. Quantitative research collects numerical data in
order to explain, predict and or control phenomena
of interest;
Data analysis is mainly statistical;
The result of research is a number, or a series of
numbers, presented in tables, graphs or other forms
of statistics;
26. When conducting qualitative research, the
researcher collects data consisting mostly of words,
pictures, observations of events, etc;
Narrative data are collected to gain insights into
phenomena of interest;
However, analyzing such data can be very time
consuming, and may be influenced by researcher
bias;
28. Features
Qualitative
The aim is a complete,
detailed description.
Quantitative
The aim is to classify
features, count them, and
construct statistical
models in an attempt to
explain what is observed.
29. Features
Qualitative
The design emerges as the
study unfolds.
Researcher is the data
gathering instrument.
Data is in the form of
words, pictures or objects.
Quantitative
All aspects of the study
are carefully designed
before data is collected.
Researcher uses tools,
such as questionnaires or
equipment to collect
numerical data.
Data is in the form of
numbers and statistics.
30. Features
Qualitative
Subjective - individuals
interpretation of events is
important, e.g., uses
participant observation,
in-depth interviews etc.
Qualitative data is more
“rich”, time consuming,
Researcher tends to
become subjectively
immersed in the subject
matter.
Quantitative
Objective seeks precise
measurement & analysis
of target concepts, e.g.,
uses surveys,
questionnaires etc.
Quantitative data is more
efficient, able to test
hypotheses, but may miss
contextual detail.
Researcher tends to
remain objectively
separated from the subject
matter.
