This document discusses qualitative research methods. It defines qualitative research as studies that investigate relationships, activities, situations or materials through words and meanings rather than numbers. The researcher plays an important role by directly interacting with participants through interviews and observations to understand their perspectives. Some key types of qualitative research discussed include ethnography, phenomenology, narrative research, grounded theory, and case studies. The document emphasizes that qualitative research is important for understanding social phenomena and generating explanations in fields like education, health, and social sciences.

1. Deciding Suitable
Qualitative Research in
Areas of Interest
Practical Research 1

2. Discussion

3. Ask Yourself…
 What are the characteristics of a qualitative
research?
 What is the role of a researcher in the
qualitative research process?
 What are the strengths of a Qualitative
Research? Its Weaknesses?
 What are its limitations in the research
process?
 How important is the qualitative research in
your field?

4. THE VALUE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 Qualitative Research has been defined as studies that
investigate the quality of relationship, activities,
situations or materials.
 The setting of the research is a direct source of
information in which the researcher has a big role in the
entire research process. It is subjective which is highly
dependent on the participants’ point of view.
 It does not rely on numbers but rather on ideas and
meanings that will be interpreted in order to form
generalizations and possible constructs and theory.

5. Characteristics of Qualitative Research
1. The researcher has an important role in qualitative
research
 The researcher goes directly to the place where the
study is being conducted.
 As a qualitative researcher, you will have to spend time
in the actual location interviewing, observing, and
taking down notes about the participants of the study.
 Usually, a researcher uses paper and pen and/or audio
and voice taping equipment. The data collected are
primarily from the scene and are verified through
interviews.

6. 2. Qualitative data are gathered and presented in a form
of words, descriptions, pictures, or meanings, and not in
numbers.
 This is basically the difference between a qualitative
and quantitative research. As a qualitative researcher,
you have to be a keen observer.
 You have to take note of every detail – even the
gestures and facial expressions of the participants,
especially during interviews.
 You can collect data like notes, photographs,
anecdotes, comments, or anything that can help you
better understand the participants.

7. 3. Qualitative researcher is concerned with the
process involved.
 As a qualitative researcher, you are concerned with
the interaction of your participants with each other
or to the situations that they are in. These
interactions convey meanings and symbols, which
can be interpreted into words or ideas. It is your
duty as a qualitative researcher to take note of
these clearly so as to get substantial information.

8. 4. Inductive reasoning is used in analyzing qualitative
data
 As a qualitative researcher, you are not expected to
formulate hypothesis at the start of your study.
 Hypotheses are defined and formulated as the
study progresses. This means that you are
constructing concepts and meanings based on
your interpretation at the end of the study.

9. 5. Qualitative researcher is considered with
meanings and interpretations
As a qualitative researcher, you are aiming to
determine the perceptions and thoughts of the
participants and giving reasons to these meanings
through interviews and observations.

10. Kinds of Qualitative Research
1. Ethnography
 This approach is basically derived from anthropology. In
this approach, the ethnographer studies the entire culture
of a particular group.
 Although ethnography was initially concerned with
geographic location and ethnicity, the definition has
expanded to include pretty much any organization of
group; thus, ethnographic research is no longer limited to
ethnic groups.

11. 2. Phenomenology
 This approach explores the world of the participants by
gaining thoughts, insights, and perceptions to a particular
phenomenon.
 The researcher tries to investigate an individual’s thoughts
and perceptions and find the common ground to every
experience.
 With this approach, the participants relive their
experiences in order to obtain the very essence of these
thoughts and perceptions.

12. 3. Narrative Research
 This is a qualitative research that narrates the life
experiences of an individual told to the researcher or
from available document or material.
 Narrative research highlights special events in to
individual’s life.
 In biography, the researchers narrate the experiences
of other person, while in autobiography, the written
account of the individual who is the subject of the
study.

13. 4. Grounded Theory
 This qualitative research approach aims to
generate a theory from the data that are
analyzed and interpreted inductively.
 The theory that can be generated does not start
from the beginning but only surfaced after all
the data have been analyzed inductively.

14. 5. Case Study
 This qualitative research approach presents a
detailed analysis of a specific case.
 Usually, a case is an individual, or one group of
people or one school. The researcher focuses
only on one particular case.
 For example, you can perform a case study on a
COVID-19 survivor, or, on a student who did not
experience the graduation last March 2020 but
was involved on the online graduation.

15. Importance of Qualitative Research
 In educational research, qualitative research is
essential in generating tentative explanations
and describing events and phenomena. It also
helps in understanding local context and
studying processes and theories in education.

16.  Qualitative research methods are becoming
popular in medical and allied health fields
nowadays. While it is still debatable how
qualitative research can help address clinical
questions, there is a wealth of knowledge that
can be gained using the data provided by
qualitative approaches.

17.  We use qualitative research to understand the
world which we live in and why things are the
way they are.
 Qualitative research is concerned with the social
aspect of our world, explaining social
phenomena.
 A social phenomenon broadly refers to all human
behaviors and interactions, from simple
conversations among friends to complex political
or religious gatherings.

18.  We, as researchers, are motivated by simple curiosity to
understand simple concepts, fascinating occurrences,
social constructs, or societal crises brought about by
actors of change.
 Qualitative research emphasizes the importance of
culture and context in understanding what occurs in
the society. As such, every qualitative research provides
a small window to a specific social phenomenon.
 Compared to quantitative research that looks for
consistency and predictability, qualitative research
often attempts to explain the inconsistent and the
unpredictable in the study of human nature and
society.

19.  There are many reasons for doing qualitative
research. For one, some people are more oriented
and temperamentally suited to doing this type of
work because of their preferences and experiences.
 Some researchers come from disciplines (e.g.
anthropology) or have philosophical orientations
(e.g. phenomenology) that traditionally make use
of qualitative methods.

20. Research Presentation End