This document discusses qualitative research methods in applied linguistics. It distinguishes qualitative from quantitative methods, noting that qualitative methods involve smaller sample sizes but more in-depth accounts from participants. It outlines some key characteristics of qualitative research, such as emergent design, naturalistic settings, interpretive analysis, and reliance on verbal data. Finally, it discusses debates around what constitutes qualitative research and lists some strengths and weaknesses of the approach.

1. Qualitative Methods
Applied linguistics
Khoshnam Rahmani

2. Qualitative
Textbooks in education and social sciences
distinguish between quantitative and qualitative
research.
Quantitative

3. 1) the kind of research question/problem under investigation
3) the type of data and population
2) the purpose of the study
The approach/method chosen for answering a research
question is linked to:

4. Quantitative method
is associated with
experiments, surveys,
with larger samples of
people or
observations.
Qualitative method
is associated with
ethnography, case
study, and narrative
inquiry, with a smaller
number of participants
but fuller and more
holistic accounts from
each one.

5. Methodological
Philosophical Ideological
Any research paradigm/approach reflects a
number of components:

6. Quantitative Qualitative
Orientation Positivist/Post-positivist
Interpretative, Humanistic
Epistemology Objectivist Non-objectivist
Ontology Realist Multiple realities
Methodology Experimental, Manipulative Naturalistic, Non-
manipulative

7. •Emergent research design,
•The nature of qualitative data,
•The characteristics of the research setting,
•Insider meaning,
•Small sample size,
•Interpretive analysis
Common features across different
manifestations of qualitative research:

8. Data are gathered:
• in natural settings,
• through concentrated contact over time,
• holistically—“systematic, encompassing, integrated,"
• from deep inside the situation with preconceived notions held in
check,
• by the researcher who is the “main ‘measurement device,’ ”
• to analyze for patterns, comparisons, and contrasts,
• with interpretations constrained by theoretical interests and/or
“internal consistency,” and
•consisting mainly of verbal data

9. • In other words, any study that is done in a real-
life setting, involving intensive holistic data
collection through observation at a close
personal level without the influence of prior
theory and contains mostly verbal analysis, could
be classified as a qualitative study.

10. What constitutes qualitative research?
• Gall et al. (1996) listed under their section
on qualitative research such things as
case studies, along with a list of 16
research traditions that are typically
referred to as qualitative research.
• Among these are methods such as
ethnography, protocol analysis, and
discourse analysis—all commonly used
methods in applied linguistics.

11. • Wolcott illustrated over 20 strategies in his
famous tree diagram (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p.
6).
• Tesch organized 27 strategies into a flowchart
under four general categories (Miles & Huberman,
1994, p. 7).
• Nunan (1992) included ethnography, case
studies, introspective methods, and interaction
analysis in his book.
• Johnson (1992) limited her book to case studies
and ethnography.

12. • Interestingly, the TESOL Web site2 lists
only three strategies under the heading of
qualitative research: case studies,
conversational analysis, and ethnography.

13. Merits and demerits of qualitative research:

14. Strengths
• Exploratory nature
• Making sense of complexity
• Answering why questions
• Broadening our understanding
• Longitudinal examination of dynamic
phenomena
• Flexibility when things go wrong
• Rich material for the research report

15. Weaknesses
• Sample size and generalizability
• Researcher role
• Lack of methodological rigor
• Too complex or too narrow theories
• Time consuming and labor-intensive

16. References
Duff, P.A. (2010). Research approaches in applied linguistics. In Kaplan,
R.B. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics (pp. 45-54). New
York: Oxford University Press.
Dornyei, Z. (2007). Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods research.
Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (pp. 24-42). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Brown, J.D. (2004). Research Methods for Applied Linguistics: Scope,
Characteristics, and Standards. In A. Davies, and C. Elder (Eds.), The
Handbook of Applied Linguistics (pp. 476-500). Oxford: Blackwell
Publishing Ltd.
Fred L. Perry, Jr. (2005). Understanding Research Designs. Research in
Applied Linguistics, Becoming a Discerning Consumer (pp. 71-87).
London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.