Qualitative research aims to understand people's interpretations through exploratory, discovery-based methods like observation and interviews. It emphasizes understanding variables in their natural context and the interactions between them. There are five main approaches: ethnography immerses researchers in an entire culture; field research observes groups in natural settings; phenomenology understands subjective experiences; grounded theory develops theories from observations; and case studies provide in-depth analysis of specific cases. While qualitative research provides rich, comprehensive data, it can be difficult to ensure reliability, prevent bias, and generalize findings.

1. QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH

2. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
- is a generic term for investigative methodologies
described as ethnographic, naturalistic,
anthropological, field or participant observer
research.
-it emphasizes the importance of looking at
variables in the natural setting in which they are
found.
-interaction between variables is important. more
often concerned with explaining the why and how
of a phenomenon rather than the what, when and
where.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF A
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
1. (Understanding)
- It seeks to understand people’s interpretation
2. (Dynamic)
- Reality changes with changes in the people’s
perceptions.
3. (Value bound)
- Values will have an impact and should be
understood and taken into account when
conducting and reporting research.
4. (Holistic)
- A total or complete picture is sought

4. 5. ( Discovery)
- Theories and hypotheses are evolved from data as
collected
6. ( Subjective )
- Data are perceptions of the people in the
environment
7. ( Human )
- The human person is the primary collection
instrument
8. ( Naturalistic )
- Investigations are conducted under natural
conditions
9. ( Valid )
- The focus is on design and procedures to gain
“real”, “rich”, and “deep” data

5. The Five Approaches to Qualitative Research
a. Ethnography
- It draws from anthropology, in which an entire culture is
studied by an outsider.
-The most common ethnographic approach is simply to
observe the participants by becoming immersed in the
culture, taking extensive notes about observations and
impressions.
b. Field Research
-The researcher will literally go into the field -- or in the case
of an organization, within that organization -- to observe the
group in its natural state.
-The field researcher will go among his subjects, while an
ethnographic approach finds the researcher observing from
outside the culture.

6. c. Phenomenology
-It can be considered a philosophical approach to
undertaking qualitative research.
-The goal is to understand how others view the world, and
how this view may vary from commonly held views by
focusing on a person's subjective interpretations of what she
experiences.
- It is done by interviewing the subjects to learn their
impressions, and is frequently used in such fields as
psychology, sociology and social work.
d. Grounded Theory
- The researchers attempt to develop theories about the
phenomena that is being studied, but these theories must be
grounded in observation. As a result, core theoretical
concepts are identified while the data is being gathered.
Linkages between the theoretical concepts and the data are
then formed.

7. e. Case Study
-The research presents a detailed analysis of a specific case.
Unlike an ethnographic approach, which observes the
entire group, a case study focuses on one specific facet, such
as a person, group process or activity.
- The processes involved in preparing a case study are
interdisciplinary, so a variety of different theories and
concepts can emerge when it comes to interpreting a case
study.

8. ADVANTAGES OF A QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
•Produces more in-depth, comprehensive information
• Provides understanding and description of people’s personal
experiences of phenomena
• Qualitative data in the words and categories of participants
lend themselves to exploring how and why phenomena occur
•Qualitative approaches are especially responsive to local
situations, conditions, and stakeholders’ needs
• Uses subjective information and participant observation
to describe the context or natural setting of the
variables in the context.

9. DISADVANTAGES OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• The very subjectivity of the inquiry leads to difficulties in
establishing the reliability and validity of the approaches and
information.
• It is very difficult to prevent or detect researcher induced
bias.
• Knowledge produced might not generalize to other people
or other settings.
• It is more difficult to test hypotheses and theories with
large participant pools.
• It might have lower credibility with some administrators
and commissioners of programs.