Research Approach and Qualitative Research Design

1. RESEARCH APPROACHES
&
RESEARCH DESIGNS
BY
R.SREERAJA KUMAR
PROFESSSOR
SNSR, SHARDA UNIVERSITY

2. ITRODUCTION
Research design is the researchers overall plan to
obtain answer to the problem
Research approach is a broad term which explains
how a problem can be approached
Research design is a more specific term which
explains how a problem is solved using specific
approach

3. DEFINITION
According to the kerlinger ‘ Research design is a
plan, structure and strategy of investigation
conceived so as to obtain answers to research
questions and to control variance

4. Difference between Research approach and
Research design
Research Approach
• Explains how a problem
is solved or destination
is reached
• Broad in Scope
• Selected based on the
objective or purpose of
the research
Research Design
• Explains how a problem
is solved or destination
is reached using a
particular approach.
• Narrow in scope
• Selected based on the
approach to solve a
problem

5. ADVANTAGES OF SELECTING RESEARCH
DESIGN
It saves a lot of researchers time, energy and
effort
It provides direction as how to proceed
It ensures time schedule
It enables resource planning and forecasting
It helps to predict the future activities

6. ADVANTAGES OF SELECTING RESEARCH
DESIGN CONTD…
It helps to check the progress
It reduces error
It provides sense of fulfillment and satisfaction

7. ELEMENTS OF RESEARCH DESIGN
Population, Sample, and sampling technique.
The time , Place, & Sources of Data collection.
Tools and methods of Data collection.
Methods of the Data Analysis.

8. FACTORS AFFECTING SELECTION OF
RESEARCH DESIGN
Nature Of the research problem
Purpose of the study
Researcher knowledge and experience
Researchers interest and motivation
Researcher ethics and principles
Subjects and participants

9. VALIDITY OF RESEARCH DESIGN
Internal Validity External Validity
History
Maturation of subjects
Testing
Instrumentation change
Mortality, Selection of bias
Hawthorne effect
Experimental effect
Effect of Pre-test
Novelty effect
People, Place, Time

10. TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative Research Design
Quantitative Research Design

11. Qualitative
Phenomenological Research
Ethnographic Research
Grounded Theory
Case Studies
Historical Research
Action Research

12. Quantitative Research Designs
Experimental Research Design Non Experimental Research Design
True Experimental Research Design
Quasi-experimental designs
Pre-Experimental Design
Descriptive Research Design
Cor relational/ Ex post facto Design
Developmental Research Design
Epidemiological Studies
Survey Research Design

13. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative research designs are any kind of
research produces findings not arrived by means
of statistical procedures or other means of
quantification
It is effective in obtaining culturally specific
information about values, opinions, behaviors and
social contexts of particular population

14. CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
A belief in multiple realities
Commitment to understanding the phenomena
Commitment to understanding the research problem from
the perspectives of the people being studied
Emphasis on providing holistic understanding of
phenomena
Relies on research strategy which is flexible and interactive

15. CHARACTERISTICS CONTD…
Research is conducted at the natural setting
No manipulation of variables
Participants view points is the prime factor
Involves respondents as active participants
Conduction of inquiry aiming at knowing the natural
content of the phenomena

16. CHARACTERISTICS CONTD…
Participation of the researcher in the research process
Reporting of data in rich literary style
No prior conclusion is formed
No assumption/ hypothesis is formulated
Researcher is the instrument in the research process

17. RESEARCH PROBLEM IN QUALITATIVE
DESIGN
Qualitative research is conducted when…
Little known about area
Existing understanding appears inadequate
When constructing the theory or theoretical frame work
To describe actual behaviors of the individual
To elicit people beliefs and attitudes

18. HYPOTHESES IN QUALITATIVE DESIGN
Refrain from formulating hypotheses
Data collection starts from general to specific questions
Data collection and analysis changes proceeds
simultaneously
Questions are reframed or modified or sometimes
deleted

19. SELECTION OF PARTCIPANTS
•Samples are termed as participants
•Active involvement of participants
•Selected on the basis of first hand experience with
culture social process or phenomena of interest
•Purposeful sampling is only used
•Sample size based on saturation

20. DATA COLLECTION
•Observation
•Interview
•Narrative and focused groups
•Chat rooms
•Participant observation
•Field visits
•Aircrafts ( Records and documents )
•Advised to keep fairly detailed records of his thoughts
and feelings and behavior while data are collected
•In depth interview

21. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION
Focus group discussion is another method of eliciting
information from the participants qualitative research.
•Discussion conducted by a trained moderator.
•Group consists of 6-12 members
•A note taker records the non verbal aspects of the group.
•Tape recorder used to record the data.

22. ACHIEVING SATURATION
It is repetition of discovered information and
confirmation of previously collected data
Eg:- This means Saturation of information not the
number of participants
•Phenomena are viewed in its entirety and holistically.
•The researcher records what he or she observes.
•Research done in natural settings.
•Any prior conclusions are avoided since conclusions
emerge from the data.

23. DATAANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Reading is the first step in the qualitative data analysis
Second step of data analysis the coding.
There are three types of codes
•Setting codes
•Perceptions codes
•Process codes

24. ETHNOGRAPHY
Ethnography means study and description of a culture of
a particular group of people. It involves collection and
analysis of data about cultural or social groups
1) Research problem and questions :-
Ethnography focuses on describing and understanding a
specific culture.

25. ETHNOGRAPHY
2 ) Conducting Research :-
There are three stages in conducting ethnographic
research
Pre- field work
Field work
Post – field work

26. 1. Activities of Pre- field work
 Choose the problem and people
 Search the literature and gather information on the
problem and the people
 Formulate a systematic plan of investigation

27. 2. Activities of field work
 Making contacts and gaining entry, establishing
relationships
 Researcher enters in to the everyday life and activities
of the people of the culture being studied.
 Researcher studies apparent and learned pattern of
behavior , socio cultural practices and traditions.

28. 2. Activities of field work contd..
 Researcher spends over a year in the field
setting long enough to see a full cycle of
activity on emic and etic view about the
experience perspectives
 Data collection methods used in ethnography
are census taking, mapping, document analysis,
life histories, and event analysis.

29. 2. Activities of field work contd..
 Data collection techniques are observations,
unstructured depth interviews , records,
physical evidences like diaries, letters.
Photographs.
 Identifying emerging themes.
 Refine the theme by double checking and
monitoring the field information.

30. Ethnogahers usually seek three broad types of
information
 Culture behavior ( What people do )
 Culture artifacts ( What embers of the culture
make use of )
 Culture speech ( What people say )

31. Activities of post- field work
 Rich and holistic description of culture
 Access to health beliefs , health practices and cultural
problems.
 It begins brief overview of the setting and the people
being studied followed by a review of the specific
problem being addressed and the discussion of the field
work.

32. Example :- 1
 Witing (2001) conducted an ethnography study involving
10 African American women focusing on organ donation
beliefs among their community in the rural area.
Example :- 2
 An ethnography study on socio-cultural beliefs of the
people about antenatal, natal, post natal care f women in
selected tribal communities in Rajasthan.

33. PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN
It is the study of phenomenon, where in the researcher
describes the subjective reality of an event as perceived
by the study participants .
Phenomenology systematically describes the meaning of
essence of living experience.
Eg:- Human experiences in health and illness , healing
and dying .

34. PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN
Research Problem and question :-
Focuses on the meaning of living experience and the main
goal is to develop rich, full, and insightful description of
the lived experiences.
Sample :-
Commonly purposive sample is selected from the persons
who have actual lived the experience under the study
Participants are requested until there is redundancy in the
data and saturation.

35. PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN
Data Collection :-
Data is collected using unstructured interviews and
written description.
Researcher often starts by identifying participants
perceptions and expectations about the phenomena
studied.
Bracketing

36. PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN
Data Collection :-
Researcher must be an empathetic and skilled listener and
encourage full description.
Interviews are recorded and transcribed verbatim.

37. PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN
Data analysis :-
Read the entire disclosure of the lived experience straight
through to obtain a sense of the whole.
Re read the disclosure to discover the essences of the
lived experiences under the study.
Formulate a consistent description of the lived experience
for all participants.

38. Example :- 1
A phenomenological study on lived experiences of tsunami
victims in selected villages of Tamilnadu.
Example :- 2
Runggreangkulkij 2001 conducted a phenomenological
study involving 12 Thai mothers having adult schizophrenic
children. The study focused on the experiences of the mothers
in caring their schizophrenic children.

39. GROUNDED THEORY APPROACH
Research Problem and question :-
The goal of grounded theory approach is to generate a
theory.
Sample :-
Sample is determined by generated data and analysis.
Sampling is continued until the categories are
saturated

40. GROUNDED THEORYAPPROACH
Data Collection methods :-
Participant observation
Informal interviewing
Formal interviewing
Audio taped records
Field notes

41. GROUNDED THEORYAPPROACH
Data Analysis :-
The process of data collection and analysis occurring
simultaneously.
Previous data are constantly compared to new data.
Significant concepts are identified and codes are
assigned.

42. GROUNDED THEORYAPPROACH
Data Analysis :-
Once the concepts have been identified and their
relationships are specified. The researcher review the
literature to find out if any similar associations have
already been investigated.

43. GROUNDED THEORYAPPROACH
Example :-
Example :- Knobf ( 20002) sought to develop a
substantive theory to explain women responses to
chemotherapy – induced pre mature menopause within
the context of breast cancer.

44. CASE STUDY :-
Case study is an approach to qualitative research that
focuses on gaining in depth understanding of particular
phenomena.
This design used for intensive exploration of a single unit
of study such a person
Very small number of subjects, family, group, community
or Institution.

45. CASE STUDY :-
Case study may be qualitative or quantitative depending
on purpose of the study.
The researcher interested in exploring the meaning of
experiences from the subjects rather generalizing the
results to other group of people.

46. Data Collection :-
Interviews
Questionnaires
Observations
Audio and video recordings
Examine the variables and its impact on the situation.

47. Types of the case study :-
Single case study
Multiple case study
Data analysis :-
It involves examination of the communicated message.
Content analysis used to analyze the datea from the
studies.

48. Example :-
A study to determine the responses of diabetic patients in
use of insulin pump. In this study , one patient or few
patients with diabetes studied for a time to understand
their experiences in use of insulin pump.

49. Historical Research Design :-
The systematic collection and critical evaluation of
data relating to past occurrences of a particular
phenomenon is also a tradition that relies on
qualitative data.
Historical research is undertaken to answer questions
concerning causes , effects or trends relative to past
events that may shed light on present practices.

50. Historical Research Design Contd…
First step : Data collection :-
Primary sources :-
Eg :- Persons, groups , fossils. Skeletons. Clothing, deeds, diaries
Oral or written testimony.
Secondary Sources :-
These are reports of people who related the testimony of an actual
witness of an even or actual participant in the same.

51. Second step : Criticism of data :-
The second step necessitates a comprehensive review of gathered
materials.
External criticism – The establishment of validity by determining
the authencity of the source.
Internal Criticism:- The determination of reliability by correctly
interpreting the contents of the document.

52. Third step :- presentation of facts
After evaluating authenticity and accuracy of historical data , the
researcher must bring the material gather to analyse it and to test
the research hypotheses.
Example:-
Intensive analysis of the image of professional nurses through the
examination of various documents.

53. Action Research :-
Action research is a form of applied research that tries to empower
people through a process that constructs and uses knowledge.
Find the practical solutions to problem existing in frame work of
organization.
To bridge the gap of theory and nursing practices in our own
scenario.
It will help to recognizing strength and areas of improvement.