Designing a QUALITATIVE Research Study

Think of a Qualitative study in your field.
In designing this qualitative research project, answer the following questions and give an example.

(a) Who would you study?

• We identify people that can best help us understand our central phenomenon
  

(b) What permission would you need?
We would need to seek permission from

• the organisation and the site where the research would be carried out
• the personnel involved in the research (e.g. students, teachers)
• Parents, when students are below the legal age to give approval
• As qualitative research requires greater access to the participant and the data collection process may take a much longer period, the researcher therefore needs to submit a write-up to provide the context and a detail description of the research to the Institutional Review Board for approval.
  

(c) What information would you collect?
In qualitative research, data are recorded in self-designed protocols that helps us record information provided by the participants.

• Observations - comprises of field notes and drawings (descriptive field notes on the description of events and activities and reflective field notes which documents the personal reflection)
  
• Interviews and questionnaires - in the form of transcriptions
  
• Documentation - hand recorded notes
  
• Audio visual materials - pictures, photos, videotapes, sounds, objects
  

(d) How do you administer the data collection?

• Time is needed for data collection
• > Limit collection to one or two observations/ interviews
• > Time is needed to establish substantial database
• Obtain permission to use the materials
• Handle ethical issues with sensitivity where the anonymity of the participants would be protected and information gathered to be kept confidential and not shared with people outside the research study.
  

(e) How would you analyse the data?

• The analysis initially consists of developing a general sense of the data and then coding description and themes about the central phenomenon
• When collecting data, one may also be analyzing other information previously collected to look for major ideas.
• One may read the data several times and conduct analysis each time, to gain a deeper understanding about the information given by the participant.
• The phases are iterative - between data collection and analysis

(f) How would you report the results?

• Use multiple perspectives for each theme: Identify perspectives based on individuals
• Use quotes to capture feelings, emotions and the way people talk about their experiences
• Write in vivid detail
• Specify contradictions and tensions in one's experiences
• Use metaphors and analogies