Qualitative research is a method that places a strong emphasis on understanding processes rather than merely focusing on outcomes. It employs an inductive approach, meaning that it builds theories and concepts from the ground up based on gathered data.
Then clear strategies must be adopted to carry out sensitive studies and provide trustworthy outcomes.
Bodgan and Biklen highlight the following basic ethical considerations:
Tell the truth when writing up and reporting the findings.
Treat participants with respect and seek their cooperation in the research.
Consider difference in participants’ time commitment.
Avoid research sites where participants may feel coerced to participate in the research.
Honour the participants’ privacy.
Codes of ethics have to be set by researches in order to protect participants and support ethical approaches to fieldwork.
they contribute to the analysis of the data they generate.
In qualitative research, participants have a vital role
Descriptive data
No matter what type of question, exploratory, descriptive or interpretative, they have to produce findings closer to the data.
Sandelowski (2000) noted that researches present comprehensive narratives of phenomena or events based on open-ended questions.
all the details must be considered.
The data collected in qualitative research take the form of words or pictures rather than numbers.
imply interview transcripts, photographs, field notes, videos, personal documents, and other official records.
Naturalistic
Grady, Ale and Morris (2012) conducted a study to assess the impact of parental departure during daily drop-off at preschool on children’s settling into daily preschool routines.
Activities are observed in the setting in which they occur habitually.
They are observed by the researcher,
(covert observation)
(overt observation)
Is defined as a no experimental approach in which subjects are studied in their natural settings.
Meaning
this reflects a deep concern to discover “what they are experiencing, how they interpret their experiences, and how they themselves structure the social world in which they live”.
the key element is to capture perspectives as precise as possible.
sometimes researcher’s interpretations will be checked with those of the participants;
Concern with process
in 2000, Middleton and Hewitt studied the transition of caring when people with deep learning difficulties were moved from long-term care in hospitals to community-based living
The three main methods of data collection
focus group, in-depth interviews and participant observation.
focuses on process rather than outcomes;
this uses multiple interactive.
Inductive
the qualitative researcher “constructs a picture that takes shape as he/she collects and examines the parts”
researchers have to spend time with participants to experiment themselves particular situations.
his approach uses a bottom-up direction to understand situations, focus on behaviours, construct theories and reach conclusions.
Qualitative research analyses the data in an inductive
which means that theories or concepts are built on the base of gathering data.