Analyzing and Comparing Research Methods

Analyzing and Comparing Research Methods

Introduction

Research, experimental and non-experimental development is used to increase the stocks of knowledge, i.e. knowledge of culture, humanity, and society and its use to devise new applications. It is used to gather or confirm facts, rearranging the results of previously done work, optimize new or existing problems, supporting theorems, or can develop new theories as well. Research projects are mostly an expansion on previously done work in the particular field. The validity of procedures, instruments, or experiments, research may reflect major elements of the projects, or the whole project. The primary purpose of basic research are discovery, interpretation documentation, or derive the systems and methods for the betterment of human development and knowledge (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008).

Qualitative research

Qualitative research studies the behavior, attitudes, and experiences using methods such as interviewing or focusing groups. It works on an in-depth view from the participating subjects. Qualitative research methodology encompasses many different methods used for analysis. Some of the methods will be discussed below. (Catherine, 2002)

A researcher firstly, integrates together all the obtained data from the participating subjects. This step possesses some complexities and cannot be thought of as a straight forward step. For instance, if some tape recordings are transcribed, regarding the information obtained from the participant, we may be hiding some valuable information unintentionally. Details regarding what words are highlighted in a speech, where the spokesperson break in proceedings, and what time, the speaker hustle or slows down have to be recorded, hence we can interpret entirely what the participant is trying to commune  (Keith, Keith , 2005).

The researcher then assembles the pieces of information (for e.g. statements or ideas) into a range of groups in a prelude. If a particular item appears to have some relevance to several participated groups, then it is incorporated in all of the groups. Commonly, the categories or groupings are taken into account, as per participant's suggestion in the next step ( Creswell, 2009). The last step is focused on the researcher in which the researcher forms a set of groups depending on the data gained from the preceding steps. However, researches can be likely to modify some of the groups if supplementary data is obtained (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008).

Qualitative investigators are not only despite their interest in the quantity of items or reports, that falls into different category. Their most important concern is commonly obtained in various meanings, interpretations and attitudes observed within each participated group. Qualitative researchers while reporting their observations, often take account of some original

Data (for instance, direct quotes from participants) and also analyze the data depending on different categories. Additionally, they often designate the change in their hypotheses during the tenure of the research (Morse, 2002).

Reliability of qualitative research

Reliability in qualitative research can be shown in variety of traditions. The most reliable approach is to observe if the findings that are acquired from a qualitative data analysis can be reproduced. This is achieved by comparing the observations of data obtained from ...