STATISTIC

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Table of Contents

Strengths of qualitative research3

Advantages of qualitative methods for exploratory research4

Ethical Guidelines in Qualitative Research5

Why is research ethics important in qualitative research?6

Research Design8

Sampling Procedures11

Findings15

Appraisal15

The synthesis15

Initial formulation of the synthesis16

Observation, experience and the need for knowledge17

The ethics of ethnography19

Conclusion23

References24

Appendix28

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Strengths of qualitative research

Qualitative research is a type of scientific research. In general terms, scientific research consists of an investigation that:

•seeks answers to a question

•Systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question

•collects evidence

•produces findings that were not determined in advance

•produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study

Qualitative research shares these characteristics. Additionally, it seeks to understand a given research problem or topic from the perspectives of the local population it involves. Qualitative research is especially effective in obtaining culturally specific information about the values, opinions, behaviours, and social contexts of particular populations.

The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the “human” side of an issue - that is, the often contradictory behaviours, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals. Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such as social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion, whose role in the research issue may not be readily apparent. When used along with quantitative methods, qualitative research can help us to interpret and better understand the complex reality of a given situation and the implications of quantitative data.

Although findings from qualitative data can often be extended to people with characteristics similar to those in the study population, gaining a rich and complex understanding of a specific social context or phenomenon typically takes precedence over eliciting data that can be generalized to other geographical areas or populations. In this sense, qualitative research differs slightly from scientific research in general.

Advantages of qualitative methods for exploratory research

One advantage of qualitative methods in exploratory research is that use of open-ended questions and probing gives participants the opportunity to respond in their own words, rather than forcing them to choose from fixed responses, as quantitative methods do. Open-ended questions have the ability to evoke responses that are:

•Meaningful and culturally salient to the participant

•Unanticipated by the researcher

•Rich and explanatory in nature

Another advantage of qualitative methods is that they allow the researcher the flexibility to probe initial participant responses - that is, to ask why or how. The researcher must listen carefully to what participants say, engage with them according to their individual personalities and styles, and use “probes” to encourage them to elaborate on their answers.

Ethical Guidelines in Qualitative Research

This section briefly summarizes ethical issues relevant to qualitative research. It is intended to provide a context for discussion in subsequent modules of procedures for safeguarding research participants' interests. Qualitative researchers, like anyone conducting research with people, should undergo formal research ethics training. The material presented here is not a substitute for training on research ethics.

Research ethics deals primarily with the interaction between researchers and ...