This essay talks about qualitative research. It is to discuss my understanding of qualitative research from my reading and discussion in qualitative research class. It briefly covers the definition of qualitative research, research paradigms, research designs, and characteristics of qualitative research.
It also describes the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research, differences with quantitative, data collection and data analysis techniques of qualitative studies. The last part of this essay raises some explanation of why qualitative research is important especially in educational research.Definition Beginning with the definition of qualitative, just like all researches, qualitative research is a type of research that seeks answers to a question. It is systematically conducted and it also involves the collection of evidence of the research process; data collection, data analysis and report writing (Creswell, 2012). However, the uniqueness of qualitative research is that it captures people’s live experience of the social world instead of world of nature (Liamputtong, 2009).
It reveals the social reality of individuals, groups, and cultures.The study involves the description and analysis of behavior, perspectives, feeling, thought, experiences, social actions of people and what lies at the core of people lives (Holloway & Wheeler, 2002; McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). Therefore, qualitative research is mostly recognised as the social studies which obtain specific information of a particular issue. Paradigm In exploring the social phenomena, a researcher must select the research paradigm properly. As it is explained on encyclopedia of qualitative research (2008, p. 591), a paradigm is a set of assumptions and perceptual orientations of the research.
It is the basic belief that guides the researchers represent the range of phenomena in relationships to the world and its part (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). It determines how researchers view the phenomena of particular community studies and the research methods that should be employed to study those phenomena (Given, 2008). Thereof, research paradigm can be understood as an important part which determines the research method appropriately. Interpretivist /constructivist, and criticalist are the two paradigms of qualitative research. These paradigms lead the researchers to reveal the phenomena in social study.As Interpretivist believe that people act because they choose to act (Emilia, 2000; Snape & Spencer, 2003), the study under interpretive paradigm will recognize and describe the value of human social reality which attach meaning (Nunan, 1993; Holloway & Wheeler, 2002).
Instead of determining the issue statistically as natural science, interpretivist explains social science by the interpretation of the action in community. Those interpretations would be based on the interpretivist understanding of people construct reality. There are two research methods under interpretive approach; case study and ethnography (Emilia, 2000).A case study is an exploration of a "bounded system" or a case (or multiple cases) to understand in-depth and detail data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in context (Creswell, 1998). This bounded system is bounded by time and place in which involving a natural socio-cultural and face to face interaction. (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001).
It provides an investigation of real people in real situation, enabling readers to understand phenomenon within its real-life context, presenting them in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Cohen, et al, 2007; Nunan 1993).As it is followed, a case study is a research approach in which a phenomenon is studied in depth of a small group of participants. A bit different with case study, ethnography involves the study of the culture/characteristics of a group in real-world rather than laboratory settings (Nunan, 1993). The interpretation describes the patterns of behavior, customs, and ways of life (Harris, 1968 cited in Creswell, 1998).
In ethnography, the researcher provides a detailed picture of the culture-sharing group, drawing on various sources of information to capture the context in rich (Emilia, 2000; Creswell, 2012).The important concepts in ethnography that it also includes a holistic perspective, contextualization, perspective and multiple realities, non-judgmental orientation, and inter and intra cultural diversity (Given, 2008). In practice, the ethnographer usually lives among the group being studied. While trying to reveal the phenomenon, the ethnographer lives an ordinary life among the people, working with participants to collect information.
The other paradigm in qualitative is critical approach. The criticalist believes that nothing is value free (Emmit, 1995 cited in Emilia, 2000).Its purpose is not merely to understand the situations and phenomena but to change them (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007, p. 26). The criticalist aims the research which enables to change the existing social facts or realities (Emilia, 2000).
In educational research, this approach is applied in action research. Action research is a powerful tool for change and improvement at the local level (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007, p. 297). The main function of action research is to facilitate the reflective cycle to provide an effective method for improving professional action (Wallace, 2001).
Another research methods which work under critical theory include the neo-Marxist, feminist, participatory, post-structuralist, and post-modern. (Lincoln and Guba cited in Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). Characteristics From the research paradigm which underpinning, several characteristics of qualitative can be briefly discussed. Those characteristics rise understanding that qualitative research significantly different with quantitative one.
Based on my reading, qualitative designs tend to work with a relatively small number of cases rather than a big scale just like in quantitative (Holliday, 2005; Silverman, 2005; Stake, 2010).Qualitative cannot be generalized because it develops context-bound; single case studies, different with quantitative which establishes free generalizations (Nunan, 1993; McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). Principally, qualitative research is handled in natural setting and uncontrolled condition in which the researchers have flexibility to develop research strategies that fit the situation, in contrast with quantitative which establishes set of procedures and steps that guide the researcher (Nunan, 1993; McMillan & Schumacher, 2001; Holliday, 2005; Frankel, Wallen, & Hyun, 2012).Another differences can be seen from the social role. Qualitative research seeks answer that concern how social experience is created and giving meaning, quite different with quantitative that attempts to reduce contaminating social variables (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001; Holliday, 2005; Silverman, 2005). At last, the products of data collection and analysis of qualitative research are more in words or pictures rather than statistical number such in quantitative (Berg, 2007; Frankel, Wallen, & Hyun, 2012).
From those characteristics of qualitative approach, the most important aspect which define its strength that qualitative research can be designed to contribute to theory, practice, policy and social issues and action (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). Qualitative research also may be justified causal explanation of such phenomena (Maxwell, 1996). This view comes because qualitative research develops in-depth understanding of any circumtances and able to describe complex phenomena.Beyond the strength, qualitative research also has its weaknesses. Anyhow, qualitative research is subjective, its contributions are tendentious and influenced by personal biases. Somehow there will occur contradictory interpretation because unawareness of researchers’ shortcomings (Nunan, 1993; Kvale, 1996; Stake, 2010).
Findings of qualitative research might not be generalized to other setting, the reader later decides if the context representative of his/her situation (Holliday, 2005; Stake, 2010).Afterward, qualitative research generally takes more time to collect and analyse the data because it often takes a long time to understand and interpret what is going on in the field to make realible research finding. Data Collection Moreover, the way of making the research findings more reliable is by collecting and analysing the data using more than one research method (Wallace, 2001). This is generally known as triangulation.
Triangulation can be defined as the use of two or more methods of data collection in the study of some aspect of human behaviour (Holloway & Wheeler, 2002; Cohen, et al, 2007; Liamputtong, 2009).It is to find the regularities in the data in which the researcher compares different sources, situations, and methods to see whether the same pattern keeps recurring (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). Either, it reduces the risk that the findings will reflect only systematic biases or limitations of a specific method, it allows to gain a better assessment of the validity (Maxwell, 1996). The data collection method of qualitative triangulation could include observation, focus group, interview, and document.
The method in choosing appropriate tringulation based on the reseachers’ compulsory to capture the reality of phenomenon.Observation Before implementing triangulation, we need to recognise each of the data collection techniques. As simply, observation is a technique of directly observing and recording the situation of participants. Observation enables the researcher to gain the physical, interactional and nonverbal behavior in natural setting.
(Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007). It also enables to draw inferences about actual behavior, and study individuals who have difficulty verbalizing their ideas (Maxwell, 1996; Creswell, 2012).Therefore, observations is valued for the premise that actions speak louder than words. What people do may give more understanding than simply asking them.
Interview Another technique in data collection is interview. One way to attach the information by intervieww os using focus group. Focus group is a qualitative method of collecting data through interview to gain understanding of a particular issue from the perspective of the group’s participants (Liamputtong, 2009; Creswell, 2012). Focus group enables participant interact with each other rather than with the interviewer.It develops in-depth discussions and involves a relatively small number of people. The interaction with the group leads to data and outcomes (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007).
Another way is in-depth interview. In-depth interview is the most popular technique which employed by qualitative researcher (Holstein & Gubrium 2003 in Liamputtong, 2009; Darlington & Scott, 2002). It enables participant to discuss their interpretation of the world in which they live, and to express how they regard situations from their own point of view (Kvale, 1996; McMillan & Schumacher, 2001; Cohen, 2007).The strategies on research interview can be vary from structure, semi-structured and unstructured interview depend on context and purpose (Kvale, 1996; Wallace, 2001; Cohen, et al, 2007; Liamputtong, 2009). There are many salient matters to consider to gain in-depth and accurate information from the research participants.
So if we wish to learn how people see their world, we need to talk with people. Talks more freely thus the true facts and perceptions will be discovered. Document/Journal The other valuable source of information in qualitative research can be captured by document.Document collection is a non-interactive strategy for obtaining qualitative data with little or no reciprocity between the researcher and the participant (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001). It can be public and private records that enable researchers to obtain the valuable information in helping to understand central phenomena in qualitative studies (Creswell, 2012).
The examination of documents may also provide confirmatory evidence of the information obtained from interviews and observations. Data Analysis After gathering the data, analysing and interpreting it are another crucial term.Data for analysis may come from many sources and can be in many forms of triangulation. They may include interview transcript, observation field notes, notes on interview context, notes of observation process, or content analysis of existing material like document. The level and extent of analysis of data from the various sources will depend on the purpose for which the data was collected and involves choices that need to be made for each project (Darlington & Scott, 2002). Doing data analysis is a challenging and exciting stage of the qualitative research process.
It requires a mix creativity and systematic searching, a blend of inspiration and diligent detection (Spencer, Ritchie, & O'Connor, 2003). The early stage in qualitative analysis is data management, in which the raw data are reviewed, labelled, sorted and code (McMillan ; Schumacher, 2001; Darlington ; Scott, 2002; Holliday, 2005). It is familiar as coding. This coding stage is the process of defining what the data are about.
Afterward, the researcher as analysist is able to identify, map the range and diversity of each phenomenon to develop it into findings (Darlington ; Scott, 2002; Creswell, 2012).Afterwards, the researher may go to explanatory stage, in which the researcher builds explanations about the finding, interpreting it and validating the accuracy (McMillan ; Schumacher, 2001; Darlington ; Scott, 2002; Holliday, 2005; Cohen, 2007; Liamputtong, 2009; Creswell, 2012). By these steps, at the end, the qualitative researcher would be systematically present a brief and accurate explanation realated to the phenomena. Again, qualitative research is especially strong in describing and exploring phenomena and generating tentative explanations.Hence, this study involves the description and analysis of behavior, perspectives, feeling, thought, experiences, social actions of people and what lies at the core of people lives (Holloway ; Wheeler, 2002; McMillan ; Schumacher, 2001). In relation of educational issue, qualitative is mostly proposed to see the effectiveness or problems of certain teaching learning methods which couldn’t be explained by statistical data.
Qualitative research also may be justified causal explanation of such phenomena (Maxwell, 1996). Therefore qualitative research is very helpful in adding new understanding of certain behavior in education process.Moreover, as qualitative research can be designed to contribute to theory, practice, policy and social issues and action (McMillan ; Schumacher, 2001), in some cases, qualitative research might be a potential foundation to reveal the communities’ responses on educational policy. Conclusion At last, it can be sum up that qualitative provide in-depth analysis of certain issue. However, this depth analysis cannot be generalized freely just like quantitative, because it involves many abstract variables in which different setting may arise different explanation.
In qualitative research, the researcher who immersed in the actual environment plays the crucial role to make decision about what actually happen in the natural practice. Triangulation of data collection method is promoted to capture the real situation, because one method cannot reveal the real concept. Therefore, qualitative research findings develop the quality of interpretation which has been analysed from the data of triangulation, which able to describe the natural activities of participants.
