Qualitative Research Assignment

An Essay about Qualitative Research

Compiled by:

Dinda Firly Amalia 16620002

English Education Department

Faculty of Language and Science
University of Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya
April 2019
 The Basic Concepts of Qualitative Research

Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of

critical information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with
suitable methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines. Research is
conducted to evaluate the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretive framework; to assemble a body of
substantive knowledge and findings for sharing them in appropriate manners; and to generate
questions for further inquiries. There are two types of a research, they are quantitative and qualitative.
This essay will discuss about the basic concepts of qualitative research. The basic concepts of
qualitative research that will be discussed here cover the definition, the characteristics, the purpose,
the advantages, the types, the data and data sampling, the data collection, the data analysis and the
example of a qualitative research paper.

There are a lot of theories about the definition of qualitative research. Shank (2002) defines
qualitative research as a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. In 2000, Denzin and
Lincoln claim that qualitative research involves an interpretive and naturalistic approach. Willig
(2001) says that qualitative research is concerned with meaning in context, and it involves the
interpretation of data. From those definitions, it can be conclude that the definition of qualitative
research is a naturalistic and systematic empirical inquiry that includes an obtainment of the value,
information, opinions, behaviors, and social context of a particular subject, which involves the
interpretation of data in a descriptive way.

There are three characteristics of qualitative research. The first is that in a qualitative
research, the data is described inductively. An inductive approach is concerned with the generation of
new theory emerging from the data, it is usually focused on exploring new phenomena or looking at
previously researched phenomena from a different perspective. The second characteristic of
qualitative research is the data collection takes place in natural setting. The qualitative researcher
often goes to the site of participants to conduct the research. The third is the methods of data
collection are growing. They increasingly involve active participation by participants and sensitivity
to the participants in the study.

Qualitative research has four purposes. The first is to explore a phenomenon that has not been
studied before and that may be subsequently developed quantitatively. The second is to add rich detail
and nuance that illustrates or documents existing knowledge of a phenomenon generated
quantitatively. The third is to better understand a topic by studying it simultaneously. The last is to
understand any phenomenon and its complexity.

Conger (1998), Bryman et al (1998) and Alvesson (1996) state four advantages of doing
qualitative research. The first advantage is the flexibility to follow unexpected ideas during research
and explore processes effectively. The second is the sensitivity to contextual factors. The third is the
ability to study symbolic dimensions and social meaning. The last is increased opportunities to
develop empirically supported new ideas and theories, for in-depth and longitudinal explorations of
leadership phenomena and for more relevance and interest for practitioners.

Cresswell (2003) states that there are five main types of qualitative research approaches. They
are case study, grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography and narratives. Case study is an
approach to the study of singular entities, which may involve the use of a wide range of diverse
method of data collection and analysis. Strauss and Corbin(1990) state that grounded theory is a
qualitative research method that uses a systematic set of procedures to develop an inductively derived
theory about a phenomenon. Willig (2001) states that phenomenology is concerned with the ways in
which human beings gain knowledge of the world around them, moreover, phenomenology identifies
different approaches to human understanding and it argues that certain forms of knowing may be
more constructive than others. Neuman (1997) states that ethnography means describing a culture and
understanding another way of life from the native point of view. Creswell (2003) says that narrative
research is a form of inquiry in which the researcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or
more individuals to provide stories about their lives and then this information is retold or restoried by
the researcher into a narrative chronology.

The data in a qualitative research is usually in the form of field notes, audio, video, recording
and transcript. The most common sampling methods used in qualitative research are purposive
sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. Purposive sampling is one of the most common
sampling strategies which groups participants according to preselected criteria relevant to a particular
research question. Quota sampling is sometimes considered a type of purposive sampling. In quota
sampling, we decide while designing the study how many people with which characteristics to include
as participants. Snowballing is also known as chain referall sampling. In snowball sampling,
participants or informants with whom contact has already been made use their social networks to refer
the researcher to other people who could potentially participate in or contribute to the study. Snowball
sampling is often used to find and recruit “hidden populations”, that is, groups not easily accessible to
researchers through other sampling strategies.

There are three main methods for collecting data in qualitative research. The first method is
focus group. In this method of data collection, the researcher brings together a small number of
subjects/respondents to talk about on the area of interest. The discussion is normally tape-recorded,
then transcribed and analyzed. The second is direct observation. In this method, data can either be
collected by an external observer or by a participant observer who can be a part of staff performing
normal duties while observing the processes. In this type of the study, the researcher tries to become a
part of the population being examined. The third is in-depth interview. Interviews in qualitative
research are generally broad ranging, penetrating issues in details. This can disclose more about
beliefs and attitudes and behavior.

Data analysis in qualitative research is defined as the process of systematically searching and
arranging the interview transcripts, observation notes, or other non-textual materials that the
researcher accumulates to increase the understanding of the phenomenon. The data analysis in
qualitative research is usually in the form of description, and a text analysis. The final report of
qualitative research is narrative report with contextual description and direct quotations from research
participants.

The title, the purpose, the subject, the data and data sampling, the data collection and the data
analysis of a research can easily be identified by reading the abstract of the research paper. Here is the
example of the abstract of a qualitative research paper.

ABSTRACT

Nilawati, Sofika Chandra. 2008. The Effectiveness of Teaching Vocabulary by Using Puppet at
Elementary School Students (The Case Study of the Fourth Graders of SDN Leteh II Rembang in the
Academic Year of 2007/2008). A thesis, English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts,
Semarang States University, Advisor 1) Dra. C. Murni Wahyanti, M.A, 2) Sri Wuli Fitriati, S.Pd. M.Pd.
Key Words: vocabulary, elementary school students, a puppet, action research.

This final project is an action research. In this study, I limit the discussion by stating the following
problem: “How is the students’ achievement in learning English vocabulary by using a puppet?” The
aims of the research is to find out whether teaching vocabulary using puppet is effective to improve
the students’ achievement. It is expected that the result of the study can enrich the teacher’s strategy
in teaching vocabulary through puppets especially for elementary school students.

The subject of the study was the students of SDN Leteh II Rembang in the Academic Year 2007/2008.
There were 46 students (24 boys and 22 girls). There were three steps in this action research. The first
step of the activity was the pre-test. The second step of the activity was action which consisted of four
activities. In the first activity, the teacher performed a puppet in front of the class. The theme of the
first activity was fruits and animals. In the second activity, the teacher performed a puppet about
road sign. In the third activity, the teacher performed a puppet about parts of body. In the last
activity, the teacher performed a puppet about things in the classroom. The third step of the activity
was giving post-test and answering questionnaire.

Based on the data analysis, it can be seen that there is significant difference in the result of the
students’ pre-test and post-test. The average achievement of the students’ pre-test was 56.63% and
96.19% in the post-test. The main factor affecting this improvement was the students’ interest in the
puppet given. It can be proved from the questionnaire results. Therefore, it can be suggested that the
use of puppet can be an alternative way to teach vocabulary, especially to improve the students’
mastery in vocabulary. This result hopefully would motivate language teachers to use a puppet in
teaching English in the classroom, especially when teaching English vocabulary to elementary school
students.

From the example of abstract above, it can be known that the title of the qualitative research
paper is The Effectiveness of Teaching Vocabulary by Using Puppet at Elementary School Students.
The purpose of the research is to find out whether teaching vocabulary using puppets is effective to
improve the students’ achievement. The subjects of the research are the students of SDN Leteh II
Rembang 2007/2008. They were 46 students (24 boys, 22 girls). The data sampling is purposive data
sampling. The data collection is obtained from pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire. The data analysis
is descriptive.

In short, qualitative research is a naturalistic and systematical study that includes an

obtainment of the value, information, opinions, behaviors, and social context of a particular subject,
which involves the interpretation of data in a descriptive way. The characteristics of qualitative
research are the data is described inductively, the study behavior in a natural environment, and the
data is growing. The purposes of qualitative research are to explore, to discover and to construct.
There are four advantages and five types of qualitative research. The data is usually in the form of
field notes, audio, video, recording and transcript. The most common sampling methods used in
qualitative research are purposive sampling, quota sampling, and snowball sampling. The data can be
collected through focus group method, direct observation and in-depth interview. The data analysis is
descriptive or in the form of a text analysis. The information about a research paper can be known
easily through the abstract of the research paper. The information consists of the title, the purpose, the
subject, the data/ data sampling, the data collection, the data analysis of a research paper.