SHS - Applied Research 1

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Contextual Research in Daily Life 1

Qualitative Research and Its Importance in

Daily Life

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. Describe the characteristics and strength of qualitative research;
2. Illustrate the importance of qualitative research across fields.
You learned the importance of research experience and knowledge. In this
module, you will understand how these two components meet the concrete
social reality. And this is where qualitative research often begins.

Qualitative research studies social sciences. Social sciences

focus on the everyday life of humans. Brinkmann (2012) explained that
social science began with the emergence of modern, industrial society when
individuals were conceived as separate entities, and when this separation
was seen as problematic, resulting in disintegration, anomie, and the modern
malaises (such as excessive individualism, loneliness and neuroses). In other
words, the word “social” was developed from the everyday life of man.
Qualitative research is relative to the everyday life of the researcher
including his/her meditation on daily activities and experiences.
Furthermore, Brinkman (2012) said that the everyday life objects are thus
those that the researcher in question appropriates and uses in his/her daily
living (e.g. consumer products, technologies, pieces of art), and everyday
situations and events are those the researcher experiences in his/her life
(e.g. conversations, parties, work, rituals).

Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Let us discuss further the uniqueness of qualitative research. The unique
nature and purpose of qualitative inquiry bring in with a distinctive set of
attributes, all of which impact the design of qualitative research one way or
another (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
1. Absence of absolute “truth”. Although it might be said that an absolute
truth is intangible in all forms of research, the interactive, personal and
interpretive approach in qualitative inquiry extinguishes the notion that
the outcomes represent an absolute truth. Instead of truth, per se, the

Course Module
 qualitative researcher strives to collect information from which some
level of useful knowledge can be gained (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
2. Importance of context. The data and the researcher’s interpretation of
the data – hinge greatly on the contexts from which the data are obtained
(Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
3. Importance of meaning. It derives meaning from data of multiple
sources. Within any research event (e.g. observations, group discussion),
researchers evaluate any number of variables to make sense of the data.
These variables include the context, the language, and especially in
narrative research, social linguistics; the impact of the participant-
researcher relationship; and the potential for participants’ and researcher
bias (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
4. Researcher as the data gathering instrument. Qualitative research
places the researcher at the center of the data-gathering phase, and
indeed the researcher ultimately is the “instrument” by which
information is collected (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
5. Participant-researcher relationship. The participants and the
researcher share the “research space” in which certain conventions for
communication (knowingly or not) may be formed that in turn shape the
reality the researcher is capturing in the data (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
6. Skill set required of the researcher. Qualitative research requires the
researcher’s skills that go beyond the usual qualities of organization,
attention to detail, and analytical abilities that are necessary for all
researchers(Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
7. Flexible design. It is designed to match the dynamics of the evolving
research process (Klenke, 2008). It can be modified or changed
depending on the need to measure the issue or the phenomenon under
study.
8. Types of issues or questions effectively addressed by qualitative
research. It is uniquely suited to address research issues or questions
that might be difficult, if not impossible, to investigate. It effectively
tackles sensitive or personal issues (such as domestic violence, pregnancy
among teenager, drug addiction, etc.); multifaceted, intricate topics (such
as personal histories and corporate re-organization); and contextual
issues (example in-store observations of shopping patterns) (Roller &
Lavraks, 2015).
9. Messy analysis and inductive approach. The analysis of qualitative
research is multilayered involving process that continually builds upon
itself until a meaningful and verifiable interpretation is achieved. A large
contributor to the messiness of the analytical process is the inductive
approach (Roller & Lavraks, 2015). It tends to let the data lead to the
emergence of concepts; the opportunity for interweaving detailed
empirical study with some set of concepts and theories (Yin, 2016).
10. Unique capabilities of online and mobile qualitative research. Online
and mobile technology offer unique enhancements to qualitative research
designs. The opportunity to select the time and place for participation
empowers online and mobile participant. Online and mobile participants
can also enrich their text responses by attaching files, images, links to
websites, and voice response via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and
the mobile phone device (Roller & Lavraks, 2015).
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Contextual Research in Daily Life 1

Strengths of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is friendly to amateur researchers since their individual
perspective and its impact on the research are an integral part of the process.
Hence, the everyday life of any researcher is an accurate reference to begin a
qualitative research.
 The researcher is seen as involved in the object of inquiry (Maffesoli
in Brinkmann, 2012). He/She writes from his/her participating
stance in the world. Qualitative research is the means of the
researcher to be closer to the world of his/her participants.
 Everyday life research is focused on human experience in a broad
sense (Maffesoli in Brinkmann, 2012). Qualitative method is focused
on the authentic experiences of the participants and their critical
voices. They become a source of empowerment from the filtered
reality of their local, historical, contextual, and multiple lenses.
 The theme of everyday life demands conceptual audacity so that
descriptions and analyses of mundane life can be intellectually
interesting and challenging. A conceptual audacity is a tool that
enables us to see new and perhaps surprising aspects of the everyday
lives that we lead. This may in turn generate new forms of human
action (Maffesoli, in Brinkmann, 2012).

Importance of Qualitative Research across Fields

It has been emphasized that qualitative research is designed to ex plore the
human elements of a given topic, where specific methods are used to
examine how individuals see and experience the world. Qualitative methods
are best for addressing many of the “why” questions that researchers have in
mind when they develop research projects. Qualitative approaches are
typically used to explore new phenomena and to capture individuals’
thoughts, feelings, or interpretations of meanings and process (Given, 2008).
This means that qualitative research is not only applicable for social sciences
but to other disciplines.
 Qualitative methods are central to research conducted in education,
nursing, sociology, anthropology, information studies, humanities, and
health sciences (Given, 2008).
 The range of methods available is very broad (e.g. personal
interviews, observation, diaries, and journals), and projects are
informed by various methodologies (e.g. phenomenology, discourse
analysis) (Given, 2008).
 It is important that both novice and established scholars understand
the language, culture, paradigmatic approaches used in qualitative

Course Module
 research, especially the interdisciplinary projects increasingly link
researchers across varied fields of study (Given, 2008).

Activities and Exercises

I. Describe the strengths of qualitative research by listing down five (5)
appropriate adjectives. Explain each based on your understanding.

1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
4. ______________________________________
5. ______________________________________

II. Identify the characteristic of qualitative research mentioned in the

statement below. Write the correct characteristic before each item.

___________1. The ability to obtain the insight from the less obvious, smaller
representation of the participants that gives special distinction to qualitative
research.
____________2. There may be instances when the researcher decides to alter or
discard the design in general.
____________3. This characteristic drives the complexities of power of the
research environment in which both parties – participant and researcher –
strive to control what is said and not said in the research process.
____________4. This characteristic is the confirmation process in analysis and
clearness of the final research document.
____________5. Aside from the research events (i.e. observations, focus groups,
etc.), the researcher considers the extent of the research, the intensity of the
research, and the authentication of the data to arrive with a meaningful
interpretation.
____________6. Qualitative researchers need particular analytical skills that can
meet the demand of the “messy analysis” of qualitative inquiry where other
variables contribute to the realities that the researchers receive from the
place under investigation.
____________7. It is not just the location of a face-to-face group discussion but
also the context that is created by way of the heterogeneity or homogeneity
of a group’s participant.
____________8. The researcher may be guided by written outlines or
manuscripts in asking questions during the interview or facilitating a focus -
group discussion, but these are just his/her paraphernalia in data collection
because he/she is the main instrument.
____________9. The possibility of multimedia communication can be effective
and efficient for qualitative researchers.
____________10. Qualitative researchers analyze the outcomes from their
fieldwork (raw data), collating and drawing meaning from the data and
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Contextual Research in Daily Life 1

between various points of information which are all connected to the

research issue or phenomenon.
III. Illustrate the importance of qualitative research across fields by
completing the graphic organizer below. Choose three fields where
you can apply qualitative research and write them in the boxes below.
Explain briefly the importance of qualitative research in these fields.

Qualitative
Research

Glossary
Anthropology is the science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural
development, biological characteristics, and social customs and beliefs of
humankind (www.dictionary.com).
Contexts are the influences and events related to a particular event or
situation (dictionary.cambridge.org).
Discourse analysis is a general term for a number of approaches to analyze
written, vocal, or sign language use, or any significant semiotic (sign and
symbol) event (en.oxforddictionaries.com).
Humanities is the study of literature, philosophy, art, etc.
(www.dictionary.com).
Phenomenology is a philosophical movement originating in the 20th century,
the primary objective of which is the direct investigation and description
of phenomena as consciously experienced, without theories about their
causal explanation and as free as possible from unexamined preconceptions
and presuppositions (www.brittanica.com).

Course Module
 Social linguistics/ Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to
social factors, including differences of regional, class, and occupational
dialect, gender differences, and bilingualism (en.oxforddictionaries.com).

References
Brinkmann, S. (2012). Qualitative inquiry in everyday life. City Road, London:
Sage Publications
Given, L. (2008). The sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods
volume 1. City Road, London: Sage Publications
Klenke, K. (2008). Qualitative research in the study of leadership. UK:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Roller, M. & Lavraks, P. (2015). Applied qualitative research design: a total
quality framework approach. New York: The Guilford Press
Yin, R. (2016). Qualitative research from start to finish. New York: The
Guilford Press