Name:

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. describes characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and kinds of qualitative research (CS_RS11-
IIIb-1)
2. Illustrates the importance of qualitative research across fields (CS_RS11- IIIb-2)
3. designs a research project related to daily life (CS_RS11-IIIce-1)
4. writes a research title (CS_RS11-IIIce-2); and
5. states research question. (CS_RS11-IIIce-4)

THE NATURE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

 Qualitative research is defined as “the naturalistic method of inquiry of research which deals
with the issue of human complexity by exploring it directly.” (Polit and Beck, 2008).
 Fraenkel (2007) defined qualitative research as research studies that investigate the quality of
relationships, activities, situations or materials.
 It puts an emphasis on human complexity and man’s ability to decide and create his or her
own experience.
 Utilizes naturalistic methods of inquiry as the research places great emphasis on the analysis of
the experiences of the individual.
 Attempts to explain the human experience with its dynamic, holistic and individualistic aspects
through the perspective of the individual himself, which makes use of qualitative materials that
are narrative and subjective.

CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Naturalistic inquiry
Studying real-world situations as they unfold naturally; non-manipulative, unobtrusive, and non-
controlling; openness to whatever emerges—lack of predetermined constraints on outcomes
Inductive analysis
Immersion in the details and specifics of the data to discover important categories, dimensions,
and interrelationships; begin by exploring genuinely open questions rather than testing theoretically
derived (deductive) hypotheses.
Holistic perspective
The whole phenomenon under study is understood as a complex system that is more than the
sum of its parts; focus is on complex interdependencies not meaningfully reduced to a few discrete
variables and linear, cause-effect relationships.
Qualitative data
Detailed, thick description; inquiry in depth; direct quotations capturing people‘s personal
perspectives and experiences.
Personal contact and insight
The researcher has direct contact with and gets close to the people, situation, and
phenomenon under study; researcher‘s personal experiences and insights are important part of the
inquiry and critical to understanding the phenomenon.
Dynamic systems
Attention to process; assumes change is constant and ongoing whether the focus is on an
individual or an entire culture.
Unique case orientation
Assumes each case is special and unique; the first level of inquiry is being true to, respecting,
and capturing the details of the individual cases being studied; cross- case analysis follows from and
depends on the quality of individual case studies.
Context sensitivity
Places findings in a social, historical, and temporal context; dubious of the possibility or
meaningfulness of generalization across time and space.
 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

Emphatic neutrality
Complete objectivity is impossible; pure subjectivity undermines credibility; the researcher‘s
passion is understanding the world in all its complexity – not proving something, not advocating, not
advancing personal agenda, but understanding; the researcher includes personal experience and
empathic insight as part of the relevant data, while taking a neutral nonjudgmental stance toward
whatever content may emerge.
Design flexibility
Open to adapting inquiry as understanding deepens and/or situations change; avoids getting
locked into rigid designs that eliminate responsiveness; pursues new paths of discovery as they
emerge.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:

The strength of qualitative research is its capacity to give rich information about the respondents,
may it be humans or animals. In addition, the following are the strengths of qualitative research:
1. Issues can be examined in detail and in depth.
2. Interviews are not restricted to specific questions and can be guided/redirected by the
researcher in real time.
3. The research framework and direction can be quickly revised as new information emerges.
4. The obtained data based on human experience is powerful and sometimes more compelling
than quantitative data.
5. Subtleties and complexities about the research subjects and/or topic are discovered that are
often missed by more positivistic inquiries.
6. Data usually are collected from a few cases or individuals so findings cannot be generalized
to a larger population. Findings can however be transferable to another setting

Qualitative research approach may be inapplicable to some research objectives. For example, it
may not be applicable to experimental researches that are done in the laboratory. The following are
weaknesses of qualitative researches:
1. Research quality is heavily dependent on the individual skills of the researcher and more easily
influenced by the researcher's personal biases and idiosyncrasies.
2. The volume of data makes analysis and interpretation time consuming.
3. It is sometimes not as well understood and accepted as quantitative research within the
scientific community
4. Issues of anonymity and confidentiality can bring/result to problems when presenting findings
5. Data gathering is often time-consuming and analysis of data takes longer time that that in
quantitative analysis.
6. Interpretation of results is usually biased because it is influenced by the researcher’s
perspective. The researcher's presence during data gathering, which is often unavoidable in
qualitative research, can affect the subjects' responses.
7. Conclusions are not generalizable because the subjects are few and sometimes posses unique
characteristics compared to typical respondents.

TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Phenomenology
 It is an approach to philosophy and not specifically a method of inquiry.
 It seeks to find the essence or structure of an experience by explaining how complex meaning
are built out of simple units of inner experience.
 The goal of this study is to describe the meaning that experiences hold for each subject.
 Some areas of concern for these studies are humanness, self-determination, uniqueness,
wholeness and individualism.

Example: The lived experience of nursing severe burns injury patients

Author: Rachel Anne Kornhaber
 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

 With the given problem, the researcher explored, described and documented the lived
experiences of seven full time registered nurses that care for patients who have sustained a
severe burns injury.
Ethnography
 It is the direct description of a group, culture or community.
 It involves the collection and analysis of data about cultural groups or minorities.
 The researcher immerses with the people and becomes a part of their culture and becomes
involved in the everyday activities of the subjects, and gets to empathize with the cultural
groups experiencing issues and problems in their everyday lives.
 During the immersion process, the researcher talks to the key persons and personalities called
key informants who provide important information for the study.
 The main purpose of this study is the development of cultural theories.

Example: Marine-based community conserved areas in Fiji: An example of indigenous governance

and partnership
Authors: Mark A. Calamia, David I. Kline, Sireli Kago, Kerry Donovan, Sirilo Dulunaqio, Taito
Tabaleka and B. Greg Mitchell
 In studying the problem, the researchers immersed with the subjects, the people of
Yanuca village and becomes involved with the activities that exemplify the cultural
practices of the respondents in conserving their marine-based community conserved
area (MBCCA).

Grounded theory
 It is a development of theory directly based and grounded in the data collected by the
researcher. It is a research methodology for discovering theory in a substantive area.
 The method involves comparing collected units of data against one another until categories,
properties, and hypotheses that state relations between these categories and properties
emerge. These hypotheses are tentative and suggestive, and are not tested in the study.

Example: A grounded theory exploration of the first visit to a cancer clinic—strategies for
achieving acceptance.
Authors: Sofie Jakobsson, Gyorgy Horvath, & Karin Ahlberg
 The researchers investigated cancer patients’ experiences of their first visit to a cancer
clinic. Nine patients with various cancer diagnoses about to receive curative cancer
treatment were interviewed after their first visit to the clinic. After the data analysis, a
core category was developed by the researchers which showed how patients can
reach acceptance of the impact cancer has on their lives.

Case study
 It is an in-depth examination of an individual, groups of people, or an institution over a period
of time. It provides information on where to draw conclusions about the impact of a
significant event in a person’s life.
 Some of its purposes are to gain insights into a little-known problem, provide background
data for broader studies, and explain socio-psychological and socio-cultural processes.

Example: Lithium-Induced Neurotoxicity: A Case Study

Authors: Melissa A Schneider and Sonya S Smith
 The researchers discussed lithium toxicity syndrome which is not as familiar as other causes
of neurological issues by considering patients with unexplained neurological deficits and
a history of taking this medication.

GETTING STARTED ON A RESEARCH

How should a research be started?
 Where should a research begin? How is topic chosen? The answer is simple – it starts from the
researcher’s interests. Interests may come from any of the following:
 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

 From these interests, a broad topic is formed. Subsequently, specific topics and questions.

IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH TOPIC

Once interest is recognized, a particular research topic can be identified. This idea should be
explored thoroughly by scanning and reviewing related literature. The following can be done:
a. Reading books, research articles, and other professional publications regarding a given topic
b. Asking help from experts in the field for more relevant ideas and perspectives; and
c. Observing things for some experiences about this interest.

The following are some reminders in selecting appropriate research topic:

a. Do not choose a research topic only because it seems workable and feasible. Also consider
the nature of data that is required for the research.
b. Have the means of data collection.
c. Consider your technical skills, capability, and limitations.
d. Consider your interest and support systems.
e. Do not get spellbound and fascinated with the allure and attraction of a topic without
considering the possible consequences that the research may bring about.
f. Study all possible angles. It will be difficult to turn back when so much effort, time and
resources have already been expended.
g. Remember the ethical considerations in choosing your topic especially animal welfare and no
human experimentation (this includes testing products to yourself or to your groupmates!)

NARROWING DOWN THE RESEARCH TOPIC

Once a topic has been identified, it has to be narrowed down to a specific one. You need to
read further to find as many information as possible regarding the topic. Consider the following:
 What is current
 Recommendations of researchers who have conducted similar studies
 What has already been studied; and
 New ways of gathering data

Examples of broad topics that are narrowed down to specific ones

 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

RESEARCH TITLE
 A research title prefaces the study by providing a summary of the main idea and is usually
short and concise. Well-written research titles draw interest from the readers. It gives weight
and reputation to the research paper.
 A research title should have the following characteristics:
1. It should summarize the main idea of the paper.
2. It should be a concise statement of the main topic.
3. It should include the major variables of the research study.
4. It should be self-explanatory.
5. It should describe or imply the participants of the study.

RESEARCH PROBLEM
 The research problem is a statement about the area of concern of the research paper,
whether it is a circumstance needing development, a difficulty requiring attention, or an
inquiry necessitating an answer.
 It sets the direction of the research study as it provides the foundation for the research
hypothesis and defines what kind of research study is suitable to address the problem.
 it is called the heart of research, as it is what the researchers aim to answer later on as they go
through the research.

Criteria for evaluation of a good research problem:

Another thing to consider and remember is that a research problem should be SMART, whether it is
qualitative or quantitative research.
 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

References:

Calamia, M. A., Kline, D. I., Kago, S., Donovan, K., Dulunaqio, S., Tabaleka, T., & Mitchell, B. G. (2011).
Marine-based community conserved areas in Fiji: An example of indigenous governance and
partnership. Indigenous Peoples and Conservation: from rights to resource management (pp.
95-114). Conservation International.

Clemente, R.F., Julaton, A. B., and Orleans, A. V. (2016). Research in Daily Life 1. Sibs Publishing House,
Inc. pp. 2-25

Cristobal, A. P. and De La Cruz-Cristobal, M. C. (2017). Practical Research for Senior High School 1. C
& E Publishing, Inc. pp. 2-37

Jakobsson, S., Horvath, G., & Ahlberg, K. (2005). A grounded theory exploration of the first visit to a
cancer clinic—strategies for achieving acceptance. European Journal of Oncology Nursing,
9(3), 248-257. http://www.sxf.uevora.pt/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Jakobsson_2008.pdf

Kornhaber, R. A. (October, 2009) The lived experience of nursing severe burns injury patients.
University of Adelaide, South Australia.
https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/56331/8/02whole.pdf

Schneider, M. A., & Smith, S. S. (2019). Lithium-Induced Neurotoxicity: A Case Study. The Journal of
neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 51(6), 283–
286. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNN.0000000000000468

MODULE 2 ASSESSMENT

A. Read and analyze the following research topics and identify what type of qualitative research
is appropriate for each. Then justify your answer by providing a brief explanation. (15 points)
1. A researcher investigated the medical properties of the Philippine tawa-tawa and discovered
that its components can be made into a drug that can cure dengue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. A researcher studied the smoking decisions among teenagers in slum areas in the Philippines.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. A researcher immerses with the Mangyans in Oriental Mindoro to learn how they conserve and
manage their forests.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
 Name:
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 2A – Practical
Subject Teacher:
Research 1 (STEM)

B. Enumerate possible problems you may encounter in the following circumstances in relation to
the pandemic we are experiencing right now: (10 points)

1. Personal life (family and friends)

a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. School
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Local community
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Government
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Other areas of interest or concern
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Based on the enumerated possible research problems, identify one researchable problem and
explain why you chose it. Then write a SMART title for your problem. (10 points)

Problem:______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Reason:_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: _________________________________________________________________________________________