Application of Qualitative Descriptive Design

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 Application of Qualitative Descriptive Design

Introduction and Thesis

Nonprofit organizations play a significant role in society by frequently helping those in

need or advocating for the rights of underrepresented groups whose voices might not

otherwise, be heard. Likewise, since nonprofit organizations frequently depend on volunteers,

volunteer retention is one of their top priorities. However, when it comes to providing input to

individuals within the organization, volunteers could be on the outside of communication. Based

on what is known in the empirical literature, nonprofit organizations need an understanding to

what significant motivation and satisfaction factors influence the work of volunteers in religious

nonprofit organizations. Additionally, it is unknown how these qualities affect their ability to be

kept at the nonprofit organizations where they provide services. The purpose of this qualitative

descriptive design study is to explore how volunteers describe their learning from social

connections, similar values and understanding to contribute to religious nonprofit organization.

Problem Statement
It is not known how volunteers describe their learning from social connections, similar values,
and understanding to contribute to religious nonprofit organizations.

Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how volunteers describe their
learning from social connections, similar values and understanding to contribute to religious
nonprofit organization.

Research Questions
RQ1: How do volunteers describe their learning from social connections to contribute to
religious nonprofit organization?

RQ2: How do volunteers describe their similar values that contribute to religious nonprofit
organization?

RQ3: How do volunteers describe their knowledge/understanding to contribute to religious

nonprofit organization?
Phenomenon: Volunteers are motivated by various aspects from intrinsic to extrinsic factors that
keep them committed to an organization. However, religious nonprofit organizations require
clarity to understanding what values these volunteers hold to follow through with their
commitments to a particular nonprofit over another.

Feasibility Analysis

Understanding volunteers’ experiences from their perspectives in a casual format is vital

for a study such as this. This study will be conducted with virtual and in-person interviews

and/or focus groups organized. Authorization is needed or required for obtaining information for

this study from religious nonprofit organizations and the volunteers that serve at the

organizations. Moreover, some interviews will require access to Zoom for virtual interviews and

Google Forms for questionnaires. Receiving rich data is imperative for gathering volunteer

experiences and grasping an understanding of each participants experience and personal

motivations.

For this study, ethical considerations are crucial to understand. Confidentiality and the

researcher's function as a data gathering tool are two ethical concerns in qualitative research.

Whenever data is gathered using qualitative methods, its typically spend a lot of time with the

research subjects (Mohajan, 2020). The benefits for the participants in this study include an

increased understanding of what volunteers need from an organization for satisfaction and

retention which benefits the organization and community. Participating organizations will have

access to the results of the study to understand how to strengthen their volunteer program and

benefit their organization’s impact to their community.

A set back that could occur is an inadequate number of willing participants from small

religious non-profit organizations. To mitigate the potential of an inadequate number of

participants is to expand to medium sized organizations to broaden the pool of potential

participants needed for the study. An ample number of organizations and participants are vital for

this study to make it trustworthy and credible. In addition, considering the confidentiality of the

participants to ensure anonymity. Since participants are intimately involved in various stages of

the study, interaction between researchers and participants could present ethical challenges for

the former. As a result, it is crucial to abide by ethical codes. Generalizing the sample size to

male and female removes biases and ensures a broad data collection. Moreover, clarifying

service timeframe of volunteer participants to ensure the justification of commitment to the

charitable organization.

Alignment Analysis

While the primary focus of general psychology is on human thought and behavior

organizational psychologists also offer employee coaching and counseling, general psychologists

treat a wide range of psychological diseases, and mental illnesses. This study aligns with the

NAME THE DEGREE HERE degree by exploring what volunteers need from charitable

organizations to remain motivated, satisfied, and aligned with the purpose of religious nonprofit

organizations. In studying this branch of science that examines how people think, feel, and act,

general psychology is the field of study to take into consideration (Osbeck, 2020). Students

majoring in general psychology seek to examine behavior, emotions, cognitive processes, and the

variables that affect them from a range of angles.

Fit Analysis

When a research project must focus on recognizing the singularity of the human

experience, human thought, and situational context, a qualitative approach is most appropriate.

On the other hand, a qualitative descriptive design acknowledges the subjective nature of an
issue, the variety of participant experiences, and presents the findings in a way that directly

reflects or closely resembles the terminology used in the original research question (Doyle et al.,

2020). When showcasing in-depth viewpoints from participants and other organizations and

categorizing the data into themes, a qualitative approach should be applied.

In this study, volunteer intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are being explored to identify

what nonprofit organizations need to prioritize for volunteer retention. Additionally, qualitative

research examines and provides deeper insights into problems that are present in everyday life

(Nassaji, 2020). In relation to the study, this concept will provide those direct insights from the

volunteers to code and report the data. Moreover, qualitative research highlights personal

experiences and stories that have complex meanings and reasons that cannot be quantified and

reveal the daily experiences, challenges, and successes that people encounter (Taherdoost, 2022).

This aspect is crucial for this study because coding the highlights of personal experiences can be

complex and need to be translated appropriately to the reader.

The participants of this study will include 10-12 religious nonprofit organizations with a

representative from volunteers. By examining what volunteers require from nonprofits to be

motivated, content, and in line with the goals of religious nonprofit organizations, this study

contributes to the WHAT DEGREE degree. Different intrinsic and extrinsic variables SUCH

AS… that keep volunteers engaged to an organization may encourage volunteers. Religious

nonprofit organizations, on the other hand, need clarity to understand the principles that these

volunteers uphold for them to fulfill their commitments to one nonprofit over another.

An in-depth understanding of the topic being examined will be facilitated by this study's

qualitative descriptive approach, which will reflect the who, what, where, and why of

experiences or circumstances. Qualitative descriptive design acknowledges the subjective nature

of the issue, the variety of participant experiences, and will present the findings in a way that

directly reflects or closely resembles the terminology used in the original research question

(Doyle et al., 2020). Pertaining to this study, this concept will allow participants to deeply reflect

on their personal experiences and speak to them in a descriptive manner. Moreover, this method

is appropriate to give the reader reflective explanations of how they attended to method and

approach, qualitative descriptions need to focus attentively on rigor and trustworthiness

throughout the investigation (Turale, 2020). Transparency and trust are key throughout the

process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting qualitative data. Ensuring confidentiality will

allow the participants to provide honest feedback that will enhance the study.

Since this study is focused on the rich descriptive experiences of the participants, a

qualitative descriptive study is the best fit methodology. Thus, interviews and observations will

be employed for this study. This study will be conducted with virtual and in-person interviews

and/or focus groups organized. Authorization is needed for obtaining information for this study

from the religious nonprofit organization and the volunteers that serve at the organization.

Conclusion

Nonprofit organizations are more susceptible to behaviors that undermine their mission

and vision. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative descriptive design study is to explore how

volunteers characterize their learning from interpersonal relationships, shared values, and

comprehension to support religious charity organizations. To identify the motivating factors of

these volunteers, a qualitative descriptive study is most appropriate. Although it is more

unbiased, rapid, focused, and acceptable, quantitative research is recommended over qualitative

research. However, when a researcher is unsure of what to expect, qualitative research is a more

adaptable route to explore. The assistance in knowing what volunteers need from an organization
for happiness and retention—which helps the organization and community—is one of the

advantages for the participants. The study's findings will be available to participants so that their

nonprofit organization can use them. Identifying what is and is not working in charitable

organizations, specifically religious organizations, that impact the volunteers is vital. Conducting

interviews or focus groups will be advantageous to explore the results and plans that religious

charitable organizations should consider utilizing for volunteer motivation, satisfactions, and

retention.
 References

Doyle, L., McCabe, C., Keogh, B., Brady, A., & McCann, M. (2020). An overview of the
qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. Journal of research in nursing :
JRN, 25(5), 443–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987119880234

Nassaji, H. (2020). Good qualitative research. Language Teaching Research, 24(4), 427-431.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1362168820941288

Mohajan, H. K. (2020). Quantitative research: A successful investigation in natural and social

sciences. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 9(4), 50-79.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.26458/jedep.v9i4.679

Osbeck, L. M. (2020). General Psychology as Common Ground and Point of View: Enduring
and Evolving Features. Review of General Psychology, 24(1),
6–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019893974

Taherdoost, H. (2022). What are different research approaches? Comprehensive review of

qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research, their applications, types, and
limitations. Journal of Management Science & Engineering Research, 5(1), 53-63.

Turale, S. (2020). A brief introduction to qualitative description: A research design worth

using. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 24(3), 289-291.