QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Credits To The Owner:

Dr. Abigail M. Cabaguing

Samar State University

.pdf to .pptx converted file for educational purposes only

 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Vision and
Dr.Core Values
Abigail M.
We innovate. We build. We serve.
Cabaguing Samar
State University
DEFINITION OF QLR

It is a research that focuses on

“ how people interpret their
experiences, how they
construct their worlds, and
what meaning they attribute
to their experiences”

(Merriam, 2009, p.5)

DEFINITION OF QLR

Qualitative research is a situated

activity that locates the
observer in the world…
qualitative researchers study
things in their natural settings,
attempting to make sense of, or
interpret, phenomena in terms
of the
meanings people bring to them.”

(Denzin & Lincoln, 2011)

DEFINITION OF QLR

It is “an umbrella term covering

an array of interpretive
techniques which seek to
describe, translate, and
otherwise come to terms with
the meaning, not the frequency,
of certain more or less naturally
occurring phenomena in the
social world”

(Van Manen, as cited in Merriam,

2009)
DEFINITION OF QLR

QLR is a “way of knowing in

which a researcher gathers,
organizes, and interprets
information obtained from
humans using his or her eyes
and ears and filters”

(Lichtman, 2013, p.4)

 Where does QLR Come From and
Where is it?
From: Sociology and Anthropology
Focus on:
People’s lives
Social and cultural contexts they live in
The way they understand their worlds

Now in: social sciences, education, medicine,

law, business, and others
 Trajectory of QLR
Lincoln and Guba
“studies should be conducted in natural settings rather
than in laboratories”- Naturalistic inquiry

1990s
Journal (1990): Qualitative Report
1992: First Conference of Qualitative Interest Group
The handbook of qualitative research (1994)
The 1990s: Boom of QLR
• Opening up of education research field to societal issues
• Dissatisfaction with education research finding based on
quantitative research studies alone
• Problems with implementation, dissemination & relevance;
disconnect between research & practice
• Teachers’ demand for more involvement in design and
conduct of research
• Publishers were open more to alternative research.
QUALITATIVE
Method Focus
RESEARCH DESIGNS
Sample Size Data Collection

Phenomenological Human Experience 5 to 25 Interviews

Research
Narrative Inquiry Life Stories 1-5 Interviews, Document
Analysis
Historical Research Past Events varies Document Analysis,
Interviews
Grounded Theory Processes 20 to 60 Interviews,
Observations
Case Study In-depth analysis of varies Interviews,
Units documents, reports,
observations

Ethnographic Cultural Patterns varies Observation and

Research Interviews
Action Research Processes 10-30 Interviews,
Observations, FGD’s
 IMPORTANCE OF
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
1.QLR “ strategies offer opportunities to examine issues
in depth that may yield a clearer understanding of what is
happening in certain circumstances and how changes can
be made to meet the needs.”
2.QLR helps “gain insights that statistics and numbers
might not yield.”
3. QLR helps research complex issues.
Litchman (2013,p.xv)
 IMPORTANCE OF
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
4.Rapid social change and the resulting diversification of
life worlds are increasingly confronting social researchers
with new social contexts and perspectives.

5.Quantitative research is unable to address effectively

the current social change issues. (Flick, 2006, p.12)
 IMPORTANCE OF
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
6. “The biggest advantage [of QLR] is the ability to probe
into responses or observations as needed and obtain
more detailed descriptions and explanations of
experiences, behaviors, and beliefs” (Guest, Namey, and
Mitchell 2013,p.21)
 Trustworthiness in QLR

“Demonstration that the evidence for

the results reported is sound and
when the argument made based on
the results is strong.” (LaBanca,2010)
 Building Trustworthiness
(Lincoln and Guba, 1985)
1. Maintaining field journals
2. Mounting safeguards (researchers bias)
3. Team interactions
4. Triangulation
5. Adequacy of referential materials
6. Debriefing
7. Audit Trail
Measures of Trustworthiness in QLR
1. Credibility
2. Consistency/Dependability
3. Transferability
4. Confirmability
Credibility (Internal Validity)
The study measures or tests what is actually intended.
The findings are congruent with reality.

What to do:
• Adopt research methods well established in QLR
• Prolonged Engagement
• Triangulation
• Ensure honesty in informants
• Peer scrutiny of the research project
• Member checking
 Transferability
(Generalizability)
Extent to which the findings of one study can be applied to other
situations.

What to do:
1. Provide sufficient contextual information about the fieldwork.
2. Give thick description of the phenomenon.
3. Disclose the following:
-criteria in the selection of the participants
-number of researchers
-data collection method
-number and length of the data collection sessions
-time period of data collection
Dependability/Consistency (Reliability)
If the study were repeated, in the same context, with the
same methods and with the same participants, will similar
results be obtained?

What to do:
1.Detailed description of the research design and its
implementation. Use of overlapping methods. Describe
what was planned and executed on a strategic level.
2. Detailed description of data gathering.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the process of inquiry
undertaken.
 Confirmability (Objectivity)
Ensuring that the findings are the result of the
experiences and ideas of the informants rather
than the characteristics and preferences of the
researcher/s.

What to do:
-Triangulation
-Reflexivity or Researchers positioning
-Recognition of shortcomings in study’s
method
-Detailed description of methodology
-Audit trail
We innovate. We build. We serve.