Methodology: A. Advantages of Qualitative Data Analysis

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METHODOLOGY

1. RESEARCH DESIGN

The study has used a qualitative approach administered through free form survey sent

online through a Google form to the homogenous student community of SSLA.

Qualitative data provides a rich, detailed picture to be built up about why people act in

certain ways, and their feelings about these actions. However, it is also pertinent to be

aware of the advantages and disadvantages of qualitative data analysis as this may

influence choice of data collection.

a. Advantages of qualitative data analysis:

 Provides depth and detail: It looks deeper than assessing ranks by recording

attitudes, feelings and behaviours

 Creates openness: It encourages people to expand on their responses so that

they can open up new topic areas that are not initially considered like the

authors topic suggests.

 Simulates people's individual experiences: A detailed picture can be

constructed about why people act in certain ways and the why is that

particular behaviour

 Attempts to avoid pre-judgements: If used alongside quantitative data

collection, it can explain why a particular response was given in a particular

direction.
b. Disadvantages of qualitative data analysis:

 Usually fewer people studied: Collection of qualitative data consumes more

time and therefore unless time, staff and budget allows the methodology, it is

generally important to include a smaller data or sample sizes

 Less easy to generalise: Due to involvement of fewer people in general those

are studied, it is not possible to generalise results to that of the population.

 Difficult to make systematic comparisons:  People give a varied of

responses and their response is highly subjective in nature making it difficult

to compare

Simultaneously, free form survey has its own advantage and disadvantages

a. Advantages of free form survey

 It allows infinite number of answers possible: That means your survey

respondents can tell you anything they feel is relevant and anything they want

you to know. 

 Collect more detail: Open ended question give the respondents freedom to

write more about their point of view hence giving out more what they think

and adding to the data collection.

b. Disadvantages of free form survey:

 Differences in understanding and interpretation: Their might be

differences in understanding and interpretation: The disadvantage with not


presenting questions to respondents face-to-face is that each may have

different interpretations to questions.

 Unconscientious responses: Every author hopes that the respondent give

response with all their conscience, but there’s no way to know if the

respondent has really understood the question or read it thoroughly before

answering.

2. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The author made free form survey questions which were circulated onine through a

platform of Google form to make it convenient to the homogenous student community

of SSLA as they were the targeted population for the survey. Out of the 400 people to

whom the Google form were sent out, 102 responded. Hence, subsequently the

sample size was 102. The author have employed the method of Purposive sampling

also known as judgmental, selective, or subjective sampling, which is a form of non-

probability sampling in which researchers or authors rely on their own judgment when

choosing members of the population to participate in their study. In this scenario the

author chose the SSLA community for its data sampling.

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD OF ANALYSIS

The author has used discourse analysis as a research method. This type of research

method is used for studying written or spoken language in a social aspect. It aims to

understand how language is used by people in their daily verbal communication.

While choosing this method of analysis, emphasis is given on varied purposes and

effects of different languages, secondly on the rules and conventions used in

language, thirdly to understand how values and beliefs are communicated through
language, lastly to grasp how there exists a social, political and historical context to

language.

Discourse Analysis also differs drastically when compared to other linguistic

approaches as it not only focuses on rule of language but also pay emphasis on

contextual meaning of language. Instead of just reading the smaller aspect of language

such as sound, words and phrases it gives importance to the larger aspect such as

entire conversation, texts or collection of texts

Discourse Analysis is one of the main qualitative research methods used to analyse

texts, and involves looking at language in its context, the idea being that particular

communities, be they social, disciplinary or organizational, give language a distinct

meaning to describe their experiences in many humanities and social science

disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, anthropology, psychology and cultural

studies.

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