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Lesson 4: Qualitative Approach in Language Research

Introduction

Since you are already familiar with the characteristics of quantitative research as well as
with the different quantitative designs, it’s now time to proceed to another approach which is
qualitative approach. As a review, this approach is anchored on the constructivist and
transformative worldviews while quantitative approach is under the positivist worldview. In this
lesson, you will explore further important and relevant information about qualitative research.
Specifically, you will the historical overview of qualitative research as well as its main
characteristics. Various qualitative research designs are also included in this lesson to provide
you with several choices if you wish to pursue a qualitative approach in your future study.

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you must have:
a. discussed the history and characteristics of qualitative research;
b. identified the different qualitative designs in language research;
c. explained the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research and of common
quantitative designs used in language research; and
d. differentiated qualitative approach from quantitative approach

Historical Overview of Qualitative Research

Research that can be considered ‘qualitative’ in retrospect has been around for about a
century in the social sciences
Qualitative – like methods were introduced into sociology at the end of the first decade
of the 20th century.
It was also introduced during the first third of the century when renowned scholars such
as Boas and Malinowski produced seminal studies in anthropology.

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The basic qualitative ideas and principles are not new at all, yet the first text that tried
to define ‘qualitative methodology’ – Glaser and Strauss (1967) The Discovery of
Grounded Theory: Strategies of Qualitative Research – did not appear until the sixties
The middle of 20th century was dominated by quantitative research. However, Glasser
and Strauss’ book offered viable challenge to this hegemony.
These authors (through their book) focused on the systematization of the collection of
data, coding and analysis of qualitative data for the generation of theory. This has
provided qualitative researchers with theoretically based methodology for their research.

Historical Background of Qualitative Research in Applied Linguistics

In applied linguistics, there has been an increasing visibility and acceptance of
qualitative research since the mid1990s
Growing recognition of qualitative research in the field was due to that fact that almost
every aspect of language acquisition and use is determined by or significantly shaped by
social, cultural, and situational factors. Qualitative research is deal for providing insights
into such mentioned factors.
However, Lazarton (2003) highlighted that there have been too few qualitative studies
published in the leading applied linguistics journal (with the possible exception of TESOL
Quarterly)
Although the frequency of published qualitative studies is still relatively low, the impact
of qualitative research in applied linguistics over the past three decades has been profound.
Early case studies of 1870s and 1980s had a groundbreaking effect on our
understanding of SLA and generated many of the prevailing principles and models.
With regard to contemporary research, qualitative studies would focus on topics across
the whole research spectrum, even including core quantitative areas such as language
testing, and several key areas of applied linguistics (i.e., the study of gender, race,
ethnicity, and identity) which are being driven by qualitative research.

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Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Creswell (2016), Hatch (2002), and Marshall and Rossman (2016) present various
characteristics of qualitative research, and these are the following:
a. Natural setting
Qualitative researchers tend to collect data in the field at the site where
participants experience the issue or problem under study. Researchers do not bring
individuals into a lab (a contrived situation), nor do they typically send out
instruments for individuals to complete. This up-close information gathered by
actually talking directly to people and seeing them behave and act within their
context is a major characteristic of qualitative research. In the natural setting, the
researchers have face-to-face interaction, often extending over a prolonged period
of time.
b. Researcher as key instrument
Qualitative researchers collect data themselves through examining documents,
observing behavior, or interviewing participants. They may use a protocol—an
instrument for recording data—but the researchers are the ones who actually gather
the information and interpret it. They do not tend to use or rely on questionnaires or
instruments developed by other researchers.
c. Multiple sources of data
Qualitative researchers typically gather multiple forms of data, such as
interviews, observations, documents, and audiovisual information rather than rely on
a single data source. These are all open-ended forms of data in which the
participants share their ideas freely, not constrained by predetermined scales or
instruments. Then the researchers review all of the data, make sense of it, and
organize it into codes and themes that cut across all of the data sources.
d. Inductive and deductive data analysis
Qualitative researchers typically work inductively, building patterns, categories,
and themes from the bottom up by organizing the data into increasingly more
abstract units of information. This inductive process illustrates working back and
forth between the themes and the database until the researchers have established a
comprehensive set of themes. Then deductively, the researchers look back at their

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data from the themes to determine if more evidence can support each theme or
whether they need to gather additional information. Thus, while the process begins
inductively, deductive thinking also plays an important role as the analysis moves
forward.
e. Participants’ meanings
In the entire qualitative research process, the researchers keep a focus on
learning the meaning that the participants hold about the problem or issue, not the
meaning that the researchers bring to the research or that writers express in the
literature.
f. Emergent design
The research process for qualitative researchers is emergent. This means that
the initial plan for research cannot be tightly prescribed, and some or all phases of
the process may change or shift after the researcher enters the field and begins to
collect data. For example, the questions may change, the forms of data collection
may shift, and the individuals studied and the sites visited may be modified. These
shifts signal that the researchers are delving deeper and deeper into the topic or the
phenomenon under study. The key idea behind qualitative research is to learn about
the problem or issue from participants and to address the research to obtain that
information.
g. Reflexivity
In qualitative research, inquirers reflect about how their role in the study and
their personal background, culture, and experiences hold potential for shaping their
interpretations, such as the themes they advance and the meaning they ascribe to
the data. This aspect of the methods is more than merely advancing biases and
values in the study, but how the background of the researchers actually may shape
the direction of the study.
h. Holistic account
Qualitative researchers try to develop a complex picture of the problem or issue
under study. This involves reporting multiple perspectives, identifying the many
factors involved in a situation, and generally sketching the larger picture that
emerges. This larger picture is not necessarily a linear model of cause and effect but

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rather a model of multiple factors interacting in different ways. This picture

qualitative researchers would say, mirrors real life and the ways that events operate
in the real world. A visual model of many facets of a process or a central
phenomenon aids in establishing this holistic picture (see, for example, Creswell &
Brown, 1992).

Qualitative Research Designs

1. Narrative research is a design of inquiry from the humanities in which the
researcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals
to provide stories about their lives (Riessman, 2008). This information is
then often retold or restoried by the researcher into a narrative chronology.
Often, in the end, the narrative combines views from the participant’s life
with those of the researcher’s life in a collaborative narrative (Clandinin &
Connelly, 2000).

2. Phenomenological research is a design of inquiry coming from philosophy

and psychology in which the researcher describes the lived experiences of
individuals about a phenomenon as described by participants. This
description culminates in the essence of the experiences for several
individuals who have all experienced the phenomenon. This design has
strong philosophical underpinnings and typically involves conducting
interviews (Giorgi, 2009; Moustakas, 1994).

3. Grounded theory is a design of inquiry from sociology in which the

researcher derives a general, abstract theory of a process, action, or
interaction grounded in the views of participants. This process involves
using multiple stages of data collection and the refinement and
interrelationship of categories of information (Charmaz, 2006; Corbin &
Strauss, 2007, 2015).

4. Ethnography is a design of inquiry coming from anthropology and

sociology in which the researcher studies the shared patterns of behaviors,

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language, and actions of an intact cultural group in a natural setting over a

prolonged period of time. Data collection often involves observations and
interviews.
5. Case studies are a design of inquiry found in many fields, especially
evaluation, in which the researcher develops an in-depth analysis of a case,
often a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals. Cases
are bounded by time and activity, and researchers collect detailed
information using a variety of data collection procedures over a sustained
period of time (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009, 2012, 2014).

Common Qualitative Designs in Language Research

Brown and Coombe (2015) claim that although qualitative research is now well –
established in the field of language research, there is still no general agreement on which
approaches should be included under its umbrella. However, there is still general consensus
that ethnography is representative. Ethnography, which depends on extended exposure to the
field collecting data primarily through observation and interviews, has all the characteristics of a
qualitative research.

Other traditions which might be described as essentially qualitative in their orientation and which feature in
research on language learning include autoethnography, linguistic ethnography, conversation analysis, and
narrative inquiry. Action research and case study are also often included in the list, probably because much
research in these traditions has been qualitative. However, they are perfectly amenable to mixed methods
research and there are signs that case study research is moving in this direction (Brown and Coombe, 2015).

Note: Some of these mentioned designs will be discussed in details in Unit 3 (Trends in Language Research and
Applied Linguistics)

Now, you have two tasks to be done. Please go to the assignment section of our Google
classroom to access these activities. Enjoy and happy working!

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Let’s process your understanding

What makes qualitative approach different from quantitative approach? Please fill out the matrix
below. (70 points)

Criteria Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

Purpose

Studied Group

Data Type

Data Form

Types of Data
Analysis
Researcher’s Roles

Results

Express your understanding

In 500 words, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative approach. (You may check
the internet sources or the references provided to help you accomplish this task) – 30 points

References:
Brown, J. & Coombe, C. (2015). The Cambridge guide to research in language teaching and
learning. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Cresswell, J. & Cresswell J.D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches (5th ed.). London, United Kingdonm: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Dornyei, Z. (2011). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford
University Press.

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