Practical Research 1: U-Site Brgy. Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City
Practical Research 1: U-Site Brgy. Kaligayahan, Novaliches, Quezon City
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
MODULE 2
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO DAILY LIFE
OBJECTIVES: At the end of the module the students should be able to:
PREPARED BY:
ZOILA D. ESPIRITU, L.P.T., M.A.Ed.
STEPHANIE P. MONTERO
Characteristics of Qualitative
4. Qualitative data – The qualitative researchers collect data which are usually
obtained from observations and interviews.
5. Personal experience and engagement – Understanding personal experience
and existence of a phenomenon investigated in a qualitative study is usually done
by direct observation and in-depth interviews.
6. Emphatic neutrality and mindfulness – Being neutral and responsible in
handling the entire qualitative research investigation is a requirement for an
effective interpretivist.
7. Dynamic systems – Mindfulness to situations and system dynamics is one of the
main characteristics of a qualitative researcher.
Analysis Strategies
In his 1985 work Mirror for Man: The Relation of Anthropology to Modern Life, anthropologist Clyde
Kluckhohn offers the following definitions of culture.
One of the main tasks of an ethnographer is to learn to discern the unusual in the usual.
Experienced ethnographers realize that what seems mundane and ordinary to them many look
strange and unusual to others. According to ethnographers Bonnie Sunstein and Elizabeth
Chiseri- Strater, “when someone says “that’s really weird” or “aren’t they strange”, a
fieldworker hears these comments as signals for investigation.”(2001,6).
It is important for every researcher to learn to ask the kinds of research questions that
will help him or her succeed in the research project. Ethnographic research is no exception.
Ethnographic research questions must be such that will enable you to not only observe the
culture you are studying, but also to discern and understand the patterns of behavior and
function in that culture. In other words, it is not sufficient for an ethnographer to record what he
or she sees. In addition, ethnographic researcher must construct the research questions which
would allow him or her to explain or interpret the culture he or she is studying.
A barber shop
A small beach community which used to be a fishing village and is now a vacation spot
A practice facility of a college football team
Backstage of an opera company
A tanning salon
A homeless shelter
A school
There is great variety in this list. The guiding principle in choosing an ethnographic research site, and
thus the topic for your paper is whether the site and the people who inhabit her can be called a
culture. The question is, of course, how do we know whether a place or a community could be called
a culture. To answer it, we can apply one or several definitions of culture.
In other words, a phenomenological research study tries to answer the question 'What is it like
to experience such and such?'.By looking at multiple perspectives of the same situation, a
researcher can start to make some generalizations of what something is like as an experience
from the 'insider's' perspective.
Methodology
Bracketing
Intuiting
Analyzing
Describing
Sampling
Small samples (probably no more than 10 participants) are most suitable for this type of research.
The data collection tools that are most often used are:
Interviews/speech
Diaries/written
Drawings/non-verbal
Observation/visual
Practical Research 1 – Qualitative Research
Conclusion
3. Case Study
Basically, a case study is an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping
statistical survey. It is a method used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily
researchable topic.
Whilst it will not answer a question completely, it will give some indications and allow further
elaboration and hypothesis creation on a subject.
The case study research design is also useful for testing whether scientific theories and
models actually work in the real world. You may come out with a great computer model for describing
how the ecosystem of a rock pool works but it is only by trying it out on a real life pool that you can
see if it is a realistic simulation.
The advantage of the case study research design is that you can focus on specific and
interesting cases. This may be an attempt to test a theory with a typical case or it can be a specific
topic that is of interest. Research should be thorough and note taking should be meticulous and
systematic.
The first foundation of the case study is the subject and relevance. In a case study, you are
deliberately trying to isolate a small study group, one individual case or one particular population.
For example, statistical analysis may have shown that birthrates in African countries are
increasing. A case study on one or two specific countries becomes a powerful and focused tool for
determining the social and economic pressures driving this.
In the design of a case study, it is important to plan and design how you are going to address
the study and make sure that all collected data is relevant. Unlike a scientific report, there is no strict
set of rules so the most important part is making sure that the study is focused and concise;
otherwise you will end up having to wade through a lot of irrelevant information.
It is best if you make yourself a short list of 4 or 5 bullet points that you are going to try and
address during the study. If you make sure that all research refers back to these then you will not be
far wrong.
With a case study, even more than a questionnaire or survey, it is important to be passive in
your research. You are much more of an observer than an experimenter and you must remember
Practical Research 1 – Qualitative Research
that,
The other main thing to remember during case studies is their flexibility. Whilst a pure scientist
is trying to prove or disprove a hypothesis, a case study might introduce new and unexpected
results during its course, and lead to research taking new directions.
The argument between case study and statistical method also appears to be one of scale.
Whilst many 'physical' scientists avoid case studies, for psychology, anthropology and ecology they
are an essential tool. It is important to ensure that you realize that a case study cannot be generalized
to fit a whole population or ecosystem.
Finally, one peripheral point is that, when informing others of your results, case studies
make more interesting topics than purely statistical surveys, something that has been realized by
teachers and magazine editors for many years. The general public has little interest in pages of
statistical calculations but some well -placed case studies can have a strong impact.
4. Grounded Theory – It is a newcomer to the field. In the book, “The Discovery of Grounded
Theory”, written by Glaser and Strauss (1967), they suggested that theory emanated from the
data, rather from the more typical view that data are used to test a particular theory. This way
of thinking is called inductive reasoning. Grounded theory looks at a particular situation and
tries to understand what is going on. As with other qualitative approaches, data are gathered
typically through observation and interviews. The research jots down the key issues as data
collection proceeds.
Some researchers are attracted to grounded theory because the research being
conducted can be taken beyond a particular data set and applied to theoretical issues. Its
methodology is closer to the scientific rigor of quantitative methods. Grounded theory looks at
a particular situation and tries to understand what is going on (Glaser, 1967). His view includes
the constant – comparative method. This data analysis technique involves comparing data
from one interview (or observation) with data from another interview (or observation). He
suggests that a theory quickly emerges.
2. Phenomenology 1
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3. Case Study 1
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4. Grounded Theory 1
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5. Biographical 1
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Bibliography:
Amorando R.V & Talili I.N (2017) Qualitative Research A Practical Approach. Mutya Store Publications:
Matira M.D & Revuelto R.M (2016) Practical Research for the 21st Century Learners. St. Augustine
Publications, Inc:
Serrano A, O.C. (2016) Practical Research 1 on Qualitative Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing
Inc.: