Essay Sample on Standards of Qualitative Research

Introduction

Qualitative research can be defined as a scientific method used to be researchers to gather non-numerical data through observations. It is a research that refers to the description of things, meanings, symbols, concepts definitions, metaphors as well as characteristics and not their measures or counts. Qualitative research tries to answer how and when a particular phenomenon occurred or occurs. Approaches of qualitative research are employed across most academic disciplines which specifically focus on human elements of natural and social sciences. In the field study, the criteria for qualitative research includes the research methods and concepts from many established academic fields (Flick, 2018). The aim of such research varies according to the disciplinary background, for example, psychologists looking for in-depth knowledge and understanding of human behavior as well as the reasons which govern such behavior. This paper tries to explain the standards of qualitative research.

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Qualitative research is mainly exploratory research that is used in efforts to understand the underlying motivations, reasons as well as opinions. It helps is the development of ideas or in the provision of insights within the problem or construction of a hypothesis for potential qualitative research. This research helps in the uncovering of trends in thoughts as well as opinions also diving more in-depth in the problem. The data collection methods in qualitative research vary using semi-structured or unstructured techniques, and some of the conventional methods employed in qualitative research may include individual interviews, focus group discussions, as well as observations or participation.

Different aims of evaluation are addressed through emancipation, participation, reform, enlightenment as well as the generation of information to facilitate decision making. Assessment utilizes qualitative research methods in an aim to produce or provide defensive knowledge claims (Sandelowski, 2015). Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research uses various approaches or assumptions such as emphasizing on seeing the world from the participant's eyes meaning that it allows the study to physically be where he/she is conducting the research and uses his/her own eyes to collect data. Qualitative researchers try their best to understand a phenomenon based on the meanings that they get from the people. They conduct the research on people's, cultures or groups from their natural setting. Those being studied are never subjects to the study but are viewed as informants or participants. The researcher seeks to understand the culture of the people and hence requires to learn from the participants themselves through involvement and ongoing discussions with them.

During qualitative research, the researchers immerse themselves in data in an attempt to bring meaning and order to the whole narrative; this helps the researchers get to understand what the entire data means or says. Data collection in qualitative research takes place in a cyclical process indicating that it occurs as data analysis is taking place. Data analysis usually begins immediately when data collection begins. The cyclical process involves analyzing, reading, synthesizing, rereading, reporting as well as intuiting data (Thorne, 2016). A qualitative researcher requires much time to complete the whole process as he/she has to ensure that he/she collects data until reaching to the saturation or to an extent where no more data can be collected.

In data analysis, the data collected generally from the conducted interviews are usually given back to the participants to ensure clarity and elaboration. It also involves looking for the meaning of data as it is in the collection processor as it is being gathered, the data that is found to be similar are grouped in preliminary category a process known as content analysis. The researcher collects information until he/she gets to the point of saturation or a position whereby the descriptions by the participants starts being repetitive as the previously received data. This is usually an indication of completion of the analysis process, and hence the data collection process is terminated.

Qualitative research is evaluated based on the standards of quality which can be tested by the use of Lincoln and Guba's tests of quality which include credibility, confirmability, dependability, as well as transferability (Leung, 2015). Credibility also means accuracy, and therefore, information or data collected during qualitative research has to be plausible as well as recognized by the informants or participants as true and accurate. The credibility of qualitative research is enhanced by prolonging the time used in the field to interact and observe the participants repeatedly. Credibility is also enhanced by using various data types, data sources, as well as methods and conducting member checks. The data has to be accurate to ensure that the researcher achieves research objectives and can involve other investigators to help in the study.

Dependability in qualitative research is the trackability and stability of variations in data over conditions as well as time. Dependability helps in the determination of the extent through which another different researcher who has similar training and relationship with the informants may provide the same observations. Dependability is determined through an audit trail which involves assessing the methods of data analysis, auditing the research process as well as documentation of all the generated raw data. Transferability is the generalizability of the qualitative research findings to other contexts, settings as well as populations. The reason for the transferability of research findings is to enable other researchers and readers to access the information. Whenever the qualitative methods lack transferability, then this is seen as a weakness in these methods. The findings or results of qualitative research should be able to guide other scholars in the same field as the scholar is (Thomas, 2017).

Confirmability, on the other hand, refers to the objectiveness of the data from qualitative research. Another researcher should be able to agree with the meanings that emerge from the data provided after the qualitative study is conducted. An audit trail is utilized where the researcher is given an opportunity to explain how personal biases might have come into play during the data analysis process. The quality of qualitative research depends on the positionality, sharing of privileges, diverse inquiry communities, reciprocity, community, critical subjectivity as well as a voice in a qualitative research process. Qualitative research is essential as it is usually focused on the whole experience of humans as well as the meanings given to these experiences by the participants. It provides the researcher with a deep insight which is not possible while using the quantitative methods also qualitative research produces valid data which is mostly accurate.

Conclusion

The actual reality of the participants is usually reflected during qualitative data collection. Qualitative research has a limitation in its generalization and lack of objectivity which occurs when researchers get dissolved in the participants that they study and they become tools of analysis. A researcher may decide to use the mixed method research design whereby he/she may analyze, collect as well as mix both the qualitative and quantitative data in the same study to understand a research problem but it is usually used when the two data types are used to distinguish an issue clearly.

References

Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research. Sage Publications Limited.

Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 4(3), 324. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/Pmc4535087/

Sandelowski, M. (2015). A matter of taste: evaluating the quality of qualitative research. Nursing inquiry, 22(2), 86-94. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nin.12080

Thorne, S. (2016). Interpretive description: Qualitative research for applied practice. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781134820498

Thomas, D. R. (2017). Feedback from research participants: are member checks useful in qualitative research? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 14(1), 23-41. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14780887.2016.1219435