Paper Example on Salient Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Introduction

Researchers are often involved in doing qualitative research since they acknowledge the human condition and the need to learn more and acquire diverse thoughts, about a research subject than what is common from the quantitative research methods. The exceptional nature of qualitative research is characterized by a different collection of attributes that influences the design of qualitative research in different ways. In the qualitative research, there is always lack of "truth" It must always be expected that qualitative researchers are always in the business of collecting truth from the study participants. Instead of establishing the "truths" from the studies, the qualitative researchers are often involved in the collection of information where knowledge can be acquired. The paper elaborates the salient characteristics of qualitative research, the methodology and different methods used in establishing the significance of the research.

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Abstracts are an essential part of the qualitative research, here; the researchers are often required to formulate the research questions, the objective of the qualitative research as well as the study design. There should also be a clear statement of research and the relevance of the study. In the Canadian Journal of Education research design, the researchers clearly stated the research questions in the abstract; they also stated the design and the objective of the research. The researcher also states the sampling strategies and the qualitative data analysis processes intended to be used in the entire research. There is a clear exposition of the data analytical processes, the definition of concepts, themes, and categories. From the abstract, there is an evidence of the key concepts to be employed in the research. In most cases, the qualitative research studies ought to have the definition of important concepts in the abstract sections.

Theoretical concepts are often a key element in the qualitative research, in the above study, the authors incorporate the theories in the introductory part, and they relate the concepts to be employed with diverse studies that have been conducted since the 1970s. According to the authors, the practice relationship when it comes to teacher preparation is either "perceived" or "real". The authors elaborate the essential elements when designing the research programs. In renewing or designing teacher preparation or research programs, the authors state that issues such as practice and theoretical aspects and how they relate to each other ought to be expressed in the introduction to ensure clear intention of the research study. In the introduction, it is always necessary for the researcher to give brief overviews of the findings, application of critical thinking, and the current researchers that relates to the topic under the research. In the above article, the authors clearly explain the problems that the study ought to focus on to ensure relevance of the study. They also attempt to link theory with the research to ensure relevance and prior understanding of the essential elements required as well as the things to expect at the end of the study. The introductory part of the research ends with a strong thesis statement by stating that the concept of adopting theory first and practice later has not been effectual in promoting strong practice-theory connections.

Before the engaging in the research methodology, the authors of the above article illustrate the hypothesis that the researchers sought to test or to answer. From the article, the authors state the hypothesis in form of questions and thereafter, give a theoretical perspective associated with the questions. A hypothesis is always an essential element of every qualitative research; they often attempt to guide the researchers into a relevant conclusion about the objective of the research. Qualitative research studies are uniquely formulated to tackle various research questions or issues that might be impossible or difficult to investigate under specific designs. They are thus used to gain meaningful information by the formulating the hypothesis meant to guide the forms or methodology to be employed in the data collection and analysis processes. Although the research questions are clearly stated in the abstract, they are repeated in the theoretical perspective of the paper to create a link or a relationship between the theory and the research hypothesis. On the other hand, the incorporation of the research questions in the theoretical perspective also serves to make the methodology relevant in accordance with the anticipated findings.

From the research study, the researchers or the authors state different methodologies to be used in the whole process of collecting data to process relevant information. In the qualitative research, the researchers often formulate methodologies to give maximum precision and confidence. From the above article, the authors state clearly the groups of participants that are expected to take part in the research. The authors also define the characteristics of the participants that make them qualified to take part in the study.

In the above research, the authors used case study methodology. There is an in-depth analysis of the initial teacher education as well as the practice relationship. Additionally, the research is based on the real world practices that enabled authors to find first-hand information to be used in proving a different hypothesis or answering the research questions raised in the abstract and in the literature section. The case study methodology is often used in social sciences, education, laws, business and different other forms of studies. The above article or research concentrated on the field of education and therefore case study methodology was appropriate. The use of case study methodology often makes the qualitative research easy since it involves a deep and clear understanding of diverse sources of data as well as methods of statistical analysis that is appropriate for a given study.

In addition to the case study methodology, the authors might have used ethnographic research methodology which is also another in-depth observational criterion that identifies and studies people or study participants in their natural environment. The ethnographic methodology often requires the researchers to create a relationship with the target population or study participants with similar interest to the research questions (Lewis, 2015). The authors clearly followed the methods stated in the methodology and research topic; the collection of data, for instance, was done in accordance the procedures stated in the methodology (Lewis, 2015). There are interviews, use of questionnaires, as well as in-depth document analysis to obtain data. Data collection was also done from the intended areas; the education sector including different university faculties and the department became suitable places for getting relevant data to be used in the study above.

Conclusion

Research methods are important aspects of each study. They enable the researchers to plan on the appropriate or relevant methods that can be followed when proving the hypothesis or answering the research questions. The methodology used for a given research always depends on the type's research questions or hypothesis to be proven. In the above research study, I would suggest that the writer should focus more on the methodology and different analysis criterions as compared to theoretical approaches. The theory-practice relationship in the initial teacher education study facilitates the adoption of excellent teaching methods that would ensure the provision of relevant skills to learners in different fields.

Reference

Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), 473-475.