Qualitative Research … The story unfolds Dr. Kaustuv Bhattacharyya David Hare Training College, Kolkata Discussion : 1 > [ Dated – 16/04/2016 ]

Qualitative research is a set of approaches that use narrative, nonnumerical data. The general purpose of qualitative research is to investigate the quality of a particular topic or activity. It involves the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, largely narrative and visual in nature, to gain insights into a particular phenomenon of interest. The focus of qualitative research tends to be on the quality of a particular activity, rather than on how often it occurs or how it might be evaluated, which is typically the focus of quantitative research. Since the focus of qualitative research is on the quality of a specific phenomenon, there is a greater emphasis on holistic description i.e., on providing descriptions in thick, rich detail of the phenomenon, setting or topic of interest. Therefore, qualitative research does not incorporate the use of numerical data. It involves the collection and analysis of nonnumerical data - such as observational notes, interview transcripts, transcripts of video and audio recordings, as well as existing documents and records. It is important to remember that both qualitative and quantitative research methods are valuable in their own rights. One is not inherently superior or inferior to the other. Both approaches to research are “scientific” in particular ways and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Since they each contribute important research findings that help us better understand educational phenomena - most educational researchers would agree that educational problems are best investigated using whatever method or methods are most appropriate for the research situation. Characteristics of a Qualitative Research Five essential features or characteristics of qualitative research can be identified . It is to be remembered here that not all approaches to qualitative research display these characteristics to an equal extent but they all exhibit them to some degree. Four out of these five characteristics may be discussed as follows (as only these four characteristics were discussed today in the class!  ) : 1. Qualitative research is naturalistic. One of the most distinguishing features of qualitative research is that it occurs in a natural setting. Researchers go directly to the particular setting of interest to collect their data. The reason behind this is that they are interested in observing the phenomenon of intereset in a specific context as it naturally occurs, as opposed to observing it in a more “artificial” setting. In other words, in qualitative research, the setting itself serves as a direct source of data. 2. Qualitative research is descriptive. In a qualitative research, the data, as well as the results of analyses of those data, take the form of words or pictures rather than numbers. The intent is to provide rich descriptions of the phenomenon of interest, which could not be accomplished by reducing pages of narration into numerical summaries. Qualitative researchers tend not to ignore any detail that might shed light on a particular topic; nothing in the natural setting is taken for granted. 3. Qualitative researchers are concerned with process as well as product. Qualitative researchers are concerned not only with the outcomes or products of a situation but also with the processes leading to the situation. 4. Qualitative researchers analyze their data inductively. [Guys, note this point very carefully !  ] Qualitative researchers do not formulate a hypothesis at the very beginning and then collect data in an effort either to prove or disprove it. In a qualitative research, the ultimate findings of a study and the directions traveled to arrive at them can occur after some time has been spent collecting and analyzing the data. Data are collected and then synthesized to produce generalizations—a process referred to as inductive reasoning. This process is important in qualitative research because the researcher wants to be open to new information at any phase of a qualitative research. [N.B.: This document is intended for the M.Ed. students of the DHTC only. Unauthorised copying is strongly discouraged. ]