DESİGNİNG QUALİTATİVE RESEARCHAssoc. Prof. Dr. Şehnaz Şahinkarakaş

A qualitative study reflects the researcher’s goal of discovering what is important to know

It has a focus which is broad and open-ended at the beginning and it allows for important meanings to be discovered.

There may be 8 characteristics of qualitative research:

1. AN EXPLORATORY AND DESCRİPTİVE FOCUS

Qualitative research develops a general ‘focus of inquiry’

Interested in investigating and responding to exploratory and descriptive questions: What is young children’s conception of ‘mind’? How do people who work in this place think the

physical environment could be improved? In what ways do teachers in this city build informal

social network?

The outcome of such studies is not to generalize but to get a deeper understanding of experience from others’ perspectives.

2. EMERGENT DESİGN

In non-emergent design, we collect the data according to the focus and then analyze (qualitative and quantitative)

In emergent design, in the early phases of data collection, new questions can be pursued.

Thus, we can broaden or narrow the focus during the study.

3. A PURPOSİVE SAMPLE

Carefully selected participants, who represent the group of people for the focus of inquiry

E.g. If you want to understand how young learners in rural areas use technology, you would include people who have access to technology in rural areas

As your study proceeds, you may need to include some other people to fully understand your inquiry.

4. DATA COLLECTİON İN NATURAL SETTİNG

People’s experience in context Personal meaning is tied to context

E.g. To understand how teachers give feedback, you would need to go to the classrooms.

5. EMPHASİS ON ‘HUMAN-AS-İNSTRUMENT’

Qualitative researchers’ mutual responsibility:

i) Collecting relevant data

ii) Collecting the meaning from that data (in the form of people’s words and actions).

6. QUALİTATİVE METHODS OF DATA COLLECTİON

Generally data is people’s words and actions

Some techniques: Participant observation Interviews Collection of relevant documents

How to collect: Observation schemes Field-notes Audio/video tapes (transcribed later).

7. EARLY AND ONGOİNG İNDUCTİVE DATA ANALYSİS

Two main characteristics:

Ongoing research activity Inductive: What is important is not

predetermined by the researchers

8. A CASE STUDY APPROACH TO REPORTİNG OUTCOMES

Results are presented in a rich narrative way.

Description should provide the reader with enough information to determine whether the findings of the study apply to other people or settings.