Qualitative Research and Its Importance in Daily Life

Your choice of conducting a qualitative research study depends on your interest, on the issues and concerns
need to be addressed in the community, and on your curiosity as an individual.

Kinds of Qualitative Research

PHENOMENOLOGY
It Is the study of how people give meaning to their experiences, like the death of loved ones, care for the
people, and friendliness of the people. It is understanding of how a

ETHNOGRAPHY
Particular cultural group goes about their daily lives which include their organizational set-up, internal
operations, and lifestyle. This occurs when a researcher discovers a new

GROUNDED THEORY
Theory based on the data collected. It is a research methodology for discovering theory in a substantive area

CASE STUDY
This study involves an investigation of a person, group, organization, or situation for a long period al time to
explain why such things occur to the subject under study. Some examples of this type of study are the fields of
social care, nursing, psychology, rehabilitation centers, education, etc.

CONTENT AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

This method requires the examination or analysis of the substance or content of the communication that takes
place through letters, books, journals, photos, video recordings, short messaga services, online messages,
entails, audio-visual materials, etc.

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS
This is the study of, primary documents to explain the connection of past events to the present time. Explain
the connection of past events to the present time. An example of this is explaining the happenings during the
Marcos regime.

CHARACTERISTICS AND USES OF QUALIT&TIVE RESEARCH

Qualitative research takes place in a natural setting like home, school, institution, or community. Researchers
gain actual experiences of the research participants.
 It focuses on participants' perceptions and experiences (Franenkel and Wallen, 1988 in Creswell,
2013)
 Researchers are sensitive to participants' needs and participants are actively engaged in the process.
Data are collected through observation, interviews, documents, e-mails, blogs, videos. etc.
 It may result in changes in research questions after new discoveries occur.
 It develops from a specific to a general understanding of concepts.
 It is a process of describing a situation, analyzing data for themes or categories, and making
interpretations or drawing conclusions.
 It may be subjected to the researcher's personal interpretation.
 The researchers, as a primary instrument in data collection, view social phenomena and situations
holistically.

Strengths of Qualitative Research

1. Issues can be analyzed through detailed and deep examination.

2. Interviews are not being delimited to specific questions and can be guided/redirected by the researcher
along the process.
3. The research framework and direction can be easily revised as new information emerges.
4. The obtained data from human experience is powerful and sometimes more interesting than
quantitative data.
 5. Data usually are collected from a few cases or individuals so findings cannot be generalized to a larger
population. Findings can however be transferable to another setting.

Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

1. Research quality is heavily dependent on the researcher's skills and may be influenced by the
researcher's outlooks.
2. The volume of data makes analysis and interpretation time-consuming.
3. It is sometimes hard to prove.

4. 4.The researcher's presence during data gathering, which is often unavoidable in qualitative research,
can affect the subjects" attitudes towards the process.
5. Issues of anonymity and confidentiality can bring/result in problems when presenting findings.
6. Findings can be more difficult and take time to visualize.

GUIDELINES IN CHOOSING A TOPIC

1. Interest in the subject matter. You are interested about the topic because you have experienced it.
2. Availability of information. It is important that when you decide on a topic, sources of information are
available.
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic. The topic you have chosen can be of significance to the
community.
4. Limitations on the subject. Sometimes, topic is limited to what the teacher suggests. An example of this
is when the teacher asks the entire class to focus on COVID-19 pandemic, then you have no freedom
to explore other topics aside from what is given.
5. Personal resources. Consider also if you can finish the research in terms of your intellectual and
financial physical capabilities.

TOPICS TO BE AVOIDED

1. Controversial topics. Avoid highly opinionated topics

2. Highly technical subjects. Too technical topics require expertise. If you don't have enough knowledge
about it, then look for another one.
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects. Unavailability of reading materials and materials that are not updated
make the subject hard to investigate.
4. Too broad subjects. You lack focus if you deal with broad topics. The remedy is to narrow it down.
5. Too narrow subject. Some subjects are too narrow that extensive and thorough reading is required.
6. Vague subjects. Titles that start with indefinite adjectives such as several, many, some, etc. make the
topic vague.

SOURCES OF RESEARCH TOPICS

1. Mass media communication-television, newspaper, ads, radio, films, etc.

2. Books, internet, journals, government publications
3. Professional periodicals- specialized periodicals in different fields
4. General periodicals- Reader's Digest, Time Magazine, Women's Magazine, etc.
5. Previous readings

Examples of Research Topics and their Sources Possible Area of Research Source

1. Social Problems
Magazines, journals, social media, books, newspapers,
2. Wide Reading/Critical Film Viewing
Varied reading materials- books, joumals, magazines, newspaper, videos and documentaries
3. Social Networking
Social Media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
4. Replication of research
Compilation of research in the library
Lectures, Talks, Seminars
5. Gray Areas about issues, phenomena, etc

Topic

 Cyberbullying and coping mechanisms among senior high school students

 SONA as information campaign of the President's programs and projects
 Functionality of social media among students during the pandemic
 Inadequacies of private schools in the K to 12 implementations
 The 19 vaccines fallacy about COVID-

6. Work experience

HOW TO NARROW DOWN A TOPIC

1. You can narrow down the topic by exploring and extending the explanation of a theory.
2. Talk over ideas with people who know research.
3. Focus on specific group. Ex: Students, Mothers, Teachers
4. Define the aim or desired outcome of the study.
 Is the study exploratory, explanatory, or descriptive?
 Is the study applied or basic?

What is RESEARCH?
 Research is an organized investigation and study of materials and sources to create facts and reach new
inferences.
 Research has come up with developing appropriate solutions to improve the individual's quality of life.
 Although it may take place in a different setting and may use different methods, scientific research is universally
a systematic and objective search for reliable knowledge (Walker, 2010).
 Research is a verified approach of thinking and employing legalized instruments and steps to obtain a more
adequate solution to a problem that is otherwise impossible to address under ordinary means (Crawford, as
cited by Alcantara & Espina, 1995).

 Basic Research
-This is the type of research that is a purely direct application but increasing the nature of understanding about the
problem. It develops the scientific theories to be more understandable to the readers.
 Applied Research
-It is a type of research that needs an answer to a specific question. It provides solutions and validation in order to apply
to the real setting.

CHARACTERISTICS, PROCESSES, AND ETHICS

 Prieto, et.al. (2017) stated that the following are the major characteristics of research:

1. EMPIRICAL - is based on observations and experiments of theories.

2. SYSTEMATIC - follows orderly and sequential procedures, based on valid procedures and principles.
3. CONTROLLED - In research, all variables, except those that are tested/ experimented on are kept constant.
4. EMPLOYS HYPOTHESIS - refers to a search for facts, answers to questions and solutions to problems.
5. ANALYTICAL - shows analytical procedures in gathering the data, whether historical, descriptive, and or case study.
6. OBJECTIVE - it is unbiased and logical. All findings are logically based on real-life situations.
7. ORIGINAL WORK - it requires its own examination and produces the data needed to complete the study.

|Processes|

1. DEFINE RESEARCH PROBLEM: What is the problem?

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE: What evidence is already presented?
3. FORMULATING HYPOTHESIS: How are we going to find/look for the answer to questions being studied?
4. RESEARCH DESIGN: Where will the study be shown and with what population?
5. COLLECTING DATA: Are we ready to gather the data? Where do we find the data?
6. ANALYZING DATA: How do the data answer the research queries?
7. INTERPRET AND REPORT: What are the implications of the results?

|Ethical|

According to Resnik, 2007, ethical norms are significant in conducting research studies as explained in the
following:
 First, ethics promotes the pursuit of knowledge, truth, and credibility. It also fosters values that are essential to
collaborative work.
 Second, ethical norms help individuals to be accountable in every act that the researcher/s undertake.
 Third, ensure that researchers are held accountable to the public.
 Lastly, an ethical norm in research also needs public awareness. This can be evaluated by the researcher before
conducting the study because this may help a certain population in an area once the study is completed.

Given the importance of ethics in the conduct of research, you will follow codes and policies for research:

 Honesty. Maintain all communication. Data should not be faked.

 Objectivity. Avoid biases in experimental designs, data analysis, interpretation, expert testimony, and other
aspects of research.
 Integrity. Keep your promises and agreements.
 Respect Colleagues. Treat all peers fairly.
 Social Responsibility. Strive to promote social good. Avoid social harm.
 Non- Discrimination. avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the basis of sex, races, ethnicity, and
or others.
 Legality. Be informed and obey relevant laws and institutional governmental policies.
 Respect of Intellectual Property. Give proper acknowledgment or credits to all researchers.
 Human Subject. Minimize risks that involve human lives, dignity, and privacy.

QUALITATIVE VS. QUANTITATIVE

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
 is a positivist scientific method which refers to a general set of orderly discipline procedures to acquire
information (Beck, 2004).
 Mostly, it is concerned with numbers and measurement.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 is defined as the"naturalistic method of research which deals with the concern of human difficulty by discovering
it straightly." (Beck, 2004)
 It is concerned with the experiences, understanding and words of the individual