DESCRIBES

CHARACTERISTICS,
STRENGHTS,
WEAKNESSES, AND KIND
OF QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
 CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH

KANIA(2008)PRESENTS THE FOLLOWING

KEY DISTINGUISHING CHARACTEISTICS
OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:
1. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IS
CONDUCTED IN A SYSTEMATIC AND
RIGOROUS WAY. HOWEVER,IT IS MORE
FLEXIBLE THAN QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH.
2.IT IS USUALLY FOLLOWS AN ITERATIVE
PROCESS,WHICH MEANS THAT DATA
COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OCCUR
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
3. IT FOCUSES ON GATHERING
INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO CAN
PROVIDE THW RICHEST INSIGHTS INTP
THE PHENOMENON OR INTEREST.
4. COLLECTION OF DATA IS CONTINUOUS
UNTIL SATURATION, OR WHEN IT
REACHESTHE POINT WHERE NNOO
NEW INFORMATION IS REVEALED WITH
RESPECT TOMTHE KEY THEMES
EMERGING FROM THE DATA.
5.QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION
EXAMINES EVERYDAY LIFE IN ITS
NATURAL CONTEXT OR IN AN
UNCONTROLLLED NATURALSTIC
SETTING .
 STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

ANDERSON (2010), IN HER ARTICLE “PRESENTING

EVALUATING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH,”LISTS THE
FOLLOWING STRENGTHS OF A QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH:

1. THE STUDY REQUIRES A FEW CASES OR

PARTICIPANTS.DATA COLLECTED ARE BASED ON THE
PARTICIPANTS OWN CATEGORIES OF MEANING.
2.IT IS USEFUL FOR DESCRIBING COMPLEX
PHENOMENA.
3.ISSUES CAN BE EXAMINED IN DETAIL AND IN DEPTH.
4.INTERVIEWS ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS AND CAN BE GUIDED OR REDIRECTED BY
THE RESEARCHER IN REAL TIME.
5. SUBTLETIES AND COMPLEXITIES ABOUT THE
RESEARCH SUBJECTS OR TOPIC OFTEN MISSED
BY MORE POSITIVISTIC INQUIRIES.
6.IT PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL CASE
INFORMATION.
7. CROSS-CASE COMPARISONS AND ANALYSIS
CAN BE CONDUCTED.
8. IT PROVIDES UNDERSTANDING AND
DESCRIPTION OF PEOPLE'S PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES OF PHENOMENA(i.e., the emic or
insider's viewpoint.
9.IT CAN DESCRIBE IN DETAIL THE
PHENOMENA AS THEY ARE SITUATED AND
EMBEDDED IN LOCAL.
10. THE RESEARCHER USUALLY IDENTIFIES
CONTEXTUAL AND SETTING FACTORS AS THEY
RELATE TO THE PHENOMENON OF INTEREST.
11. THE RESEARCHER CAN STUDY DYNAMIC
PROCESS ES(i.e.,documenting sequental patterns
and change.)
12.THE RESEARCHER CN USE THE PRIMARILY
QUALITATIVE METHOD OF GROUNDED THEORY
TO INDUCTIVELY GENERATE A TENTATIVE BUT
EXPLANATORY THEORY ABOUT A
PHENOMENON.
13. IT CAN DETERMINE HOW PARTICIPANTS
INTERPRET CONSTRUCTS(e.g., self-esteem and
IQ).
14. DATA ARE USUALLY COLLECTED IN
NATURALISTIC SETTINGS IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH.
15.QUALITATIVE APPROACHES ARE
ESPECIALLY RESPONSIVE TO LOCAL
SITUATIONS, CONDITIONS, AND
STAKEHOLDER'S NEEDS.
16.QUALITATIVE DATA IN THE WORDS AND
CATEGORIES OGF YHE PARTICIPANTS
LEND THEMSELVES TO EXPLORING HOW
AND WHY PARTICULAR PHENOMENA
OCCUR.
17.TOU CAN USE AN IMPORTANT CASE TO
VIVIDLY DEMONSTRATE A PHENOMENON
TO THE READERS.
18.IT CAN DETERMINE IDIOGRAPHIC
CAUSITION(i.e.,determination of causes of a
particular event).
ANDERSON(2010)ALSO ENUMERATES THE
FOLLOWING WEAKNSSES OF QUALITATIVE
RESESRCH:
1.THE KNOWLEDGE PRODUCE MIGHT TO BE
APLICABLE TO OTHER PEOPLE OR OTHER
SETTINGS.
2INFLEXIBILITY IS MORE DIFFICULT TO
MAINTAIN,ASSESS, AND DEMONSTRATE.AS
3.IT IS SOMETIMES NOT AS WELL UNDERSTOOD
AND ACCEPTED AS QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.
5.ISSUES OF ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
CAN PRESENT PROBLEMS WHEN PRESENTING
FINDINGS.
6.IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE QUANTITATIVE
PREDICTIONS.
TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
1PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
2.ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY
3HISTORICAL STUDY
-DOCUMENTS
-RELICS AND ARTIFACTS
-ORAL REPORTS
4. CASE STUDY
5.GROUNDED THEORY STUDY
6.NARATIVE ANALYSIS
7.CRITICALQUALITATIVE RESEARCH.
8.POSRMODERN RESEARCH