Understanding

Data and Ways to

Systematically
Collect Data
Qualitative research design is an
umbrella term for a various
range of approaches and
methods, which vary
considerably in terms of focus ,
assumptions about the nature of
knowledge and the role of the
researcher.
 Advantage

Qualitative techniques are extremely useful

when a subject is too complex to be
encapsulated by a simple “yes” or “no”

It can “paint a picture” of a phenomenon that

might be hidden with a more dispassionate
quantitative review
Example: Surveys can show teen drug use
rates are down, but only interviews with teens
could reveal personal motivations and reasons
behind why that is the case.
 Disadvantages

Qualitative research experiments can be

time- and resource-consuming compared to
quantitative experiments

Qualitative data cannot be mathematically

analyzed in the same comprehensive way as
quantitative results – in fact their analysis and
interpretation can become more arduous.
 •Ethnography - direct description of a group.

•The word derived from Greek “ethnos” meaning “company,

later a people,nation” and graphy meaning “writing”.

•It focus on describing the culture of a group in very detailed

and complex manner.

•It involves engaging in extensive fieldwork where data

collection is mainly by interviews, symbols, artifacts,
observations and many other sources of data.

•In ethnography, the researcher gathers what is available,

what is normal, what is it that people do, what they say, and
how they work.
 Research Methods
Immerse themselves in the culture or
subculture they study and try to see the world
from a cultural member’s point of view.

They compare these with their own ethnic view

and explore the differences between the two.
Field notes are written throughout the fieldwork
about events and behavior in the setting.
Ethnographers describe, analyze and interpret the
culture and the local, ethnic perspective of its
members while making their own ethnic
interpretations.
The main evaluative criterion is the way in which
the study presents the culture as experienced by
its members.

Grounded Theory

Is most accurately described as a research

method in which the theory is developed from
the data.

Focuses more on the procedure and not on the

discipline
Grounded theories are often fresh and new
and have the potential for innovative
discoveries in science and other areas

Uses
In psychology, grounded theory is used to
understand the role of therapeutic distance
for adult clients with attachment anxiety
In sociology, grounded theory is used to
discover the meaning of spirituality in cancer
patients, and how their beliefs influence their
attitude towards cancer treatments
 Narrative Inquiry

Includes stories that reflect on people’s

experience and the meaning that this
experience has for them

Is the process of gathering information for the

purpose of research through storytelling

Field notes, interviews, journals, letters,

autobiographies, and orally told stories are all
methods of narrative inquiry
 Practices
Developmental Psychology utilizes narrative
inquiry to depict a child’s experiences in areas
such as self-regulation, problem-solving and
development of self
Social movements have used narrative analysis in
their persuasive techniques
Promulgation of a culture: Example: Children in a
given society learn from their parents and the
culture around them
 Phenomenology
Is a 20th century school of philosophy rooted in
philosophy and psychology which focuses on the
subjective experience of the individual and seeks to
understand the essence or structure of a phenomenon
from the perspective of those who have experienced it

From Greek phainomenon “that which appears”

and logos “study”

Writers developed different conceptual

formulations, (very broadly) descriptive (Husserl),
interpretive (Heidegger) and ontological-existential
(Sartre)
 Case Study
Is a research method involving an up-close, in-
depth, and detailed examination of a subject
study (the case), as well as its related contextual
conditions

Harvard Business School has been among the

most prominent developers and users of teaching
case studies

Analysis of persons, groups, events, decisions, periods,

policies, institutions or other systems that are studied
holistically by one or more methods
 Purposeful/Purposive Sampling – most
common sampling strategy . In this type
of sampling, participants are selected or
sought based on pre-selected criteria
based on the research question
Example: the study may be attempting
to collect data from lymphoma patients
in a particular city/country.
Quota Sampling – a sampling technique
whereby participant quotas
(age,sex,class,marital status, HIV status)
are preset prior to sampling.
Snowball Sampling – also known as chain
referral sampling. In this method, the
participants refer the researcher to others
who may be able to potentially contribute
or participate in the study.