SCHOOL OF NURSING SCIENCES AND RESEARCH

SHARDA UNIVERSITY

NURSING RESEARCH

ASSIGNMENT ON
Qualitative research designs

Submitted to:- Submitted BY:-

Mr. Reddeppa Sreeraja Kumar Ms. Bhawna joshi
HOD / Associate professor, M.sc nursing 1styr
Community health nursing SNSR
SNSR
 Qualitative Research Designs

Introduction to Qualitative Research:

 Qualitative research is a type of scientific research. In general terms, scientific research
consists of an investigation that:
 seeks answers to a question
 systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question
 collects evidence
 produces findings that were not determined in advance
 produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study.
 Qualitative research shares these characteristics. Additionally, it seeks to understand a
given research problem or topic from the perspectives of the local population it involves.
 Qualitative research is especially effective in obtaining culturally specific information
about the values, opinions, behaviours, and social contexts of particular populations.

Qualitative Research Design

 The design of qualitative research is probably the most flexible of the various
experimental techniques, encompassing a variety of accepted methods and structures.
Though there is no standardized structure, this type of study still needs to be carefully
constructed and designed.
 Researchers need to continually ensure they are conducting bias-free, open-ended
technique and staying alert to potential sources of error. This usually involves awareness
of bias and deep sensitivity to the phenomenon in question.

Advantages

 Qualitative techniques are extremely useful when a subject is too complex be

encapsulated by a simple yes or no hypothesis. While quantitative data reveals simple
linear relationships between discrete variables, qualitative techniques yield data that is
richer and more insightful into underlying reasons and patterns within phenomena.

 Qualitative research is often more practicable when budgets are small and sample sizes
are restricted. If a large number of participants cannot be secured for a quantitative study,
the few available participants can be better understood with in-depth interviews. For
example, if there are only three people in a town who qualify as subjects for a study, it
might make more sense to conduct comprehensive interviews with them, i.e. opting for
quality over quantity.

The benefit of qualitative research is that is can “paint a picture” of a phenomenon that might be
hidden with a more dispassionate quantitative review. For example:
 Surveys can show that teen drug use rates are down, but only interviews with teens could
reveal personal motivations and reasons behind why that is the case.
 A marketing group can see that people dislike their brand, but will need qualitative methods to
understand in what way they dislike it.
 Researchers studying ADHD can measure the academic performance of those taking a new
drug. But to understand the felt experience of those taking the medication, they will need to
conduct open-ended interviews and case studies.

Disadvantages

 Qualitative research experiments can be time- and resource-consuming compared to

quantitative experiments. A researcher may need to be present for hundreds of grueling
hour-long interviews, whereas a quantitative study using a questionnaire can be
completed in an afternoon.

 Qualitative methods also require plenty of careful thought and planning throughout the
study. Researchers have to be far more sensitive to ethical issues, bias and the
philosophical underpinnings of their research question than those undertaking
quantitative studies.

 Qualitative data cannot be mathematically analyzed in the same comprehensive way as

quantitative results – in fact their analysis and interpretation can become arduous.
Qualitative data is a lot more open to personal bias and judgment, and so care must be
taken to present the final results appropriately: as observation and not proof.

 Lastly, qualitative research design is usually unique and cannot be exactly recreated,
meaning that it does lack the ability to be replicated.

Characteristics of Qualitative Research:

 Qualitative research is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of a

particular context and the interactions there (Patton, 1985).
 A second characteristic of all forms of qualitative research is that the researcher is the
primary instrument for data collection and analysis.
 A third characteristic of qualitative research is that it usually involves fieldwork. The
researcher must go to the people, setting, site, institution, in order to observe behavior in
its natural setting
 A fourth characteristic of qualitative research is that is uses an inductive research
strategy. This type of research builds abstractions, concepts, hypothesis, or theories rather
than tests existing theory
 Data sources are real-world situations
 Data are descriptive
  Emphasizes a holistic approach (processes and outcomes)
 Data analysis is inductive
 Describes the meaning(s) of research finding(s) from the perspective of the research
participants

Types of Qualitative Designs Methods:

1) Historical researchstudies available data to study, understand, and interpret past events .

2) Ethnography … studies cultural patterns and perspectives of participants in their natural

settings .
3) Case Study …examines the characteristics of a particular entity, phenomenon, or person .

4) Ethology … examines the characteristics of a particular entity, phenomenon, or person .

5) Ethnomethodology …studies how people make sense of their everyday activities in order
to behave in socially accepted ways .

6) Grounded theory …investigates how inductively-derived theory about phenomenon is

grounded in the data of a particular setting

7) Phenomenology …considers how the experience of particular participants exhibits a

unique perspective .

8) Action research …teacher-initiated, school-based research used to improve the

practitioner’s practice by doing or changing something.

Issues in qualitative research...

 gaining entry
 contacting potential research participants
 selecting participants
 enhancing validity and reducing bias
 leaving the field

The basic steps of qualitative research...

 Write a tentative research proposal
 Intensive participation in a field setting
  Collect detailed data from field activities
 Synthesize and interpret the meanings of the field data
 Write the research report

Qualitative Data Collection Methods

In this section, methods of qualitative research data collection are outlined.
The main methods are:
1) interviews
2) focus groups
3) observation
4) collection of documented material such as letters, diaries, photographs
5) collection of narrative
6) open ended questions in questionnaires (other aspects of are covered in the
resource pack surveys and questionnaires )
Qualitative Sampling and Selection
 In qualitative research, sampling can occur at several stages, both while collecting data and
while interpreting and reporting on it.
 Sampling while collecting data for qualitative research is not the same as sampling in
quantitative research because researchers are not interested in being able to generalise at a
statistical level – instead the key is purposive or strategic sampling. Many would therefore
argue that probability-based sampling (e.g. random sampling) is inappropriate. Sampling
strategies can be determined in advance and/or evolve during the research process (gradual
definition of sample structure). Sampling issues differ depending on the approach being
adopted: for example IPA and narrative analysis usually require relatively small samples

Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Research

What are the basic differences between quantitative and qualitative research
methods?
Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in:
 Their analytical objectives
 The types of questions they pose
 The types of data collection instruments they use
 The forms of data they produce
 The degree of flexibility built into study design
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Suresh K Sharma, Nursing Research and Statistics , second edition, 2014,page no: 182-
201.
 Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage
Publications, 2000
 https://www.slideshare.net>mobile
 https://www.slideshare.net
 http:// ohsr.od.nih.gov/guidelines/belmont.html.