Advantages or Strengths of Qualitative Research
research studies. However, researchers give emphasis not to man’s
1. It adopts a naturalistic approach to its subject matter
2. It promotes a full understanding of human behaviour or
personality traits in their natural setting
3. It is instrumental for positive societal changes.
4. It engenders respect for people’s individuality as it demands the
researcher’s careful and attentive stand toward people’s world
views.
5. It is a way of understanding and interpreting social interactions.
6. It increases the researcher’s interest in the study
7. It offers multiple ways of acquiring and examining knowledge
about something.
Disadvantages or Weaknesses of Qualitative Research
1. It involves a lot of researcher’s subjectivity in data analysis.
2. It is hard to know the validity orvreliability of the data.
3. It is open-ended questions yield “data overload” that requires
long-time analysis.
4. It is time-consuming.
5. It involves several processes, which results greatly depend on the
researcher’s views or interpretations.
Explaining Learned Concepts
1. Differentiate subjectivity from objectivity
2. Is the researcher himself the data gathering instrument? Why or
why not?
3. Can all research methods be used in one research study? Give
reasons.
4. Pretend you are the subject of phenomenological study, how will
the researcher obtain data through you?
5. Given the chance to research , would you right away choose
qualitative research? Give reasons
6. If you will do a research about the area in which your house is
situated, what could be your research problem or topic?
Let’s Practice: Name the qualitative research best suited for the
following topics.
1. The Mangyan’s Burial Practices __________________
2. Relatives of Typhoon Victims ___________________
3. The Effectiveness of the K-12 Curriculum _______________
4. Spiderman: The Very First Film in the 21st Century ___________
5. Philippines’ Political Party System: Then and Now __________
6. Filipino Caregivers in Japan _____________
7. Travails of Senior Citizens at the LRT/MRT Stations ___________
8. The Lone Grade VI Speed Reader of UST High School _________
9. Grade 11 Science Textbook __________
10. Student Activism Since the Marcos Era ___________
Qualitative Research in Different Areas of Knowledge
Subject Area Research Approaches
Research studies happen in any field of knowledge.
Anthropology, Business, Communication, Education, Engineering,
Law and Nursing, among others, turn in a big number of research
studies that reflect varied interests of people
Three (3)Basic Research Approaches
1. Positive/Scientific 2. Naturalistic
3. Triangulation/Mixed method
Positive/Scientific- gives stress to measurable facts instead of
feelings or personal views (STEM) and natural sciences.
-allows control variables
-collects data using questionnaires and interviews
Naturalistic- people-oriented, data collected represent personal
views, attitudes, thoughts and emotions (social relations)
- done at home, playground , workplace, schools
- verbal language ( Anthropology, Business, Education,
Economics, Politics, Law) – Nursing, Counseling, P. Therapy
Triangulation/Mixed Method- allows combination of research
designs, data collection and data analysis techniques.
In the field of Humanities, man’s social life is subject to
social life but to the study of meanings and significance. (Fine Arts,
Literature, Music, Drama and Dance)
Hard Sciences vs. Soft Sciences
A qualitative or quantitative kind of research is not
exclusive to hard sciences or soft sciences. these two research
methods can go together in a research approach called triangulation
or mixed method approach . This is the third approach to research
that allows combination or a mixture of research analysis
techniques.
Thus, there is no such thing as a clear dichotomy between
qualitative and quantitative research methods because some
authorities on research claim that a symbiotic relationship, in which
they reinforce or strengthen each other, exists between these two
research methods.
Activity 1. Agree or Disagree?- Read the ff. statements and think
about it.
1. All research types apply to all data collecting techniques.
2. Sticking to one data collection technique is the best research
method.
3. Subjectivity exists in any social science research.
4. Subjectivity and objectivity are inseparable.
5. Quantitative research tends to be more objective than subjective.
6. Past events in a person’s life are the focus of triangulation.
7. Biology and chemistry are hard sciences.
8. It is necessary for the qualitative researcher to conduct his or her
research in a laboratory.
9. The mixed method of research happens only in qualitative
research.
10. A researcher himself is a data gathering instrument.
Activity 2. Categorize the research title whether it is Hard or Soft S.
1. Iron Contents of Oregano Plants
2. Aling Bebs: A Filipino Centenarian
3. Electrical Wirings of a Japanese Car
4. Microorganisms in a Canal
5. Parents’ Views About K-12 Curriculum
6. St. Joseph’s Grade 8 Teachers’ Questioning Techniques
7. Medicinal Elements of Guava Leaves
8. Historical Development of Filipino Novels in English
9. Muslim Wedding Rites
10. The Nature of Ebola Virus
Unit III: Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem
Inquiry or research drives you to a thorough or an in-depth
analysis of a certain subject matter. This kind of study involves
several stages that require much time and effort. You need to spend
some time in finalizing your mind about a particular topic to
research on or in determining the appropriateness of such topic, in
obtaining background knowledge about it and in raising some
specific questions that you want your research work to answer.
Subject Matter of the Inquiry or Research
You begin your research work with a problem; that is
having a problem or topic to work on . Mulling over a topic for your
research work drives you to perform HOTS or high-order thinking
strategies of inferential, critical, integrative and creative thinking in
finalizing your mind on one topic among several choices. A topic is
researchable if the knowledge and information about it are
supported by evidence that is observable, factual and logical.
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter
2. Availability of information
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
4. Limitations on the subject
5. Personal resources