can you recognize the nature of qualitative research its kind characteristics strengths and weaknesses

Qualitative research is described by its aims, methodology, and the kind of data collected to understand the different facets of social life. Studying things in their natural setting, qualitative researchers attempt “to make sense of and interpret phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them.

According to Bogdan and Biklen, as cited in Fraenkel and Wallen (2006), the characteristics of qualitative research are as follows:

The direct source of data is the natural setting and the researcher is the key instrument in qualitative research. Researchers go directly to the particular setting of interest to observe and collect the needed data.

YuData collected are in the form of words or illustrations rather than numbers. The kinds of data collected may include, but not limited to, audio recordings, diaries, field notes, memorandums, official records, personal comments, photographs, textbook passages, transcripts of interview, videotapes, and anything else that convey actual words or actions of people.

Qualitative research is concerned with process as well as product. The primary interest of a qualitative researcher is on how things happen and on people’s interaction with one another.

Analysis of data is taken inductively. It starts with the specific concepts of the respondents to draw out general idea or theory. To do this, a considerable amount of time is spent in collecting data before the important questions are considered.

Qualitative research deals with how people make sense out of their lives. The perspective of the subjects of a study is a major concern.

In addition, the following are the strengths of qualitative research:

provides in-depth information on individual cases;

unravels complex phenomena embedded in local context;

describes rich phenomena situated in some exceptional environments;

relays subjects’ experiences and perspectives in unusual details;

conveys setting factors related to the situation of interest;

allows flexibility in research-related processes;

enables data to be collected in natural setting;

determines possible causes of a particular event in another perspective as that given by quantitative research

The following are weaknesses of qualitative research:

Data gathering is often time-consuming.

Analysis of data takes longer time than that in quantitative analysis.

Interpretation of results is usually biased because it is influenced by the researcher’s perspective.

Conclusions are not generalizable because the subjects are few and sometimes possess unique characteristics compared to typical respondents.

What is the importance of qualitative research across fields of inquiry?

Qualitative research is oriented toward analyzing concrete cases in temporal and local particularity. It starts from the respondents’ perspectives, expressions, and activities in their local context. In this case, qualitative research is important across many fields of inquiry because it is designed for social sciences, psychology, and other fields. With this, qualitative research would verify or validate the tendencies, transform it into research programs, and maintain the necessary changes toward its objectives and tasks.

For example, qualitative research can be employed in health care research. One may study people’s experiences of and access to health care. Various perspectives of patients and professionals can be understood using qualitative research. An individual’s experiences, attitudes, and circumstances in life that affect his/her health needs and behavior can likewise be studied.

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