Characteristics of qualitative research

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The Characteristics of Qualitative Research Qualitative methods tend to be associated with an “interpretive” worldview. This explores how people “make sense of their social worlds and how they express these understandings through language, sound, imagery, personal style and social rituals” (Deacon et al. 1999:6). Qualitative researchers are less interested in studying and predicting external variables than on exploring people's intentions, motivations and subjective experiences. Those who take an interpretive position try to understand social reality from the point of view of those within it. For example, to study sponsorship, you might interview people in a company that sponsored an arts event, and perhaps go to the event to observe how the sponsorship was promoted. Qualitative research emphasizes: • Words. Qualitative research focuses on words rather than numbers, although numbers can (for example) indicate how often a theme is found in transcripts or an action occurs. • Researcher involvement. The main research “instrument” in qualitative research is the researcher, who engages with the people being studied. This differs from quantitative research where researchers try to be remote from respondents (using such “objective” methods as surveys or structured interviews). • Participant viewpoints. A desire to explore and present the various subjective perspectives of participants is associated with qualitative research. By accepting subjectivity, it accepts that interpretation of the data is influenced by the researcher's worldview and involvement with respondents. • Small-scale studies. Qualitative researchers are interested in deep exploration in order to provide rich, detailed, holistic description, as well as explanation. Therefore, small samples are typical. • Holistic focus. Rather than directing their attention to one or two isolated variables, qualitative researchers tend to be oriented to a wide range of interconnected activities, experiences, beliefs and values of people in terms of the context in which they are situated. This allows them to consider many, interacting dimensions and relationships in a “real-world” context. • Flexibility. Although researchers have a topic and an agenda, they usually explore new and often surprising aspects that emerge as informants reveal their understandings and interests. Research procedures may be unstructured, adaptable and sometimes spontaneous. • Process. Qualitative research rarely offers static portraits of phenomena, but dynamic processes that unfold over time. Long-term studies mean that qualitative research can focus on change, sequences of events and behaviors, and the transformation of cultures.


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