Fundamentals of Research. A Dissective View

The present book has been written with two clear objectives in mind - to enable researchers, irrespective of their discipline, to develop the most appropriate methodology for their research studies; and to make them familiar with the art of using different research methods and techniques. It is hoped that the humble efforts made in the form of this book will assist in the accomplishment of exploratory as well as result-oriented research studies. The book is primarily targeted to serve as text book to Post Graduate, M.Phil. and Ph.d students of research methodology in all disciplines of various universities. The book seems to be designed specifically for those students who are newcomers to research, and who may have a basic barrier with regard to the subject. The areas covered in the book follow a simple-to-complex approach in terms of their discussion.
Overall, this book clearly reflects the teaching experience of the author with this subject. The book can be of value to researchers by introducing some information on how to carry out reviews of literature and its importance in research. All possible efforts have been made to further enhance the usefulness of the book. The feedback received from different sources has been incorporated.

Autorentext

Priyanka Tripathy is a Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology & Management of Ravenshaw University. She has an outstanding career all throughout. She has completed MBA from Utkal University, P.G. Diploma in Banking and Relationship Management from Kotak Manipal School of Banking, Manipal University and at present completing her Ph.D from Ravenshaw University. Her specializations lie in Marketing, Research Methodology and Hr. She has participated in research workshops of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Kolkata and IIT Bhubaneswar. She has presented papers in IIM Indore, IIM Lucknow (Noida Campus), IIT Kharagpur and IMT Nagpur. To her credit she has published about 10 research papers in International Journals of repute.

Klappentext

The present book has been written with two clear objectives in mind to enable researchers, irrespective of their discipline, to develop the most appropriate methodology for their research studies; and to make them familiar with the art of using different research methods and techniques. It is hoped that the humble efforts made in the form of this book will assist in the accomplishment of exploratory as well as result-oriented research studies. The book is primarily targeted to serve as text book to Post Graduate, M.Phil. and Ph.d students of research methodology in all disciplines of various universities. The book seems to be designed specifically for those students who are newcomers to research, and who may have a basic barrier with regard to the subject. The areas covered in the book follow a simple-to-complex approach in terms of their discussion. Overall, this book clearly reflects the teaching experience of the author with this subject. The book can be of value to researchers by introducing some information on how to carry out reviews of literature and its importance in research. All possible efforts have been made to further enhance the usefulness of the book. The feedback received from different sources has been incorporated.

Leseprobe
Text Sample:
CHAPTER 10 QUALITATIVE, QUANTITATIVE AND MIXED METHODS RESEARCH:
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:
What is 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, behaviors, and social contexts of particular populations.
Qualitative research aims to provide an in-depth understanding of people's experiences, perspectives and histories in the context of their personal circumstances or settings. Among many distinctive features, it is characterised by a concern with exploring phenomena from the perspective of those being studied; with the use of unstructured methods which are sensitive to the social context of the study; the capture of data which are detailed, rich and complex; a mainly inductive rather than deductive analytic process; developing explanations at the level of meaning or micro-social processes rather than context-free laws; and answering 'what is', 'how' and 'why' questions. It employs a variety of methods, including: exploratory interviews; focus groups; observation; conversation, discourse and narrative analysis; and documentary and video analysis.
Qualitative research is used in evaluation for a range of purposes. For evaluations of programmes, services or interventions, these include identifying the factors that contribute to successful or unsuccessful delivery; identifying outcomes (intended or unintended) and how they occur; examining the nature of requirements of different groups within the target population; exploring the contexts in which policies operate; and exploring organisational aspects of delivery. Qualitative research can also be used in advance of policy development or implementation, for example, to examine an issue or problem that is poorly understood or to inform the kind of intervention required.
What can be learnt from qualitative research?
The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the "human" side of an issue - that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals. Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such as social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion, whose role in the research issue may not be readily apparent. When used along with quantitative methods, qualitative research can help us to interpret and better understand the complex reality of a given situation and the implications of quantitative data.
Although findings from qualitative data c an often be extended to people with characteristics similar to those in the study population, gaining a rich and complex understanding of a specific social context or phenomenon typically takes precedence over eliciting data that can be generalized to other geographical areas or populations. In this sense, qualitative research differs slightly from scientific research in general.
What are some qualitative research methods?
The three most common qualitative methods are participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Each method is particularly suited for obtaining a specific type of data.
Participant observation is appropriate for collecting data on naturally occurring behaviors in their usual contexts.
In-depth interviews are opt