LEAD 901 Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Designing a

Qualitative Study:

A Research Plan

Questions for Discussion• What are the key characteristics of qualitative

research?

• What types of problems are best suited for qualitative inquiry?

• What research skills are required to undertake this type of research?

• What are the features of a “good” qualitative study?

• How do researchers design a qualitative study?

• What types of ethical issues need to be anticipated during the process of qualitative research?

• What design structures are useful for a qualitative study plan or proposal?

2Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.

SAGE Publishing, 2018.

Common Characteristics of

Qualitative Research• Research takes place in natural settings

• The key instrument of data collection is the researcher

• Qualitative researchers use multiple methods of data collection and multiple forms of data

• Qualitative researchers build patterns, categories and themes from the “bottom up” by inductive and deductive logic

• Qualitative researchers focus on learning participant meaning and understanding through multiple perspectives

• Qualitative research is situated within the context or setting



Common Characteristics of

Qualitative Research (continued)• The research process is emergent. Initial

methods, questions, and data collection evolve with the study.

• Researchers engage in reflexivity to “position themselves” in qualitative studies. The researcher considers how who they are and what they believe will impact all areas of the study.

• Qualitative researchers develop and present a holistic account of the problem being studied.



When to Use Qualitative Research

• We need to explore a problem or issue

• We need a complex understanding

• We want to empower individuals

• We want to report in a literary and flexible

style

• We need to develop theories

• Quantitative measures do not fit the

problem



What a Qualitative Study

Requires from the Researcher

• Commitment to extensive time in the field

• Engagement in the complex, time-consuming task of data analysis

• A commitment to writing long, descriptive passages showing multiple perspectives the complexity of findings

• Participation in a process that does not have firm guidelines or specific procedures and is constantly evolving and changing

• Consider ethical issues that may surface



The Features of a “Good”

Qualitative Study• The researcher

• Employs rigorous data collection procedures

• Frames the study within the assumptions and characteristics of the qualitative approach to research

• Conducts an ethical study

• Uses an understood approach to research (such as one of the five approaches in the book) especially when beginning

• Begins with a single focus or concept



What makes a “Good” Study?

(continued)• The researcher

• Employs a rigorous approach to data collection

• Includes detailed methods that describe rigorous data collection, analysis, and reporting

• Analyzes data using multiple levels of abstraction-moves from particulars to generalization

• Writes persuasively so the reader experiences “being there” —verisimilitude

• Reflects their own history, culture, and personal experiences



The Process of Designing a

Qualitative Study

• Research design refers to the plan for conducting the study

• Preliminary considerations

– Methodological congruence among purposes, questions, and methods

– Interactiveness of the research design

– How to use literature and theory

– Background and interest the researcher brings



Phases of the Research Process



Elements in All Phases of the Research

• Share our backgrounds and experiences and

how they shape interpretation

• Sensitive to ethical considerations—entry into

site, involvement of participants, personal

data gathered, and time of participants

• Through reciprocity, give back to participants

• Follow institutional review board guidelines



Ethics in

Qualitative

Research

12Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research

Design 4e. SAGE Publishing, 2018.

Sources: Adapted from APA (2010);

Creswell (2013, 2016); Lincoln (2009);

Mertens and Ginsberg (2009).

Ethics in Qualitative Research (continued)



Sources: Adapted from APA (2010); Creswell (2013, 2016);

Lincoln (2009); Mertens and Ginsberg (2009).

Design Considerations Useful for

Engaging Readers• Study a unique sample that has not been studied

or is unusual

• Assume an unconventional angle or perspective

• Observe uncommon or unusual sites

• Collect atypical forms of data, like images or sounds

• Present findings in an unusual way

• Focus on a timely topic that is drawing attention



General Writing Structures

• Introduce the problem, purpose, and

research questions

• What do readers need to better

understand your topic?

• What do readers need to know about your

topic?

• What do you propose to study?




(continued)

• Describe the procedures guiding the study

• What is the setting, and who are the people you will study?

• What methods do you plan to use to collect data?

• How will you analyze the data?

• How will you validate your findings?

• What ethical issues will your study present?




(continued)

• Report preliminary findings available from a

pilot study if one was completed

• What do preliminary results (if available)

indicate about the practicability and value of

the proposed study?

• Outline anticipated implications of the study

• What significance does the study intend to

have?



Date post:	22-Jan-2018
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LEAD 901 Chapter 3

Education