Running head: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 1

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Students’ Name

Institutional Affiliation
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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Introduction

Qualitative research is a branch of social sciences that have a focus on collecting and operates

using non-numerical information and tries to interpret the meaning of the information, hence

bring out a general overview of the social life of a specific population in an area (Patton, 2014).

In most cases, qualitative research is mistaken to be quantitative research, but they are not the

same thing. In quantitative analysis, the numerical data is used in identifying large-scale trends

while making use of statistical information to determine various relationships in variables

(Patton, 2014). Some of the methods used in conducting qualitative research include; interviews,

focus groups, analysis of textual and visual materials, observation and immersion, oral history

and oral history.

Criteria for Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research

• While evaluating the quality of qualitative research, it is very critical to bear in mind the

reliability and validity of the study. Validity is necessary for any scientific research; in

qualitative research, validity emerges in the form of rigor (Patton, 2014). Rigor ought to be a

concept derived from qualitative research that is transferable to another individual while

acknowledging that qualitative findings can get exposed to subjectivity and other human

elements (Patton, 2014). In other words showing proving a validity of a study is by proving

research trustworthiness.

• Reliability on the other hand can also be critical criteria for qualitative research apparently for

same reasons as validity. In evaluating the reliability of a study, its trustworthiness must be able

to surface itself. The reliability of data can be somehow difficulty when there is a difference in
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testing methods and design, but the reliability of data and the methods used in the collection is

achievable (Patton, 2014). Credibility in qualitative research reliability is evident when the data

gets transferred to other situations.

• The psychology field requires one to be familiar with impacts of validity and reliability to

ontology and epistemology of what we acknowledge. Considering that ontology refers to the

study of what is real, generally, we know the patterns that exist in the human psychology and

recognize them as well (Merriam, 2015). In the epistemological aspect, the research gets used to

identify the reliability in data to create a better understanding of our world.

• In qualitative research, there is one barrier that can prevent the research in attaining total

reliability, and that is subjectivity of the researcher. A researcher can get the subject into being

biased while collecting data for the research (Merriam, 2015). To avoid such situations in

qualitative research increasing the number of researchers who evaluate the data will solve the

biases problem. Once that gets implemented, data collected will be less likely to be based on one

researcher data collection (Merriam, 2015).

• When designing the qualitative research, it is mandatory to establish a particular research

topic to create a smooth flow in the scientific approach involved (Maxwell, 2012). During the

research new ideas can emerge from the researchers and they result by asking questions which

are open-ended while conducting the study; hence it is essential to adjust the focus of the

research and make it amenable to such situation in data collection processes (Maxwell, 2012).

Conclusion

In most cases, qualitative research is mistaken to be quantitative research, but they are not the

same thing. While evaluating the quality of qualitative research, it is very critical to bear in mind
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the reliability and validity of the study. While designing the qualitative research, it is mandatory

to establish a specific research topic to create easy flow in the scientific approach involved.
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Bibliography

Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. .

Merriam, S. B. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-

Bass..

Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrating Theory and

Practice. .