Monday, 22 September 2014

Many researchers are beginning to want to do more than just find out about a topic; they want to facilitate change through their research. What are some of the issues that accompany this desire from the researcher's point of view?

Introduction
Gone are the days when the job of a researcher was concerned with mere finding of data or trends by means of research methodologies and simply publishing the findings afterwards. A growing branch of open ended researching methodology better known as qualitative research is experiencing a trend wherein the research professionals are increasingly demanding the implementation of their findings to bring about a change. Such a trend is being attributed to the obsessively personal nature of the research methodology which at times has a huge emotional and psychological effect on the researcher itself.
This essay attempts to answer questions and explain certain phenomena, experienced by modern researchers, which are prompting research professionals to desire the implementation of their research findings in order to bring about a change.
Defining Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a type of scientific research methodology, which involves use of set procedures and methods to collect evidence which can answer certain pre determined questions; publishing findings which are novel and often can be applicable beyond the immediate area of study.
However the crux of qualitative research lies in the fact that it is often conducted to decipher complex textual information on how the target population feels about the issue. Such research often deals with the ‘human’ aspect of researching. It helps in determining non quantifiable and intangible issues such as socio economic status, gender roles, ethnicity and religion among others.
 Unlike scientific research where findings can be applicable to other groups exhibiting similar traits, qualitative research gives precedence to studying and finding about the immediate social context in question. Textual findings of qualitative research can be put to meaning when interpreted with the help of findings of quantitative research.
Defining Quantitative Research
Quantitative research on the other hand is a strict scientific research method, which employs set procedures and rules to determine answers to certain questions. Since the findings of qualitative research are quantifiable and in tabulated data form, they can be generalised to a larger group or a group different from the original research population but exhibiting the same characteristics.
The crux of quantitative research methodology lies in following strict procedures to gather factual information; making this method encompass tools which are close ended and have a defined structure. Quantitative research often ignores the human element; thus, research findings are often skewed since intangibles cannot be incorporated in such a method.
Best results can be extracted from quantitative research when paired and studied in context of findings under a qualitative research program.
How is Qualitative research different from Quantitative research?
It is of importance to take note of the various differences between the two research methodologies to understand the context of the question attempted to be answered in this essay.
One of the key differences lies in the research objectives underlined by the two methods. While quantitative research aims to confirm hypotheses regarding a phenomenon; qualitative research is determined on exploring the phenomenon itself. Hence, quantitative research employs a rigid and predetermined structure to quantify variations. Whereas qualitative research has a flexible open ended approach which explores the factors concerning the issue and the research methodology often shapes up according to the participant’s response.
Therefore, it is only obvious for the researcher to get deeply (and sometimes personally) involved with the issues being addressed to by qualitative research. Whereas, under quantitative research the researcher tends to be emotionally distant (and often very objective and factual), about the issue being addressed.
Qualitative Research Methods
In this section, the key research methods under Qualitative research are explained briefly; so that the reader has a better grasp of the subject dealt with in this paper.
1.       Participant observation- This method has been greatly popularised by Anthropologists conducting ethnographic studies. Participant observation involves the researcher to become a part of the environment being researched; the researcher stays in continual touch with the environment and the subjects. Main subjects of the observation participate in varying degrees in the research. Often other methods of researching like interviews of the subjects are spaced out sporadically, giving the researcher time to observe the subject’s environment and confirm his/her perceptions of the environment (or culture), by means of such interviews, in order to aid the researcher’s personal understanding of the issue.
2.       In-depth interviews- Although this method does not require the researcher to reside in the immediate environment to be observed, the aim of such a method is to gain an in-depth understanding of the issue being researched by gaining a personal insight into the values, opinions, experiences and beliefs of research subject.
The in-depth interview approach follows an unstructured module in form of a conversation between the researcher and the subject, wherein both strike a personal rapport; and the researcher by the means of the interview tries to explore the personal narratives and experiences of the subject to find data relevant to the research objective. This approach is especially beneficial when the issue being addressed may be of a personal and sensitive nature in context of the participant’s of the research.
3.       Focus Groups- this method is similar in approach to the in-depth interview method and is a non participant observer approach. However, in depth interview is relevant when issue is of a sensitive or personal nature to an individual subject; focus group approach comes in handy when understanding is needed on social issues or issues that concern certain groups in a particular social or cultural setting.
The method involves striking a discussion with a subject group consisting of more than one participant; aiding the researcher to understand intangibles as group dynamics, public opinion and prioritization of issues according to their public relevance.



Ethics in Qualitative research

Ethics specific to modern qualitative research have gone a long way in involving researchers and motivating them to implement their findings in context of their research. Some of such ethics are enumerated below.
1.       Respect for persons- A researcher must always uphold the subject over the research. Subjects participant must always be consensual. Wherever the question arises of compromising the subject or the research, the research must always be sacrificed. Such a humane outlook towards research has been a cause of lending an emotional outlook to the researcher’s approach thus, making him/her humanly vulnerable to associate oneself in promotion of betterment of the subject studied.
Such ethics have been flouted in the past, in famous researches like, the Stanford Prison Experiment. The evils associated with such approaches are well understood hence, the need for such ethics was felt.
2.       Beneficence- This principle requires the researcher to minimise risk associated with the research (that is, social or psychological risk) and increase the benefits accruing to the participant.
3.       Justice- This ethical guideline requires that the fruits of the labours must be equitably distributed. The risks and rewards associated with the research must be shared with the participants. To sum up one who bears the risk or labours in the research process should also retain the fruits of the outcome distributed in an equitable manner.
4.       Respect for communities- When community values, dynamics and knowledge is researched, the researcher should uphold the communities welfare through the knowledge gained by the research findings. Utmost precaution must be taken so as communities social or psychological health is not affected.

Distinct conceptual dimensions of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a function of subjectivist ontology and subjectivist epistemology; that is, individuals (involved in the research process) form their own subjective understanding and perspectives which leads to an interrelated and interdependent relationship between the one who knows and the one who will know. There are four basic philosophical pillars of quantitative research:
1.       Context specific- The research is strictly about a certain context in question. The special intangibles studied under such research cannot be generalised easily in terms of other contexts. The research involves the researcher to involve him/her self personally with the context in order to ‘feel’ the issue being studied.
2.       Emic perspectives- This type of research involves the understanding of an individual or an ‘insider’s’ perspective in relation to a specific issue concerning him/her or a certain society or its section. Such information is of personal nature and is rarely quantifiable. Issues for instance, teen suicide, impact of a terminal disease on the life of the family of the affected and the like, are intended to be studied through qualitative research.
3.       Iterative nature- Qualitative research is often iterative that is usually unstructured and  and  and and follows a
 and follows a snowballing or chain approach wherein, a researcher may land up on entirely new issues, fresh perspectives or unusual findings which were not pre meditated at the start.
4.       Power Relations- Such a method of researching enables participants or informants in research to command power over the research findings or outcomes. Such autonomy allows greatly the implementation of change by the way of a research process which involves the actual receivers of the change program who themselves identify the key issues that need to be addressed in the change program.
Conclusion
The answer to the question addressed in this essay lies in the inherent nature of the qualitative research methodology itself and has been set to perspective in this paper.
The study of Qualitative research, its various methods, the ethics in the process and the philosophies behind the method, make it very clear that such a process has a deep impact on the psyche of the participant as well as the researcher. Often such deep involvement impacts the researcher physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically establishing connect between the researcher and the issue.
Such personal involvement of the researcher often entails his/her campaigning to implement the findings of the research for the betterment of the group, participant, society or, culture he or she has started connecting emotionally with.    

References
1.       2006
Conceptual and practical issues in qualitative
research: Reflections on a life history study
Alison Wicks
University of Wollongong, wicks@uow.edu.au
G. Whiteford
Charles Sturt University
Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the
University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW
Library: research-pubs@uow.edu.au
Publication
2.       Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Katherine Fritz, Ph. D., MPH Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Department of International Health

3.        Qualitative Methods in Social Research SOCIAL SCIENCE COLLECTION GUIDES TOPICAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES www.bl.uk/socialsciences

4.           QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ISSUES AND METHODS: AN INTRODUCTION FOR
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGISTS Wilhelmina C. Savenye Arizona State University Rhonda S. Robinson Northern Illinois University

5. Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide; Family health international


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