COURSE OUTLINE IN PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1 (QUALITATIVE RESEARCH)

What is Research?
 Research is defined as the scientific investigation of phenomena which includes collection,
presentation, analysis and interpretation of facts that lines an individual‘s speculation with reality.
 Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including
knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new
applications.
Importance of Research in Daily Life –
 Research gives us a light or direction to inquire about the right information.
 Research develops our attitudes to not believe automatically without further investigation of the real
situation.
 Research sharpens our mind to give a judicious vision to look.
Research Process
1. Select a general problem.
2. Review the literature of the problem.
3. Select a specific research problem, question, or hypothesis.
4. Collect data.
5. Analyze and present or display data.
6. Interpret the findings and state conclusions or generalizations regarding the problem.
Ethics in Research
Ethics generally is considered to deal with beliefs about what is right
or wrong, proper or improper, good or bad. According to a dictionary
definition (Webster‘s 1968), to be ethical is to conform to accepted
professional practice.
Ethical considerations in conducting research
1. Objectivity and integrity
2. Respect of the research subjects‘ right to privacy and dignity
3. and protection of subjects from personal harm
4. Presentation of research findings
5. Misuse of research role
6. Acknowledgement of research collaboration and assistance
7. Distortions of findings by sponsor
Unethical practices in conducting research
1. Deceiving a respondent about the true purpose of a study
2. Asking a respondent questions that cause him or her extreme embarrassment; guilt emotional turmoil
by remaining him or her of an unpleasant experience
3. Invading the privacy of a respondent
4. Studying the respondents or research subjects without their knowledge
5. When analyzing the data—revealing only part of the facts, presenting facts out of context, falsifying
findings or offering misleading presentation such as lying with statistics

Definition of Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative research is a type of educational research in which the researcher decides what to study; asks
specific, narrow questions; collects quantifiable data from participants; analyzes these numbers using
statistics; and conducts the inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner.

Qualitative research is a type of educational research in which the researcher relies on the views of
participants; asks broad, general questions; collects data consisting largely words (text) from participants;
describes and analyzes these words for themes; and conducts the inquiry in a subjective, biased manner.
 Qualitative Quantitative
Objectives  In-depth understanding of  Quantification of data
underlying reasons and Measurement of
motivations incidence, etc.

Data  Non-statistical  Statistical

Analysis  Contextual
 Thematic
Outcomes  Not conclusive nor  Broad based insights
generalizable  Population based
understanding

Quantitative Versus Qualitative Research

Quantitative Methodologies
 Preference for precise hypothesis stated at the
outset.
 Preference for precise definitions stated at the
outset.
 Data reduced to numerical scores.
 Much attention to assessing and improving
reliability of scores obtained from
instruments.
 Assessment of validity through a variety of
procedures with reliance on statistical indices.
 Preference for random techniques for
obtaining meaningful samples.
 Preference for precisely describing
procedures.
 Preference for design or statistical control of
extraneous variables.
 Preference for specific design control for
procedural bias.
 Preference for statistical summary of results.
 Preference for breaking down complex
phenomena into specific parts for analysis.
 Willingness to manipulate aspects, situations,
or conditions in studying complex phenomena.
Quantitative Methodologies
 Preference for hypotheses that emerge as
study develops.
 Preference for definitions in context or as
study progresses.
 Preference for narrative description.
 Preference for assuming that reliability of
inferences is adequate.
 Assessment of validity through crosschecking
sources of information (triangulation).
 Preference for expert information (purposive)
samples.
 Preference for narrative/literary descriptions
of procedures.
 Preference for logical analysis in controlling or
accounting for extraneous variables.
 Primary reliance on researcher to deal with
procedural bias.
 Preference for narrative summary of results.
 Preference for holistic description of complex
phenomena.
 Unwillingness to tamper with naturally
occurring phenomena.

Types of Qualitative Research

 Content Analysis
This research design calls for “a detailed and systematic examination of the contents of a particular
body of materials for the purpose of identifying patterns, themes or biased. This method identifies
specific characteristics of the content of human communication.
Ex: examination of word choice and use of words in the State of the Nation Address of Philippine
President
 Phenomenology
The essence of this study is the search for “the central undelying meaning of the “research
participant’s experience.” The purpose of this study is to understand an experience from the research
participant’s point of view.
Ex: rehabilitated drug dependents drug dependents or rescued trafficked women
 Grounded theory
It is a development of theory directly based and grounded in the data collected by the researcher. It is
a research methodology for discovering theory in a substantive area.
  Case study
-It is used for a research approach with specific boundaries and can be both qualitative and
quantitative. In addition, it is an entity studied as a single unit, and it has clear confines and a specific
focus and is bound to context.
-It studies a person, program or event in a defined time frame. The researcher spends time in the
natural setting of the people studied.
Ex: drug- rehabilitated teenagers, transgenders, gay marriages, success stories etc...
 Ethnography
It studies groups of people that share a common culture. It studies an intact cultural group in a natural
setting over a prolonged period of time by collecting, primarily, observational data.
Ex: Study on ethnic minority groups on the surviving cultural heritage of the Kankaneys of Dalipay,
Batangas, Benguet
 Historical method
Historical research studies the meaning of past events in an attempt to interpret the facts and explain
the cause of events, and their effect in the present events. In doing so, researchers rely heavily on
primary historical data (direct accounts of events, archival data - official documents, personal records,
and records of eyewitnesses) and less frequently on secondary historical data (information from
persons who didn’t witness the event; e.g. textbooks, newspapers, encyclopedias).

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Primary and secondary sources

 Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time period and are considered to be
authoritative. They represent original thinking, reports on discoveries or events, or they can share new
information. Often these sources are created at the time the events occurred but they can also include
sources that are created later. They are usually the first formal appearance of original research.

Examples of primary resources include: diaries, correspondence, ships' logs, original documents e.g.
birth certificates, trial transcripts, biographies, autobiographies, manuscripts, interviews, speeches,
oral histories, case law, legislation, regulations, constitutions, government documents, statistical data,
research reports, a journal article reporting NEW research or findings, creative art works, literature,
newspaper advertisements and reportage and editorial/opinion pieces

 Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. They
often attempt to describe or explain primary sources.

Ex. Textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopaedias, books that interpret, analyse political
commentary,biographies dissertations, newspaper editorial/opinion pieces, criticism of literature, art
works or music