BACK TO BASICS: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR BEGINNERS

VOLVER A LO BÁSICO: INVESTIGACIÓN CUALITATIVA

METODOLOGÍA PARA PRINCIPIANTES

This paper is devoted to a detailed discussion of the qualitative research methodology. The
sections which follow cover the research design, the target population, sampling techniques, the
research instruments and some of the procedures which are to be taken into consideration when
collecting and analysing the qualitative data.

Este artículo está dedicado a una discusión detallada de la metodología de investigación

cualitativa. Las secciones que seguir cubren el diseño de la investigación, la población objetivo, las
técnicas de muestreo, los instrumentos de investigación y algunos de los procedimientos que
deben tenerse en cuenta al recopilar y analizar los datos cualitativos.

The research as the original contribution which follows the pursuit of truth, through observation,
experiments and studying. Research refers to a critical investigation or a scientific study of a
subject which can result in reaching new conclusions, the discovery of new knowledge, or a new
collation of old facts (Creswell, 2009). From the definitions which have been provided, it can be
concluded that research entails a process of discovery which allows the unknown to become
known, through a systematic method which consists of articulating a research problem,
formulating a hypothesis, collecting the relevant facts, analysing them, and arriving at conclusions
in the form of a way forward to the research problem (Strydom, 2014).

An example of a qualitative research design is the phenomenological. Research which has a

phenomenological basis prioritises the meanings which the participants ascribe to the events,
occurrences, or phenomena which are of interest to individual researchers.

Research methodology:

A research methodology comprises procedures, which are followed by individual researchers to

find answers to the research problems they have identified (Creswell, 2009). A research
methodology is defined as the representation of the point at which methods, facts, and
epistemology openly merge and merge.

The research methodology: is the process that is planned before an investigation and is executed
during it so that the results, whether theoretical or practical, have validity. The research
methodology is all that set of processes with which a study will be carried out.

una metodología de investigación comprende todos los procesos mediante los cuales se recolecta
información, un diseño de investigación define el tipo de estudio que se va a realizar para dar
respuesta a las preguntas de la investigación y lograr sus objetivos (Kumar, 2014).
Research methods

Research methods refer to planned, scientific, and value-neutral procedures, schemes, or

algorithms which are used to collect and analyse data in the process of finding a solution to
particular problems.

The research methods should be selected in accordance with the research problem in order to
develop appropriate research instruments, in order to generate data, which is meaningful within
the context of the research topic.

Research methods: are a key element for the construction of valid knowledge about a particular
phenomenon, so knowing what they consist of, what their characteristics are and what the choice
of one or the other depends on is essential for every researcher.

The difference between a research method and a research methodology is that research method
entails the technique employed by the researcher to conduct research whereas research
methodology refers to the way of understanding a phenomena.

Differences between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies

 The Differences between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies is that the
quantitative one is directed towards measurable data, while the qualitative one is directed
towards the experiences of the participants.
 The quantitative methodology is specific and limited and the qualitative one is general and
broad.
 Another difference between the two is that the quantitative is oriented towards the
orientation towards description, prediction and explanation, while the qualitative one is
oriented towards the discovery, exploration and understanding.
 In the quantitative part, methods associated with a process of generating the answer to a
question through mathematical methods are used, to validate hypotheses, to make an
approval of what we consider. And the qualitative part, understanding the meanings
within people, population communities, as an object of study, uses methods such as
ethnography, focus groups, in-depth interviews to understand subjectivities.
 In the quantitative one we find surveys with closed questions, for example yes or no and it
is objective. In other words, what is being sought here is that a statistic is allowed.
And in the qualitative one we find interviews with open questions that answer, what? For
what? How? And the answers can be subjective, here the likes, interests and why of
things are important.

 In both processes, the data collection techniques can be multiple. For example, in
quantitative research: closed questionnaires, statistical data records, standardized tests,
physiological measurement systems, precision devices, etc. In qualitative studies:
exhaustive interviews, projective tests, open questionnaires, group sessions, biographies,
file review, observation, among others.
 In quantitative research it handles number data and the qualitative one handles data in
text or image.
 In quantitative research, the reporting of results is fixed and standard while qualitative
research is emergent and flexible.
Qualitative research focuses on understanding or explaining the behavior of a group, a
phenomenon, an event, or a topic.

Quantitative research consists of collecting and analyzing numerical data. This method is ideal for
identifying trends and averages, making predictions, checking relationships, and obtaining general
results for large populations.

Reasons why researchers choose qualitative research methodology

Because they are considered to represent an optimal means of providing in-depth information
from the subjective perceptions, beliefs, and opinions from the subjects under study. A qualitative
research methodology enables the researcher to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the
meanings, which the participants ascribe to the phenomena upon which the research topic is
centred, in a natural setting.

Unlike quantitative research methodologies, in which there is an inherent assumption that reality
is stable, objective, and measurable and that phenomena which cannot be measured empirically
are beyond the scope of research, the basis of qualitative research is subjective, in the sense that
it acknowledges the multifaceted nature of reality.

Qualitative research methodologies enable researchers to make use of inductive reasoning in

order to interpret the responses and comments of participants .

Target population

A target population is the totality of people, sampling units, or elements with which a particular
research problem is concerned (Strydom, 2005).

Research samples and sample sizes

A research sample comprises a small but representative portion of a target population. One of the
criteria which

determine the size of the sample is provided by the objective of obtaining in-depth information
until saturation is reached.

Sampling procedure

Sampling refers to a process of selecting participants who are representative of entire target
populations in respects in which particular researchers are interested, in order to obtain relevant
and detailed information pertaining to particular research topics.

Research instruments

Research instruments are devices which researchers develop to collect data in order to answer the
research questions upon which their studies are premised (Babbie, 2013).

Collecting the data

Face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, and reviewing relevant documents are examples
of data collection methods in qualitative research. Face-to-face interviews enable researchers to
collect richly detailed qualitative data from participants by asking relevant questions which yield
valid and reliable information.

Analysis and recording of the data

Analysing data entails a process of bringing order, structure, and meaning to a large volume of
collected data (Silverman, 2015).

Familiarisation with the data

The researcher must commence with the familiarisition with all of the data, asking relevant
questions, and writing down initial ideas. Cresswell (2009) explains that the step is an essential
one for determining the underlying meanings which are to be discerned in sets of data.

Generating initial codes

The second step entais coding the data, by labelling the entire data set. The researcher should list
the topics which are relevant to answering the research questions, cluster them together into
columns, and group them into major topics, unique topics, and leftovers.

Reviewing themes

The researcher must assess whether the developing themes accords with the coded data and
whether they provide answers to the research questions.

Defining and naming themes

The researcher must analyse, refine, and determine the implications of each theme and assign a
name to each to convey its import.

Reporting

The researcher should conclude the process by weaving together an analytic narrative with
extracts of data. The analysis has to be contextualised in relation to the research questions and
relevant extracts from the literature review, which had informed the study to produce a report.

The paper BACK TO BASICS: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY provides an accurate and
complete description of the qualitative research methodology, the researcher provided a reasoned
justification for conducting a qualitative study. in addition to clarifying the concepts of target
populations, research samples and the technique to select the qualitative research sample.

In the university repository we only found an article somewhat similar to ours only because it is
related to the emotional part of the students and the question is similar to ours because it talks
about strategies. For the moment that, we have not delved into the subject.

USING CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK FOR ERROR CORRECTION IN ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Our questions are......What strategies can help students to overcome anxiety?

What factors influence the increase in anxiety?
How does anxiety influence academic performance?
“What strategies of corrective feedback does the teacher use to correct students’ errors?”

The Mechanics of Writing

This grammar manual organizes the essential topics, concepts that help with the learning of the
mechanics of writing.

Main topics such as: the comma, conjunctions, phrases, sentences, quotation marks, capitalization
among others ...

An Introduction to Qualitative Research

The pack begins with a general introduction into the nature of qualitative research. This includes
identification of the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research in a brief comparison with
quantitative research.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 To provide the reader with a basic understanding of qualitative research.

 To equip the reader with sufficient information to appreciate how qualitative research is
undertaken.
 To enable prospective researchers to consider the appropriateness of a qualitative
approach to their chosen field of investigation.
 To provide practitioners contemplating or undertaking qualitative research for the first
time with guidance on the collection and analysis of data.

VIDEO

What is a research design and how is it critical to the overall process of creating and
implementing a study? That's what we're talking about in this video.

All about giving you the tools you need to navigate Academia to make your best and I hope this is
your first time here. Well, this is the place to be to get tips tool strategies and techniques to have
a career that you want to have in higher education today was talking about what is a research
design. Okay, you might know this, but if it turns his case study, You might know this but if it turns
his case study, that's not Rafi for me to design content analysis discourse analysis and go on and
on and on those are different types of research design that can be qualitative and quantitative that
can be mixed methods. All right, but in a nutshell are we supposed to sign is a blueprint for how
and when you will collect and analyze your data, so I'm not going to get into all the different
designs in this video about for example, if I ' m doing an ethnography the kinds of data that I'm
going to collect is very different than if I'm doing content analysis. Okay, and the way that I'm
going to end this for example a city that does discourse analysis. We're looking at how people talk
and interact with one. Another is probably very different than how I'm going to analyze data and
I'm going to have for a study for example. All right, so your design stems from your research
question. So one of the things that's really comment with beginning researchers and even with
well, I only want to do qualitative Destination qualitative research. I only want to do quantitative
really want to do mixed methods or I am really interested in doing an ethnography write their
name a particular approach or the name a specific design. That is the wrong place to start if you're
going to design a high-quality research study. What you do is you just start with your question.
Your question that you asked is going to tell you what how it what kind of bait do you need to
collect in order to answer it right for your question that you asked for help you understand things
like well about how much data over what period of time what are the different kinds of data? All
right. And once you get a handle on your question, then you'll be able to reasonably pick a design
or a and at that point then user to start mapping out, you know the kind of day that you can
collect when how 2 to the design always starts with the research question and then the lovely
thing about this place in your design in place and you've mapped out who your participants are
and data collection procedures and all of that in the field. Right if you have any experience at all,
you know, this stuff happens. All right, things happened my participants get sick people drop
complications arise that are beyond your control that you could never have foreseen. But you
managed to make modifications. You might have to modify how much they do you collect you
might have to extend your data collection. You might have to drop a data source might have to
add a new date because you have is blueprint your research design. You can then use that as a
guide to make modifications Your Design will dictate not just what kind of data do you collect how
and when and over what period of time and how you analyze it but it also will help you when you
get in a pinch and you need to make modifications. That's what you turn back to you. First
question in your research design. All right, so thanks for watching. Don't forget to subscribe that
you can catch all of my videos and please head on down to the comments. I had to talk about
questions and issues you have around research design.