Corral REDR 8400 v1 –W5

Qualitative Research Alignment for Methodological Congruence

[White Paper]

Raymond M. Corral  

School of Education, Northcentral University 

Corral EDR 8400 v1 W5

Dr. Paul Kasunich 

November 21, 2021 

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Qualitative Research Alignment

In this paper, I will discuss the significance of alignment in qualitative research. I will

describe key elements essential to qualitative research and the critical importance of their

alignment for achieving "methodological congruence."

Qualitative doctoral research can be divided into two types with distinct goals.

Theoretical research exists to provide new knowledge or to extend theory beyond its current

reach. The goal of applied research is to use knowledge to increase the understanding of a

problem or find solutions to it. Developing a research-worthy topic is the first major challenge in

conducting qualitative research. Not every topic is research worthy, and not every worldview

will align with a qualitative research approach.

Qualitative research in academic settings today is met with its own set of challenges.

However, a shortage of literature is not one of them. Choosing a topic that is worth researching

can be more fruitful if researchers become more knowledgeable and familiar with the resources

that are already available. Familiarity with available resources can inform new researchers of the

studies that have already been done and the need for future studies. By neglecting to

acknowledge past research, a new researcher can do a disservice to him or herself. More

importantly, Such neglect negatively impacts your credibility as a researcher and scholar and can

negatively affect the integrity of your research throughout the entire process as well(Clark &

Sousa, 2017).

The researcher must begin by generating ideas of general interest that can be refined into

a researchable problem surrounding a good topic. A good topic will either help provide new

sound knowledge, expand theory, or use knowledge to aid in understanding a problem and
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perhaps find a solution to it. The nature of the topic will help to determine the research problem

and purpose. Subsequent research questions to be answered will follow. The research problem

comes with background and context for the issue to be studied; it will also provide a rationale

that shows the importance of the topic and can be extended to describe the purpose of the

research and a framework for research questions.

The appropriate methodology will emerge when a researcher can pose a research

question or questions and find a contextual framework with a logical scheme that will align it

with the views, beliefs, and values guiding the research. From there, they can clearly understand

which method, set of methods, or best practices can be utilized for answering the research

question(s) (Creswell, 2018).

Methodological integrity begins at the very foundation of qualitative research and is

essential for the recursive study in educational research. A sound qualitative study requires a

carefully selected methodology that is appropriately aligned with the research problem

(Bloomberg, 2019). Key concepts and elements must be aligned to establish methodological

congruency. A qualitative study is driven by the problem, purpose, and research questions. These

three elements must be aligned for the overall research to be logical, coherent, consistent, and

transparent as a recursive study. The purpose of the study will be fulfilled upon answering the

research questions, if the researcher has diligently aligned the purpose to the problem statement

with relevant questions (Bloomberg, 2019).

A well-conducted study will render conclusive findings linked together, thus enabling the

researcher to make viable recommendations that are simply an application of the conclusion in

future research or policymaking and best practices (Bloomberg, 2019).

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Methodology, Design, and Methods

Action Research (AR) and Critical Theory

Action research proposes to change it helps meet the community's needs, organizational

professional and educational research (Mills, 2013). This type of research seeks full collaborative

inquiry by all participants. Thus, it engages its participants in collaborative relationships and

allows them to focus on specific situations that they may encounter to develop localized

solutions that often result in sustained change for their organization. The scarcity of studies in

transpersonal phenomena (Braud, 2006) is well-aligned with this methodology as it creates the

opportunity for such to be documented. The distinction between researcher and participants in

this methodology becomes less apparent as it uses a democratic process of inquiry to question

current practices, suggest changes and evaluate the resulting impact (Stringer, 2014).

Participatory Action Research (PAR) involves a cycle of research that follows the idea that

marginalized concerns must be heard so that sustainable development and empowerment can be

brought about (Freire, 1968/1970).

The critical theory framework is known as one of advocacy. It is said to be the most influential in

its pursuit of inclusion of the otherwise marginalized or disenfranchised people. The list of

paradigms it seeks to liberate and involve includes feminist perspectives queer and trans theory,

disability theory, and race theory. The strong advocacy for change intertwines critical theory

with political calls for action perceived as necessary to bring about change (Bloomberg, 2019).

The critical theory framework is well aligned with educational research, namely that of

Transpersonal education and the inclusion of transpersonal phenomena (Corral, 2021), as it

would question the limited forms of analysis for this genre.

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Action Research Focus Groups

Focus groups align well with the collaboratively developed inquiry of Action research. The goal

of AR and PAR is, respectively, improvement and transformation. This method accounts for

lived experiences of all its participants. (Bloomberg, 2019).

Phenomenology

The method of phenomenological interviewing can be well aligned with the study of

transpersonal phenomena because it permits an explicit focus on the researcher’s personal

experience to be combined with the experiences of the research participants. The interviewing

can focus on deep lived meanings that guide actions and interactions. The researcher adheres to

the topic of inquiry as they write a description of the phenomenon and engage a process of

interpretation. Phenomenologists focus on describing the commonalities of all participants

experiencing a phenomenon. This methodology attempts to “grasp at the very nature of the

thing” as per van Manen (1990), with the primary purpose of reducing individual experiences to

a composite description of the universal essence of the experience (Van Manen, 2016).

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References
Bloomberg, L. (2019). Choosing an appropriate qualitative methodology [. Webinar.
Northcentral University Center for Teaching Learning.
Braud, W. (2006). Educating the "More" in Holistic Transpersonal Higher Education: A 30+
Year Perspective on the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Approach. Journal of
Transpersonal Psychology, 33(2), 133–158.
Clark, A. M., & Sousa, B. J. (2017). The five neglected skills all qualitative researchers need.
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1-3.
Corral, R. M. (2021, October). Integrating Phenomenological data in Qualitative Research
Unpublished White Paper.
Creswell, J. W. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.
Freire, P. (1968/1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Seabury.
Mills, G. (2013). Action Research: Pearson New International Edition : A Guide for the Teacher
Researcher. Pearson.
Stringer, E. T. (2014). Action research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Van Manen, M. (2016). Phenomenology of practice. New York, NY: Routledge