I.

Definition of Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research is a scientific method of observation to gather non-numerical data.

It refers to the meanings, concepts, characteristics, metaphors, symbols and description
of phenomena, and not to their counts or measures.

II. Purpose of Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research promotes a deep, holistic understanding of a particular

phenomenon.

III. Characteristics of Qualitative Research

1. Human understanding and interpretation in data analysis

2. Active, powerful and forceful in data gathering and rephrasing interview

questions

3. Multiple research approaches and methods that allows you to plan your study
and being multi-method research
4. Specificity to generalization on specific ideas will lead to generalizations or
conclusions.
5. Contextualization - context or situation of individual’s life

6. Diversified data in real-life situations on collecting data in a natural setting

7. Abounds with words and visuals that presents people’s view in a picture, video,
drawing or graphs.
8. Internal analysis on examining the data yielded by the internal traits of the
subject persons.

IV. Strengths of Qualitative Research

1. It adopts a naturalistic approach to its subject matter.

2. Promotes a full understanding of human behavior/personality traits in their

natural setting.
3. It is instrumental for positive societal changes.

4. It engenders respect for people’s individuality.

5. it’s a way of understanding & interpreting social interactions.

6. Increases researcher’s interests in the study.

7. Offers multiple ways of acquiring and examining knowledge about something
V. Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

1. It involves a lot of researcher’s subjectivity in data analysis.

2. It is hard to know the validity/reliability of the data.

3. It is open-ended questions yield “data overload” that requires long-time analysis.

4. It is time-consuming.

5. It involves several processes, whose results greatly depend on the researcher’s

views or interpretations.

VI. Kinds of Qualitative Research

1. Case Study - Long time study of a person, group, organization or situation and
an empirical inquiry that investigates current phenomenon.
Example: “Teenage Pregnancy in the Public High Schools”

2. Ethnography- a study of a particular cultural group.

Example: “Cultural Awareness and Integration of Peace Education in the Indigenous
Peoples (IP) Communities”
.
3. Phenomenology- “live-experienced” of a phenomenon.
Example: “Life without Gadget”

4. Content and Discourse Analysis-

• Content Analysis- is a research technique that analyzes the modes of
communication such as letters, e-mails etc.

• Discourse Analysis- is the study of social life, understood through analysis of

language it includes face-to-face talk, non-verbal interaction, images and symbols.

Materials for Discourse Analysis include books, newspapers, periodicals, brochures and
advertisements.

Example: “A Discourse Analysis on the Impact of Modern Technologies on

Communication”

5. Historical Analysis- is a qualitative method where there is an examining of past

events to draw conclusions and make predictions about the future.
Example: “The Impact of Ferdinand Marcos’ Speech”

6. Grounded Theory- takes place when there is a discovery of new theory which
underlies your study at the time of data collection and analysis.
Example: “The Story Behind the Migration of Christians from Visayas and Luzon to
Mindanao”

7. Narrative Report - designed to present things or events that have happened in

the past through a logical progression of the relevant information. The main purpose of
a narrative report is to present a factual depiction of what has occurred.

Example: “Vocabulary Building of Students through Proper Solid Waste Management”

8. Biography- is the study of an individual’s life and struggles and how they reflect
cultural themes of the society. It deals with an interesting story found in documents and
archival materials. It is concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the
constitution of meaning based on biographical narratives and documents.

 Five common types of biography are

(1) Scholarly Chronicles -focus on the historical portrayal of an individual life.
e.g. “Biography of Gloria M. Arroyo, the First Woman President of the Philippines”
(2) Intellectual Biography- narrative of a life through the conceptual analysis of the
subject’s motives and beliefs within the world of ideas.
e.g. “Life and Works of Dr. Jose Rizal”
(3) Life History Writing- recording of life memories, experiences, whether one’s or
another’s.
e.g. “The Hardships of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s)”.
(4) Memoir Biography- stylistic presentation of the biographer’s reflections and
insights in relation to the factual account of life.
e.g. “The Experiences of Stranded Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic”
(5) Narrative Biography-a nonfiction account of life experiences of a person.

9. Action Research- is a classroom-based or school-based research seeks

transformative change through the process of taking action and doing research, which
are linked together by critical reflection. This type of research is commonly conducted
by the teachers to give solutions to the existing problems to improve students’ academic
performance and positive attitudes.