PRACTICAL RESEARCH I

LESSON 1: Importance and Characteristics of Qualitative Research

Inquiry is the art of asking questions, and the root of research.

Research is a careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or

problem using a process of inquiry. According to the American sociologist Earl Robert
Babbie, “Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control
the observed phenomenon.

Importance of Research in Daily Life

1. Gain Essential Information: Research provides important information in the
different areas of interest. It helps you get acquainted with the process and
resources involved in your research.
2. To Make Changes: Research creates change as a result of intense study on
existing knowledge and policy.
3. To Enhance the Standard of Living: New inventions are made possible through
research that made the life of man comfortable. It resulted in the advancement
of knowledge leading to the development of different fields like transportation
and communication.
4. For a Safer Life: Discoveries resulted in improved life expectancy and health
conditions of humankind. New machines and drugs helped in the treatment and
diagnosis of different diseases.
5. To Know the Truth: The results of research helped us to mark out the thin line
between truth and lie.
6. To Explore History: Research enables humans to learn and understand more about
our forefathers and helps us learn from their mistakes and experiences.
7. To Understand the Arts: Research helps us to understand and appreciate the work
of artists in literature, painting, and other fine arts.

Characteristics of Research
1. Empirical: Research is based on direct experience or observation by the
researcher. Most research is based on a real-life situation.
2. Systematic: Research follows an orderly procedure based on valid procedures and
principles.
3. Controlled: In research, all variables except those that are tested are kept
constant.
4. Analytical: Research utilizes proven analytical procedures in gathering the
data.
5. Objective: Research is unbiased. All findings are logically based on data.
6. Feasible: It should be realistic and possible to accomplish.
7. Clear: Research should be understandable by the readers.

The Process of Research

An understanding of the research process is necessary to effectively carry out
research and sequencing of the stages inherent in the process. These 8 stages in the
research process:
1. Identifying the problem.
2. Reviewing literature.
3. Setting research questions, objectives, and hypotheses.
4. Choosing the study design.
5. Deciding on the sample design.
6. Collecting data.
7. Processing and analyzing data.
8. Writing the report.

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Ethics in Research
Research Ethics provides guidelines for the responsible conduct of research. It
educates and monitors the conduct of research to ensure high ethical standards. The
following shows why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in research:
a. Norms promote the aims of research such as knowledge, truth, and evidence of
error.
b. Ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work.
c. Ethical norms held researchers accountable to the general public.
d. Norms in research help establish public support, quality, and integrity of
research.

Ethical Principles in Research

a. Honesty: Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication
status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.
b. Objectivity: Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data
interpretation, peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert
testimony, and other aspects of research.
c. Integrity: Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for
consistency of thought and action.
d. Carefulness: Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically
examine your own work and the work of your peers. Keep good records of research
activities.
e. Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools, and resources. Be open to criticism
and new ideas.
f. Respect for Intellectual Property: Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of
intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without
permission. Give credit where credit is due. Never plagiarize.
g. Confidentiality: Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants
submitted for publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and
patient records.
h. Responsible Publication: Publish in order to advance research and scholarship,
not to advance just your own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.
i. Responsible Mentoring: Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote
their welfare and allow them to make their own decisions.
j. Respect for Colleagues: Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.
k. Social Responsibility: Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate
social harms through research, public education, and advocacy.
l. Non-Discrimination: Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the
basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their
scientific competence and integrity.
m. Competence: Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise
through lifelong education and learning; take steps to promote competence in
science as a whole.
n. Legality: Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental
policies.

Rights of Research Participants

1. Voluntary participation
2. Informed consent
3. Risk of harm
4. Confidentiality
5. Anonymity

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Plagiarism refers to the act of using another person’s ideas, words, processes, and
results without giving due credit
Intellectual property Refers to creations of the mind: invention, literary and
artistic works; symbols, names, and images used in commerce (WIPO, 2004.

LESSON 2: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research is defined as a systematic investigation of phenomena by

gathering quantifiable data and performing statistical, mathematical, or computational
techniques.
Qualitative Research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g.,
text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be
used to gather in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research.

Qualitative Quantitative

Investigates the what, why, and how Depicts a study answering how
of decision making much/many
Data is in the form of words, Data is numerical in nature
pictures, or objects
Usually starts with pondering a Usually starts with formulating
problem statement and generating hypotheses about the relationship
research problems between two variables

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Topics in the Different Areas of Interest

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LESSON 3: Qualitative Research

Characteristics of Qualitative Research Design
a. Naturalistic: refers to studying real-world situations as they unfold naturally;
non-manipulative and non-controlling; the researcher is open to whatever
emerges.
b. Emergent: acceptance of adapting inquiry as understanding deepens and/or
situations change; the researcher avoids rigid designs that eliminate responding
to opportunities to pursue new paths of discovery as they emerge.
c. Purposeful: cases for study are selected because they are “information rich” and
illuminative. That is, they offer useful manifestations of the phenomenon of
interest; sampling is aimed at insight into the phenomenon, not empirical
generalization derived from a sample and applied to a population.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

Strengths of Qualitative Research
a. All the problems and the topics covered under this research are in detail.
b. This method majorly focuses on small groups which ultimately do not require more
expenses when compared to quantitative research.
c. On the emergence of new developed information and findings, the revision,
direction and framework of the data can be done easily quickly.
d. The data is collected from a small group which bounds it to be universal for a
large population.
e. The data with this method is collected based on genuine efforts and gives a
clear vision on what can be expected.

Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

a. As the data is collected for a small group, due to which assumptions cannot be
made beyond the small group of people.
b. It becomes difficult to demonstrate, maintain and assess the rigidity of the
data.
c. As the data is in big quantity, analysis and interpretation of the data takes
much time.
d. The responses of the subjects might be affected as the researchers are bound to
be present during the process of data gathering.
Kinds of Qualitative Research
a. Ethnography -A qualitative research method often used in the social sciences
that is often used in gathering data on human societies/cultures. Ethnography,
simply stated, is the study of people in their own environment through the use
of methods such as participant observation and face-to-face interviewing. Data

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collection is done through participant observation, interviews, and

questionnaires.
Example: Study a village of indigenous people on an island to observe their
culture and customs outside of modern civilization.
b. Phenomenology -Describes the structure of experience as they present itself to
consciousness, without resources to theory, deductions, or assumptions from
other disciplines such as the social sciences. It seeks to achieve a deep
understanding of the phenomenon by rigorous and systematic examination of it.
Its purpose is to describe the essence of lived experiences.
Example: Exploring the lived experiences of women undergoing breast biopsy or
the lived experiences of family members waiting for a loved one undergoing major
surgery
c. Grounded Theory -An inductive technique developed for health-related topics. It
emerged from the discipline of sociology. The term “grounded” means that the
theory developed from the research is grounded or has its roots in the data from
which it has derived.
d. Historical Research -Historical Research is the systemic collection and
objective evaluation of data related to the past occurrence.
e. Case Study -A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a
person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. It is used to test
theoretical models by using it in real-world situation.
Example: How and why are employees abusing drugs at workplaces?

Importance of Qualitative Research across Fields

a. Social Work -Qualitative Research Studies in social work represents the best
available research on emerging problems or application of evidence to diverse
population.
b. Marketing -Qualitative research in marketing can be used to test new ideas or
products and to gain a realistic view of how customers or clients would react to
that particular product.
c. Business -Data from quantitative research such as market size, demographics, and
user preferences provide important information for business decisions.
Qualitative research provides valuable data for use in the design of a product
including data about user needs, behavior patterns, and use cases.
d. Sports -The results of qualitative research can inform stakeholders about
facilitators and obstacles to exercise, motivation and adherence, the influence
of experiences, beliefs, disability and capability on physical activity,
exercise engagement and performance, and to test strategies that maximize
physical performance.
e. Medicine -The goal of qualitative research is to help us gain an understanding
as to how or why certain things occur. Qualitative research seeks that
understanding through observation and interviews, both of which provide insight
into the research question.
f. Psychology -Qualitative research is an important alternative to quantitative
research in psychology. It generally involves asking broader research questions,
collecting more detailed data (e.g., interviews), and using non-statistical
analyses.
g. Arts -Qualitative is important in arts since with the use of this research
people could be able to reach new ideas and conclusions which will help people
improve arts and discover new techniques and any other more.
h. Literature -The way one deals with the literature plays a crucial and guiding
role in the iterative process between theory and data because it determines how
existing theories are dealt with in the design and conduct of research. As such,
considerations as to when and how to use the literature acquire great
importance.

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i. Agriculture and Fisheries -Interviews are a key element of qualitative research

fisheries scientists may incorporate to improve understanding of why fisheries
operate as they do, and what the effects of policy changes are likely to be.

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