Qualitative Research Introduction

The Beginning of Research

The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the problem and clarify the important variables, their
delimitation, and their significance to the field of study.
The introduction is important in establishing the cognitive setting of the research.
 Rationalization of the need to research the problem.
 Clarification of the important terminologies.
 Establishment of the degree of seriousness of the problem which prompted the researchers to find solutions.

Components of Background of the Study

1. Rationale
2. Setting of the problem
3. Literature Foundation
4. Seriousness of the problem
5. General Objective
6. General Purpose

Components of Research Gap

- It is a question that you want to be answered.

The Statement of the Problem

Writing the general problem in a qualitative study.

1. It should use single and not compound sentences.
2. It should include the central phenomenon.
3. It should clearly express the purpose of the study.
4. It should use qualitative words (explore, discover, and explain).
5. It should identify the participants of the study.
6. It should state the research site.

Creswell and Clark (2014) also provide some guidelines for formulating the research question:
 The question should begin with words such as “HOW” and “WHAT”.
 The readers should be informed that the information that will be discovered, generated, explored, identified, or
described in the study.
 The question “WHAT HAPPENED?” should be asked to help craft the description.
 The question “WHAT WAS THE MEANING TO PEOPLE OF WHAT HAPPENED?” should be asked to
understand the results.
 The question “WHAT HAPPENED?” should be asked to explore the process.

According to Creswell and Clark (2014), there are two types of research questions. These are as follows:

1. Central Question
These are the most general questions that can be asked.
- What is the meaning of/what does it mean to (central phenomenon)?
2. Sub Questions
These are the questions subdivided the central question into more specific topical questions and are limited in number.
- What (aspect) does (participant) engage in as a (central phenomenon)?

TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In general, there are two types of research questions. These are as follows:

Non-researchable Questions
- These are questions of value and are answerable by yes or no.
Researchable Questions
- These are questions of opinions, perceptions, or policy that are raised to accumulate data.

Dickoff et.al (as cited by Wilson,1989) provide further classification to research questions.

Factor-isolating Questions
These ask the question “What is this?” These questions are sometimes called factor - naming questions because they
isolate, categorize describe, or name factors and situations.

Factor-relating Questions
These ask the question "What is happening here?" The goal of these
questions is to determine the relationship among factors that have been
identified.

Situation-relating Questions
These questions ask the question "What will happen if...?" These questions
usually yield hypothesis testing or experimental study designs in which the
researcher manipulates the variables to see what will happen.

Situation-producing Questions
These ask the question "How can I make it happen" these questions establish explicit goals for actions, develop plans or
prescriptions to achieve goals, and specify the conditions under which these goals will be accomplished?

Components of Statement of the Problem

Purpose Statement
1. General Question
1.1 Specific Question
1.2 Specific Question

2. General Question
2.1 Specific Question
2.2 Specific Question

Sample pattern for the purpose statement

The purpose of this (narrative, phenomenological, (3 grounded theory, ethnographic case) is to (understand, describe,
develop, and discover) the (central phenomenon of the study) for the (participants) at (the site). At this stage in the
research, the (central phenomenon) will be generally defined as (a general definition of the central concept).

The general problem is followed by an enumeration of the specific problems

 They must be in question form
 They must define the population and sample of the study (respondents)
 They must identify the variables being studied.

Writing the Assumptions of the Study

An assumption is a realistic expectation which is something that we believe to be true. However, no adequate evidence
exists to support this belief.
 Assumptions are statements that are taken for granted or are considered true, even though they have not been
scientifically tested.
  Assumptions are principled those are accepted as being true based on logic or reasons, but without proof or
verification.

Setting the Scope of the Study

The scope of the study is determined primarily by the selection of variables that the research will focus on.

VARIABLE refers to any characteristic that can have different values or traits that may vary across research participants.
Variables are measured, controlled, and manipulated by the researcher.

ATTRIBUTES are important elements of a variable. It refers to the value assigned to a

specific variable.
Ex.
Gender (significant variable)
- male
- female

CHARACTERISTICS OF VARIABLES
1. Dependence
This refers to how the variable is considered in a cause-and-effect relationship.
a. Independent Variables - are those characteristics that are changed, manipulated, or selected by the researcher.
b. Dependent Variables - are those that change because of changes to the independent variable.
2. Mutually Exclusive
This means that a participant or respondent cannot possess two attributes of a variable. For instance, a person cannot be
both male and female.
3. Exhaustive
This means that the researcher should consider all possible attributes of a certain

KINDS OF VARIABLES
 Continuous Variables
These are variables that may have an infinite number of values and may vary widely among the research participants.
e.g., age and weight.
 Discrete Variables
These are variables that have specific limits to their value.
e.g., income, number of children, or years of enrolment.
 Categorical Variables
These cannot be expressed in numbers but are given in non-quantitative, descriptive terms.
e.g., civil status (single, married, widowed), and educational achievement, high school graduate, college graduate,
post-graduate).

DELIMINATION OF THE STUDY

It describes the various limitations that arose during the design and conduct of the study. These include characteristics of
the research design and methodology that affected or influenced the findings of the study.
The following may be possible limitations that may arise from the research design and methodology.

1. SAMPLE SIZE - it will determine whether the research will have a small of big sample size.
2. LACK OF AVAILABLE AND/OR RELIABLE DATA - missing and unreliable data will limit the scope of analysis
and the ability of the researcher to determine meaningful trends and relationships among the data.
3. LACK OF PRIOR STUDIES - this will limit the effectiveness of the literature review and may limit the initial
understanding of the research problem.
4. CHOSEN DATA COLLECTION METHOD - limitations in the data collection instrument may affect the quality of
data collected.
5. NATURE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED - relying on preexisting data may impose limits on the researcher as
he or she can no longer clarify certain data.
Apart from the design and methodology, the characteristics of the researcher and the limits that he or she experiences in the
conduct of research will also give rise to limitations as follows:
1. ACCESS - The amount and quality of data will depend on the ability of the researcher to access people,
organizations, libraries, and documents that can provide him or her with the best available data.
2. BIAS - This refers to a way of viewing a certain thing, issue, or idea and may be influenced by the researcher's
background. The researcher, therefore, should be aware of his/her personal biases and how these affect the conduct
of research.
3. TIME PERIOD - The length of time devoted to the study will affect almost all aspects of the research. It is
advisable to select a research problem and design that gives way to a more manageable time.
4. LANGUAGE - This may influence data collection, especially if the researcher is involved with respondents that
speak a variety of languages.

WRITING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

- This section details the contribution or benefit that your study provides to different people and organizations. It
may be in a practical, methodological, or theoretical sense.

Topical arrangement
Done in paragraphs and based on the weight of the individual contributions. This may be based on how you sequence your
specific research questions.

Enumeration format
Details must be arranged according to the beneficiaries: (field study, government agencies, private org, etc.)

WRITING THE DEFINITION OF TERMS

This is usually an annex to a work (book, research paper, etc.) this is a list of acronyms, jargon, credits, etc. This is an
important term in study that is clearly defined.

Conceptual
- Conceptual Definition is the universal meaning that is attributed to a word or group of words, and which is
understood by many people. The usual source of conceptual definition is the DICTIONARY which is the reference
book of everyday language.
Operational
- Operational Definition is the meaning of the concept or term as used in a particular study. Unlike the conceptual
definition, it is stated in concrete terms in that it allows measurement.

Example:
Lived experiences
Conceptual - on the word of Manen (1990), it is how a person understands and experience his or her world in a
real and meaningful way.
Operational - it is defined as the real-life event that Grade 11 Students experienced while they were on their JHS
and undergone Career Orientation.

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