A Primer to

Making:
Qualitative research Papers

Prepared by: Lenoff Cornelius B. Arce

Overview
In this session, we will investigate qualitative research methods.
Thus,-at the end of the presentation-we will be able to:

Define qualitative research.

Identify the characteristics of qualitative research in terms of:
• Parts and Content
• research questions/purpose of study,
• data collection approaches,
• data analysis methods, and
• reliability and validity.
“One undertakes qualitative research in a natural setting where
the researcher is an instrument of data collection who gathers
words or pictures, analyzes them inductively, focuses on the
meaning of participants, and describes a process that is expressive
and persuasive in language.” (Creswell, 1998)
Steps in Research Process Quantitative Qualitative
Identifying a research Description and explanation Exploration and
understanding
problem
Reviewing the literature Justification for the research
problem
Justification for the research
problem

Specifying a purpose -Specific and narrow -

Measurable and observable
-General and broad -
Participants’ experiences

Collecting the data -Predetermined

instruments/variables -
-Text or image data
-Small number of individuals
Numeric data or sites
-Large number of
individuals
Steps in Research Process Quantitative Qualitative
Analyzing and -Statistical analysis -
Description of trends,
-Text analysis
-Description, analysis, and
interpreting the data comparison of groups, or
relationships among
thematic development
-The larger meaning
variables
-A comparison of results
with predictions and past
studies

Determining the -Reliability

-Validity
-Verification, rather than
internal validity -
quality of data Transferability, rather than
generalizability -
Dependability of the
researcher’s account -
Confirmability of findings

Reporting the research -Standard and fixed -

Objective and unbiased
-Flexible and emerging -
Reflexive and biased
Stages of Qualitative research
I. Identifying a research problem/stating
the problem

II. Reviewing the literature

III. Specifying a purpose and research

questions

IV. Collecting the data

V. Analyzing the data

VI. Determining the quality of data

VII. Reporting the research

 I. Introduction
A. Rationale
Stages of Qualitative research B. Review of Related
Literature
C. Statement of the
Problem
D. Addressing the
Problem
II. Conceptual/Theoretical
Framework
III. Research Design and
Methods
IV.Results and
FORMAT BEING USED:
ISI International Scientific
Indexing: internationally-
recognized journals.
CHED-JAS Indexing:
indexing journal adopted for the
Philippines by CHED.
_____________
Minimum number of pages for a
publishable article would be 10.
Title: ideal length of words should be no more than
12
Author: No degrees
Abstract: No more than 100 WORDS: ALL FIT IN A SINGLE
PARAGRAPH.
Giving the following information:
1. What is the study about?
2. What method of analysis is done
3. What are the main findings of the
study
4. Conclusions
Keywords: It should be Three to Five
Introduction
Four major parts
I. Rationale
?
 Overview of the study

I. Rationale What is the main problem (not to

confuse with statement of the
It merely answers the problem)
questions:
II. Reviewing the
literature
II. Reviewing the
literature Qualitative literature
justifies the research
problem.
Summary of what other authors say about the topic
“Review of related literature”
Up to 20 references needed
 How does the research problem fit into
II. Reviewing the existing literature?

literature How have others addressed this problem?

What are the deficiencies in other
Summary of what other authors say about the topic
“Review of related literature” studies?
Up to 20 references needed
III. Statement of the Problem
What are the gaps in knowledge based on the literatures reviewed?
Identify what has not been explored by the other authors

Identify the “missing link” and identify how you will

address the gap

What was lacking in other studies that lead you to

select your topic and research questions?
IV. Addressing the
gaps In this paragraph, outline
your plan on how to
address these gaps
theoretical/conceptual
framework
 Translate the theories into their
component concepts expressed at a
variable level
(THEORIES) -> [CONCEPTS(ABSTRACT)] -> [VARIABLES(CONCRETE PROXY)]
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Research Design (The Blueprint for the Research)
What is your plan or design to address the research problem

● Plan or outline

Search designs varies depending on the

research problem
The length and complexity of describing research designs and methods in your paper can
vary considerably, but any well-developed design will achieve the following:
1. Design - Overview of the study i.e.: qualitative/quantitative
2. Instruments - Methods used i.e. questionnaire, focus groups, interviews, surveys etc
3. Locale - area(s) where the study was conducted
4. Respondents
In no particular order

De Vaus, D. A. Research Design in Social Research. London: SAGE, 2001; Gorard, Stephen. Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches for the Social Sciences. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage, 2013; Leedy, Paul D. and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod. Practical Research: Planning and Design. Tenth edition. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2013; Vogt, W. Paul, Dianna C. Gardner, and
Lynne M. Haeffele. When to Use What Research Design. New York: Guilford, 2012.
Qualitative Design Samples:

Method Focus Sample Size Data Collection

Ethnography Context or culture — Observation &

interviews

Narrative Individual experience & 1 to 2 Stories from

sequence individuals &
documents

Phenomenological People who have 5 to 25 Interviews

experienced a
phenomenon

Grounded Theory Develop a theory from 20 to 60 Interviews, then

grounded in field data open and axial
coding

Case Study Organization, entity, — Interviews,

individual, or event documents,
reports,
observations
S.W.O.T. Analysis
research method
● A systematic plan for conducting a research i.e.
○ Experiments (cause and effect under highly controlled conditions)
○ Secondary data (data collected by others)
○ Participant observation (researcher becomes part of the study)
○ Survey research (questionnaires or interview)

● Research purpose
The purpose of this ___________(biographical, phenomenological, grounded theory, case study, ethnographic)
study is to ____________ (understand, describe, develop, discover) the __________ (central focus for the study) for
________(the unit of analysis: person, process, groups, site). At this stage in the research, the _________(central focus
being studied) will be generally defined as ____________(provide a general definition of the concept).
 ?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Questions should be open-ended, non-directional and start
with terms such as “how” or “what”.
Start with the broadest possible question, the grand tour question
(central question) and then follow with subquestions that narrows
down your focus.
Expect the research questions to evolve and to change
during the study, as data are collected.
For example, the research question in a grounded theory
study is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be
studied.

Grounded theory questions tend to be oriented toward

action and process.
“How do students react to violence on campus?”
Collecting
Data
 Data Collection Audiovisual
Materials
Observation Methods
s/field
research
Interview
s
Documents
Qualitative research …
Involves studying a small number of individuals or sites.
Is conducted in a natural setting.
Is focused on participant perspectives.
Has the researcher as the primary instrument for data collection.
Uses multiple methods of data collection in the form of words or pictures.
Involves extended firsthand engagement.
Focuses on the centrality of meaning for participants.
Deals with dynamic systems.
Deals with wholeness and complexity and assumes that change is constant.
Is subjective.
Uses an emergent (i.e. timely and promising) design.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
What’s the answer? What are the implications of your answer?
 I.PRESENTATION
● Tables and figures (photographs,
drawings, graphs and flow
diagrams) are often used to present
details whereas the narrative
section of result tends to be used to
present the general findings.

(Quantitative)
● tables or graphs rather than texts

● chronological or from the most to

the least important
II. Analyzing qualitative data
● Consists of describing information and developing themes
● Involves inductive data analysis
○ Theories and hypotheses evolve from the data.
○ Data analysis is ongoing; begins with specific observations and builds toward general patterns.
○ Involves immersion in the details and specifics of the data to discover important categories, dimensions,
and interrelationships
○ Could derive theory or provide insight on an existing theory
● Involves winnowing of data
II.a. Determining
quality of data
II.a. Determining quality of data
Verification, rather than internal validity:
● Triangulation of data
● Member checks
● Rich, thick description
● Clarification of researcher stance and preparation
● Negative or discrepant information
● Prolonged time in the field
● Collaborations: of peers, using external auditor and
peer debriefing
II.a. Determining quality of data
Transferability, rather than generalizability:
● Rich, thick description
● Triangulation to strengthen study’s usefulness for
other settings
● Use peer debriefer to review and ask questions
about the study so that the account will resonate
with people other than the researcher
II.a. Determining quality of data
Dependability:
● Dependability comes from capturing the changing
conditions that occur in the setting and the study
design in response to this reality
II.a. Determining quality of data
Confirmability:
● Checks to control for bias in interpretation
● Check and recheck data and search for rival
hypotheses
● Bracket researcher assumptions, personal values
and beliefs
● Conduct an audit of the data collection and analytic
strategies
III. Interpreting the
Data
 Numbers and results
III. Interpreting don’t speak for
themselves.
the Data So, this is the part where
Giving Meaning the researcher gives
his/her own interpretation
of the study
 What have you learned
so-far?

III. Interpreting What is new?

the Data Describe the findings,

are they mind-blowing?
Answering questions like:
Are there things that
need to be examined
further on? And where?
(recommendations part)
CONCLUSION
IT MERELY ANSWERS THE QUESTION: If
these are your findings, THEN what?

● The conclusion should tie up all the parts of the

research
● Concise and Brief
● The best conclusion would be depending on the
question of the research
Thanks To!
Vicki L. Wise, Ph.D. Portland State
University

John W. Creswell (author of

Qualitative Inquiry and Research
Design)

University of Southern California

Libraries (Website)
https://libraries.usc.edu/

Whom I base my presentation on.