METHODOLOGY AND

DESIGN FOR
QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Chapter 13
Objectives
At end of this chapter, the students will be able to
1. display fundamental knowledge of various
qualitative research designs and
2. differentiate the commonly used qualitative
research designs from each other.
GATHERING AND GENERATING DATA
Having established what previous
researchers have discovered,
documented, and published on the
topic of interest, the next step in
conducting a study is gathering and
generating new data.
GATHERING AND GENERATING DATA
This step requires the researchers to answer the
following questions:
What are the gaps in existing knowledge that the
study seeks to fill?
What kind of information is needed to fill those
gaps?
How will the study collect that information?
How does one ensure that the information collected
in the research is the kind needed to fill the gaps
and answer the initial inquiry?
GATHERING AND GENERATING DATA
Before proceeding, it is necessary to define the terms that will
be used in this chapter, and to differentiate them from one
another:
A method is a technique which the researcher uses to gather
and generate data about the subjects of their study.
A methodology is the section of the research paper which
explains why the researcher chose to use particular methods.
A research design is a plan which structures a study to ensure
that the data collected and generated will contain the
information will contain the information needed to answer the
initial inquiry as fully and clearly as possible.
MAIN METHODS USED IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Some of the most commonly used data collection
methods in qualitative research are individual
interviews, group interviews, observations, and surveys.
Individual interviews are like conversations which are
designed to elicit the information that the researcher
needs. However, unlike casual, everyday conversations,
interviews must be conducted as rigorously,
systematically, and transparently as possible to ensure
the reliability and validity of the information obtained.
MAIN METHODS USED IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Group interviews are conducted with several
participants simultaneously, and may be more
appropriate in some cases, such as when the study
concerns a community issue or shared experience.
Observations are conducted to document and
analyze behavior and social phenomena as they occur
in their natural context, and may be useful in
identifying, for example, discrepancies between what
people say (such as in interviews) and what they do.
MAIN METHODS USED IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Although surveys and questionnaires are
more often used in quantitative research, they
may also be designed to be applicable to
qualitative studies. Doing so requires that the
questions be structured to be open-ended,
with few to no restrictions on the respondent’s
answers – resembling an interview but in
written form.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

PHENOMENOLOGICAL DESIGN

The phenomenological design examines human

experience through the eyes of the subject/s and with
the help of a process called bracketing.

Bracketing – the researcher must set aside their own

feelings and expectations towards the study
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

HISTORICAL DESIGN

The historical design concerns the

identification, evaluation, and synthesis of
data from the past to confirm or reject a
hypothesis.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

HISTORICAL DESIGN

Primary resources – first-hand information such as oral

histories, written records, diaries, eyewitnesses’ accounts,
pictures, videos and other physical evidence.

Secondary resources – second-hand information such as when

a person reinterprets information from the original source, or
commentary on and analyses of an original document
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

HISTORICAL DESIGN

External criticism is based on the analysis of the printed

material; the ink and the type of paper used; the layout and
physical appearance; as well as its age and texture.

Internal criticism involves establishing the authenticity and

originality of the materials by looking at the consistency of
information.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

CASE STUDY DESIGN

The case study design is an in-depth examination of an

individual, group of people, or entity, and usually does not
intend to generalize its conclusions to greater populations.

The data from case studies is evaluated through content

analysis. It involves the examination of communication
messages.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:
GROUNDED THEORY DESIGN
The grounded theory design involves a rigorous, systematic
collection of rich data and formulating a theory based on that data.
The grounded theory method uses both an inductive and a
deductive approach to theory development. In a deductive theory,
a theory is formulated, then the collection of data follows. In an
inductive approach, collection of data is conducted first, and then
through the analysis of these data, the synthesized form is the
theory itself.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

ACTION RESEARCH

Action research seeks to improve practice through the

implementation of interventional actions and study the
effects of those actions.
COMMON RESEARCH DESIGNS
Some of the more common qualitative research designs include:

META-ANALYSIS DESIGN

Meta-Analysis Design is a systematic evaluation of

multiple individual studies on a topic in order to not
only summarize the results, but also develop a new
understanding of the research problem.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Steps in Planning the Design

Establishing Methodological Nature of the Thinking

Scoping.
the purpose location. data. ahead.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN

Step 1 Why do you want to address this

Establishing research? What are its expected benefits?
the purpose. Who will benefit from the research?
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN

Step 2 What methods and strategies do you

Methodological
location.
intend to use?
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN

Revisit the scope and delimitation of your

research. What will the study cover?
What will it not cover? What major and
Step 3
sub-variables will you focus on? These
Scoping.
details will significantly affect what kind
of research design will best suit your
study.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Take a look at the research problem. What kind
of data is needed to answer the inquiry? What
sorts of data are relevant and available? How
should the data be handled? What research
Step 4 methods will most likely generate the data
Nature of the
needed? Does the study intend to focus on
data.
specific, isolated subjects, or generalize to a
greater population? Will the study implement
or avoid direct intervention in generating and
collecting data?
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN

How big will the data be? What is the

intended result of the study? At this
Step 5 stage, the researcher must be analytical
Thinking
ahead.
and skeptical. Asking other researchers
can help in planning the design best
suited to the study.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Stages of the Project
Planning your research design will also entail
delineating the stages of the study and setting a pace for
completion. A good rule of thumb is to schedule the
different tasks well ahead of time, in order to avoid
unnecessary time constraints.
Time should be allotted for asking questions and
incorporating the answers into the analysis, and, above
all, for writing, rewriting, revisiting the data, and
verifying the conclusions.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Conceptualizing stage.

This includes the literature review

and the critiquing of other studies.
A poorly or hastily conceptualized
project may lead to hazy,
inconclusive results.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Setting up a data management system.

This should be planned

meticulously. Failing to
systematize data collection can
prove disastrous for a project.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Sampling and theoretical sampling.

Unless you intend to implement

convenience sampling, you should not
assume that your intended subjects are
readily and immediately available.
Take the necessary time to locate your
sample.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Collecting and generating data.

All the preparations made thus far were

done for this stage of the study. This is where
you will you put your chosen methods to
work. Depending on the nature of the study,
this may require field work – entering a
physical location or a social space from
which you will gather information.
PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Analysis.

In addition to the actual analysis of the data,

you should also allow time for coding the
data, recoding the exploratory categories,
management and exploration of category
systems, and coding validation and
reliability exploration.
Research Design Example 1:
A researcher wants to explore the impact of social
media on first-time voters and their choice of
candidates in the 2016 Philippine national
elections. Due to the nature of the study, the
researcher decides to employ a combination of
phenomenological and case study designs, using
one-on-one interviews with first-time voters from
ten different colleges and universities.
Research Design Example 2:
A researcher notes that a number of studies have been
conducted on the long, storied career of a beloved president
of her alma mater, under whose term that school became one
of the top educational institutions in the Philippines.
However, despite focusing on the same general topic – the
factors that made this president’s career so successful,
including progressive educational reforms implemented
during his term – these studies have somewhat inconsistent
conclusions. The researcher then decides to conduct a meta-
analysis of all these previous studies in an attempt to gain a
better perspective of the bigger picture.
Research Design Example 3:
This study utilized the qualitative type of study which according
to Nieswiadomy (2004) is a naturalistic method of inquiry
research, which deals with the issue of human complexity by
exploring it directly. In this type, the emphasis is on the
complexity of humans, their ability to shape and create their own
experience, and the idea that truth is a composite of reality. This
study utilizes the case study method. Case study method
involves a comprehensive and extensive examination of a
particular individual, group, or situation over a period of time. It
provides information on where to draw conclusion about the
impact of a significant event in a person’s life (Sanchez, 2002).
Research Design Example 3:

This design is fitted to this present study since the focus is on the
psychological processes of a group of students who failed on
their academic performance in physics, soliciting their personal
views and perceptions relative to the queries given by a panel of
interviewers during the third quarter of the school year 2013-
2014.
End of Chapter 13