Qualitative research can be described in terms of research as a long term study. Qualitative research is in fact subjective in nature when it come to the data. When I first was exposed to Qualitative research I remember it was a research methods class during my undergraduate studies. My first impression of qualitative research was there is no way this will work. I thought that this type of research was too subjective and the variables could be manipulated to produce the desired results. As part of the curriculum of this research class we had several student in the group to collaborate in collecting the data. This was my first exposure to qualitative research which was compared to a previous project involving quantitative research which I found easier to conduct as far as time and interpretation of the data.
Data: This type of information can be descriptive and emergent. The data can be what people experience and how they react to their environment. Example of this could be if you do a study in a low income neighborhood versus a middle class neighborhood. The subjects will more then likely have different approaches to situations that require a financial outlook to solve a problem.
Generalization: This part of the research can also be subjective on how the researcher obtains their data. Example would be did the researcher conduct interviews on select subjects based upon appearance or cultural attributes.Where did the researcher obtain his data, and what location did the researcher go and why?
Theory: The theory is an untested hypothesis that can not be corroborated until the data is analyzed to support the hypothesis of the researcher. An example of this would be that the researcher believes that people react differently based upon social standards of financial statuses.
Hypothesis: The hypothesis is an untested theory based upon observations. An example of this can be confused with a theory. An example would be that a hypothesis can be the collection of data that has not been tested to prove or disprove a theory based upon the researchers own beliefs.
In conclusion qualitative research is a process that can start anywhere in the research wheel. One can start at the theory process before ever gaining data to support their research. Once the research is concluded in the field the researcher needs to conduct an analysis of of the data collected and form a conclusion that either supports their hypothesis or could support another hypothesis explaining the interpretation of the data collected.
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