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Unit 8 Qualitative Methods

1. Differentiate between quantitative studies and qualitative studies.

Quantitative studies are mainly of explanatory nature focusing on the 'why' components. Qualitative studies focus on 'how' and 'what' components with a view to understanding in process dynamics in specific situations. 

2. What are the basic factors of qualitative studies?

Basic factors of qualitative studies are natural setting, researcher's involvement, visual and verbal images, process dynamics, inductive logic and participant perspectives. 

3. Why should you choose the qualitative method in counselling and family therapy? 

The qualitative method is suitable to study complex human and social problems in totality, to observe the phenomena without making any manipulations or controls on variable, to study and explore the nature of subjective quality. 

4. Give one example of each of the following: 

i) Biography: The contribution of an innovative counsellor. 

ii) Phenomenological study: Existing curriculum transaction in a school. 

iii) Ethnography: Parents involvement in school management. 

iv) Case study: Study of an extended family. 

v) Grounded theory approach: Professionalism in counselling. 

5. What are the common features of different kinds of qualitative studies?

All qualitative studies use qualitative data collection techniques like interviews, observations, document analysis, photographic techniques, and descriptive and narrative approaches of data analysis. 

6. How does a researcher identify research questions?

Researcher can identify research questions by experiencing first-hand exposures and study of literature. 

7. What are the different sources of data used in qualitative studies?

Sources of data used in qualitative research are empirical evidences as revealed through interviews and observations, demography, documents, physical trace of evidences, visual and verbal images.

8. How is participant observation different from general observation?

A participant observer plays the role of being part and parcel of locality. General observer is alien to the reality.

9. What are the different data analysis techniques used in qualitative studies?

Data analysis techniques used in qualitative studies are reviews, descriptions, codification and categorizations. 

10. Differentiate between the strategies adopted in conducting quantitative studies and those in qualitative studies.

• Quantitative studies aim to measure and quantify phenomena using standardised tools and statistical analysis. They often involve large samples to ensure generalizability and employ structured methods like questionnaires and surveys. The design is typically fixed in advance, and the researcher maintains an objective and impersonal role. Analysis involves numerical data processing and statistical tests to identify relationships, predict outcomes and generalise findings to a larger population.
• Qualitative studies, on the other hand, focus on understanding the complex dynamics and meanings of human behaviour and experiences in natural settings. They utilise smaller, purposive samples and flexible designs. Data collection involves semi-structured or unstructured methods like in-depth interviews, observations and document analysis, often incorporating the researcher's subjective perspective. Analysis emphasises identifying themes, patterns, and participant perspectives through descriptive and narrative techniques.

11. What are the limitations of qualitative research? 

While qualitative research is valuable for understanding complex social phenomena and individual experiences, it has certain limitations:

• Subjectivity and Bias: Qualitative research is inherently subjective as the researcher's perspectives and interpretations play a significant role. This can lead to bias in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Limited Generalisability: Qualitative studies typically involve small, purposive samples, making it challenging to generalise the findings to larger populations. This limits the applicability of the results beyond the specific context of the study.
• Difficulty in Replication: The flexible nature of qualitative research designs and the researcher's influence on the process can make it challenging to replicate the study, potentially hindering the verification of findings.
• Time-Consuming and Resource-Intensive: Data collection and analysis in qualitative research can be very time-consuming, requiring extensive engagement with participants and in-depth analysis of large amounts of textual or visual data.
• Lack of Statistical Analysis: The absence of statistical analysis in qualitative research makes it difficult to quantify relationships, test hypotheses, and determine the significance of findings in a statistically rigorous way.

12. How can we judge trustworthiness of qualitative research? 

• Prolonged engagement and persistent observation
• Rival explanations
• Triangulation
• Peer view or debriefing
• Design checks
• Negative case analysis
• Clarifying researcher's bias
• Member checks
• Rich and thick descriptive presentation
• External audits

13. What should be the role of a researcher in conducting qualitative research?

In qualitative methods the role of researcher is visualized as inseparable from the problem under study. The qualitative researcher interacts with the situation she or he studies. The researcher becomes a part and parcel of situations studied, and almost tries to find the meaning by being very close to the reality. 

Hence, the gap between observer and observed is minimized. The researcher shifts her or his status from objective and external observer to insider.