Sunday, September 20, 2015

A500.6.3.RB_HaganJason

A500.6.3.RB_HaganJason

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research seeks to explore what is experienced which is the basis of what reality is. This exploration is flexible, focused on evoking or drawing out a response or fact. This can be established by conducting interviews, creating focus groups, or simply by observing an event. Qualitative research results looks to describe variations, connect the relationships, consider experiences, and define what the norms are. The format for questioning are presented as open-ended. The data collected is textual by way of audiotapes, notes, or videotapes. Qualitative research must remain flexible. Conducting this type of research is very fluid. Participant interaction and responses affect how the next question is asked by the researcher. When collecting data, further flexibility must be maintained based off of what was learned. I believe that the most important aspect of qualitative research is due to the open-ended questions. This allows a person to respond to questions or external stimulants in their own words or in their own way. The result of this method tends to enrich the meaningfulness of the answers or actions observed because the researcher is not forcing or influencing them into choosing a fixed response. This also allows the researcher to probe further by allowing the subject the freedom to elaborate on previous answers.

There are several different methods of which Qualitative Research can be used; Sampling and Recruitment. Sampling Qualitative Research is an effective way of getting valid information without collecting data from everyone within a community. Sampling requires only a subset of a selected cohort for any given study. Recruitment Qualitative Research revolves around a project that has a specific plan for screening, assessing, and selecting participants.

Reflecting on my personal experiences with Qualitative Research I have realized that I have been used in some sort of Qualitative Research countless times. For example, my place of business requires a thorough screening, assessment, and selection process in hopes of being hired. The screening process requires an application. There are several open-ended questions that require thought and insight. If approved for an assessment, this is when the Quantitative Research begins to change into more Qualitative Research. The questions are open-ended with several follow-on questions forcing you to elaborate further. This is done several times over with the researcher’s professional title and expertise changing. This allows them to evaluate the potential candidate as a “whole.” Every question or task has direct intent, every answer and result is recorded and measured. All the data that is collected is kept and compared to other candidates in the data base who have proven themselves as successful within the origination once hired. The collection of data over 30 years has allowed the current researchers to further refine their Qualitative Research methods when applying it to future candidates for hire. History has shown that the organization’s Quantitative and Qualitative Research track record of identifying the right person for the job is unparalleled to any other similar organization in the world.


Best Regards,
Jason

Reference:
Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers


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