What are the main types of qualitative approaches to research?
While there are many different investigations that can be done, a study with a qualitative approach generally can be described with the characteristics of one of the following three types:
Historical research describes past events, problems, issues and facts. Data are gathered from written or oral descriptions of past events, artifacts, etc. It describes “what was” in an attempt to recreate the past. It is different from a report in that it involves interpretation of events and its influence on the present. It answers the question: “What was the situation?”
Examples of Historical Research:
- A study of the factors leading to the historical development and growth of cooperative learning
- A study of the effects of the historical decisions of the United States Supreme Court on American prisons
- A study of the evolution of print journalism in the United States through a study of collections of newspapers
- A study of the historical trends in public laws by looking recorded at a local courthouse
Ethnographic research develops in-depth analytical descriptions of current systems, processes, and phenomena and/or understandings of the shared beliefs and practices of a particular group or culture. This type of design collects extensive narrative data (non-numerical data) based on many variables over an extended period of time in a natural setting within a specific context. The background, development, current conditions, and environmental interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded, and analyzed for patterns in relation to internal and external influences. It is a complete description of present phenomena.
One specific form of ethnographic research is called a case study. It is a detailed examination of a single group, individual, situation, or site.
A meta-analysis is another specific form. It is a statistical method which accumulates experimental and correlational results across independent studies. It is an analysis of analyses.
Examples of Ethnographic Research:
- A case study of parental involvement at a specific magnet school
- A multi-case study of children of drug addicts who excel despite early childhoods in poor environments
- The study of the nature of problems teachers encounter when they begin to use a constructivist approach to instruction after having taught using a very traditional approach for ten years
- A psychological case study with extensive notes based on observations of and interviews with immigrant workers
- A study of primate behavior in the wild measuring the amount of time an animal engaged in a specific behavior
Narrative research focuses on studying a single person and gathering data through the collection of stories that are used to construct a narrative about the individual’s experience and the meanings he/she attributes to them.
Examples of Narrative Research:
- A study of the experiences of an autistic student who has moved from a self-contained program to an inclusion setting
- A study of the experiences of a high school track star who has been moved on to a championship-winning university track team
The acquisition of knowledge using the scientific method
A process that is used to organize acquired knowledge in to 6 different steps
1. ID a Problem 2. Develop a Research Plan 3. Conduct a Study 4. Analyze and Evaluate Data 5. Communicate Results 6. Generate New Ideas
What are the 6 steps of the scientific method?
Determine an area of interest. Review the literature. ID new ideas. Develop a hypothesis
Define variables. ID subjects/sample. Research strategy and design. Ethics.
Execute plan/ gather and record data
Analyze and Evaluate Data
Related to hypothesis and summarize results
Oral, Written, or poster (method) APA (Style)
Expand idea if results support hypothesis, reformulate a new idea if results do not support hypothesis
What are the five nonscientific methods for acquiring knowledge?
Tenacity intuition authority rationalism empiricism
Based on one's experience
1. Describe 2. Explain 3. Predict 4. Control
What are the four goals of science
One of the four goals of science. What is the behavior or event?
One of the four goals of science. What are the causes of behavior or event?
One of the four goals of science. Can we anticipate when the behavior or event will occur in the future?
One of the four goals of science. Can we manipulate the conditions necessary to make a behavior or event occur and not occur?
What type of research is used to understand the nature of behavior?
What type of research do we use to answer questions concerning practical problems that require practical solutions?
Basic Applied Applied Basic
What type of research? What is learned in theory... Practical solutions... Test how practical solutions to a problem.... Fit with the theories we use to explain that problem.....
Uses the scientific method to record observations as numeric data.
Uses the scientific method to make non-numeric observations from which conclusions are drawn without the use of statistical analysis
Anything that can change or vary across observations
Defines how each variable is measured or assessed