Qualitative research takes an inductive approach and its methods were developed in the social sciences to
enable researchers to study social and cultural phenomena. There is no universally accepted definition of
qualitative research, although it is accepted that data collected during qualitative research activities is usually
not numerical. Qualitative approaches to research are based on a "world view" which is holistic and has the
following beliefs:
.
A range of terms is employed to indicate that the approach to research being used is qualitative; these include
holistic, naturalistic, ethnographic, constructivist and interpretive. One significant difference between qualitative
and quantitative research approaches is that no intervention, or control group is used in qualitative research.
Characteristics of qualitative research are that:
· It is not based upon numerical measurements and does not use numbers and statistical
methods as key research indicators and tools. Instead, it uses words as the unit of
analysis and often takes an in-depth, holistic or rounded approach to
events/issues/case studies.
· It tends to be associated with small-scale studies and a holistic perspective, often
studying a single occurrence or small number of occurrences/case studies in great
depth.
· It does not investigate causal hypotheses, instead developing and testing theories as
part of an ongoing process.
· It tends to be associated with researcher involvement, with the researcher acting as a
measurement tool.
· A common perception of qualitative research is that the emphasis is on discovery rather
than proof.
· Examples of qualitative research methods are:
o action research
o case study
o grounded theory
o historical methods
o ethnography.
Qualitative research usually involves conducting a case study on a small group of
people for some length of time. Qualitative research begins with a loosely
formulated idea or topic. Next she selects a social group or site for study. Once she
gains access to the group or site, she adopts a social role in the setting and begins
observing. The researcher observes and interacts with people in the field setting for
เอกสารประกอบการสอน รายวิชา Research Methodology in Social Sciences
a period ranging from a few months to several years, gets to know personally the
people being studied, and takes very detailed notes on daily basis. During the
months of observation, she carefully considers what is observed and refines or
focuses ideas. Finally, she leaves the field site and rereads her notes in order to
prepare a written report.