Conclusion
Qualitative research accepts that people know themselves best and can describe,
interpret and talk about their own environment. It is an inductive form of inquiry
that accepts the researcher as the main data collection instrument and
acknowledges that he or she is attached to a set of ‘baggage’ that shapes and
informs the researcher’s opinions, attitudes and ways of looking at phenomena
and interpreting findings. It is also a form of research concerned with the context.
Understanding the research environment and all its political, social, psychological,
economic and cultural dynamics is vital to producing rich, useful, valid findings.
To conclude, let us return to the lake and the fisherman. To know what forms
of marine life exist at varying depths in the lake, we must search below the surface
of the water. To succeed in catching different types of fish, we must fish from
different locations, at different times of the day, using different types of bait and
varied fishing methods. Similarly, to get the underlying meaning of social
phenomena, qualitative researchers must look beyond the obvious, hear what is
not actually stated, interpret behaviors within their natural context, and try to
understand what people tell us from their perspective, through their lens. Only
then, after quiet periods of incubation, reflection and synthesis, can we write a
rich, descriptive account of the research experience, share the discoveries, the
lessons learned and identify new places on the lake for the next researcher to place
a boat, select equipment and look beneath the surface.