https://create.twu.ca/ldrs591-sp18/unit-6-learning-activities/
As a consumer of research reports, the most important thing(s) for me in the methods and results section of a high-quality qualitative research report is the explanation and justification of a research design. I found it difficult to determine the research design when it was not explicitly stated. Plano-Clark and Creswell (2015) offer many suggestions for keywords to look for to assist in recognizing the research design used. Chan and So (2017) did not have any of these keywords.
It is also important for a research study to be rich in detail, support a full explanation of the research, and provide a discussion of the final results. This can be done by including tables and figures that provide more detail and clarification of connections between themes. Plano-Clark and Creswell suggest that a the findings should be “rich and detailed so that the reader feels like they were present within the setting.” (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 379). I felt that this research report was somewhat lacking. I did not feel this presence in my reading and found that I had a lot of unanswered question about the research design itself. Chan and So (2017) did provide several themes, sub-themes and an adequate explanation of each theme. I feel that this is important because it helps me to further understand the purpose of the study.
For further comments and discussion, I would like to know if the flexibility of qualitative research procedures impacts the validity of the research?
References
Chan, K. W. C, & So, G. B. K. (2017). Cultivating servant leaders in secondary schooling. Servant Leadership: Theory and Practice, 4(1), 12-31.
Plano-Clark, V., & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hi Sadie,
Thank you for your insightful reflection on your experience with qualitative research. You have posed a very interesting question. I would say that because qualitative research can involve the investigation of as few as one research participant (as in a case study), great caution is exercised in making sweeping generalizations. I think that if the research study is of high quality, then there are great lengths that qualitative researchers will go to to describe how they validated their findings. I left a comment on Tom’s reflection that outlines the criteria used to determine the validity of a qualitative study. See my comments here: https://mrwilliamsphysed.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/unit-6-la4-bp1/comment-page-1/#comment-90
Interesting post, Sadie. I think with qualitative research that it’s important that the method fully discloses the process of analysis and if the researcher does change the direction that they justify why they made that decision through narrative.
I also think it may be helpful when undertaking important qualitative research to study in pairs or groups. I would imagine having multiple authors would create greater autonomy and accountability for the work requiring them to agree on analysis methods and decisions collectively.