LDRS591, Unit 6, Activity 6.1

l will evaluate E. Russell, Maxfield, and J. Russell’s (2017) study based on Plano-Clark & Creswell’s (2015) seven criteria for evaluating the research design of a qualitative research report (p.  301).

1. A research design guides the conduct of the qualitative study (3/3) –  Russell et al. (2017) use the qualitative grounded theory “to discover how senior level leaders perceive personal benefits derived from serving the needs of their followers” (p. 75); this study researched the action of perceiving personal benefits through online questionnaires that questioned 14 senior level leaders. As the grounded theory approach seeks to explain “a process, action, or interaction [….] built from the experiences and perspectives of participants,” Russell et al. (2017) seems knowledgeable about the design and use accurate terms to describe the grounded theory process.
2. The choice of the research design is appropriate  and justified (3/3) – Russell et al. (2017) justify their choice of using the qualitative grounded theory by stating: “The design allows for an analysis of data using a constant comparative method” (p. 84). Beyond this reasoning, the nature of the study that considers the experience of its participants’ interpretation of their personal benefits derived from serving followers requires personal assessments of leaders “who have experienced the process” (Plano-Clark & Creswell, 2015, p. 298) that the grounded theory offers.
3. Good qualitative data collection procedures are used (2/3) – Plano-Clark & Creswell (2015) state, “You often find that the grounded theory researcher interviewed people” (p. 298). While Russell et al. (2017) do not interview their participants directly, they choose to collect their participants’ experience and perspectives through online questionnaires to protect their anonymity which equally serves the study’s purpose. The researchers ran a pilot study to refine the questions, and “established a secure database for data collection and storage to ensure data reliability” (p. 85).
4. Good qualitative analysis procedures are used (3/3) – A good grounded research analyses “data using multiple stages of coding” (Plano-Clark & Creswell, 2015, p. 298). Russell et al. (2017) adhere to this characteristic by using “a tiered process for the sorting and analysis of the data” (p. 86) which included open codes and axial codes.
5. Good qualitative results and interpretations are reported (3/3) – The results are organized well into two categories (or attributes) and a sample of the questionnaire answers are presented to support the two attributes. Overall, the conclusion and discussion of the data interpret the generated theory that leaders benefits from serving followers.
6. The study used a rigorous research design (3/3) – The study’s process and analysis fit together logically and coherently. The article begins with a clear framework of the characteristics of servant leadership, and explore its research question thoroughly.
7. The use of the qualitative research design addressed the study’s purpose (3/3) – The research design fits the study’s intent and answers the study’s intent of understanding how senior leadership perceives personal benefits of serving their followers; “leaders realize personal benefits from serving the needs of followers” (Russel et al., 2015, p. 92).

References

Plano-Clark, V., & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.