While quantitative research often emphasizes establishing causal relationships, generalizing findings, and replicating studies, these concepts are approached differently in qualitative research. Let's explore each concept:
1. Causality:
- Qualitative research aims to understand how and why things happen rather than simply establishing cause-and-effect relationships.
- Due to the complex nature of social phenomena and the influence of various factors, establishing definitive causality can be challenging.
- Researchers often explore how different factors interact and contribute to a specific outcome.
- Strategies like thick descriptions, triangulation, and member checking can help enhance the credibility of causal claims.
2. Generalization:
- Traditional notions of generalizability (applying findings to a broader population) are less relevant in qualitative research.
- Instead, the concept of transferability is preferred.
- Transferability focuses on the applicability of the findings to different contexts based on similarities and differences between contexts.
- Researchers provide rich descriptions and
contextual details to enable readers to judge the relevance of the
findings to their own context.
3. Replication:
- Exact replication of qualitative research is often impractical due to the dynamic nature of social settings and the influence of context and researcher-participant interactions.
- Instead, researchers may conduct comparative studies across different contexts to examine the similarities and differences in findings.
- Theoretical replication focuses on using the findings of a study to contribute to or refine existing theories in the field.
- Repeatable elements like data collection methods and analysis procedures can be documented to allow for future studies to build upon the findings.
Here are some key points to remember:
- Qualitative research focuses on understanding the complexities of social phenomena rather than establishing simple cause-and-effect relationships.
- Generalizability is less relevant, and transferability of findings to other contexts is emphasized.
- Replication often takes the form of comparative studies or building upon existing theories.
References:
- Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
- Silverman, D. (2016). Interpreting qualitative data (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
- Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for information, 22(2), 63-75.
Tags:
Research Methodology