2. Questions for Discussion
• What are the key characteristics of qualitative
research?
• What types of problems are best suited for qualitative
inquiry?
• What research skills are required to undertake this
type of research?
• What are the features of a “good” qualitative study?
• How do researchers design a qualitative study?
• What types of ethical issues need to be anticipated
during the process of qualitative research?
• What design structures are useful for a qualitative
study plan or proposal?
2Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
3. Common Characteristics of
Qualitative Research
• Research takes place in natural settings
• The key instrument of data collection is the researcher
• Qualitative researchers use multiple methods of data
collection and multiple forms of data
• Qualitative researchers build patterns, categories and
themes from the “bottom up” by inductive and
deductive logic
• Qualitative researchers focus on learning participant
meaning and understanding through multiple
perspectives
• Qualitative research is situated within the context or
setting
3Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
4. Common Characteristics of
Qualitative Research (continued)
• The research process is emergent. Initial
methods, questions, and data collection evolve
with the study.
• Researchers engage in reflexivity to “position
themselves” in qualitative studies. The
researcher considers how who they are and
what they believe will impact all areas of the
study.
• Qualitative researchers develop and present a
holistic account of the problem being studied.
4Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
5. When to Use Qualitative Research
• We need to explore a problem or issue
• We need a complex understanding
• We want to empower individuals
• We want to report in a literary and flexible
style
• We need to develop theories
• Quantitative measures do not fit the
problem
5Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
6. What a Qualitative Study
Requires from the Researcher
• Commitment to extensive time in the field
• Engagement in the complex, time-consuming task
of data analysis
• A commitment to writing long, descriptive
passages showing multiple perspectives the
complexity of findings
• Participation in a process that does not have firm
guidelines or specific procedures and is constantly
evolving and changing
• Consider ethical issues that may surface
6Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
7. The Features of a “Good”
Qualitative Study
• The researcher
• Employs rigorous data collection procedures
• Frames the study within the assumptions and
characteristics of the qualitative approach to
research
• Conducts an ethical study
• Uses an understood approach to research (such
as one of the five approaches in the book)
especially when beginning
• Begins with a single focus or concept
7Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
8. What makes a “Good” Study?
(continued)
• The researcher
• Employs a rigorous approach to data collection
• Includes detailed methods that describe rigorous
data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Analyzes data using multiple levels of abstraction-
moves from particulars to generalization
• Writes persuasively so the reader experiences
“being there” —verisimilitude
• Reflects their own history, culture, and personal
experiences
8Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
9. The Process of Designing a
Qualitative Study
• Research design refers to the plan for
conducting the study
• Preliminary considerations
– Methodological congruence among purposes,
questions, and methods
– Interactiveness of the research design
– How to use literature and theory
– Background and interest the researcher
brings
9Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
10. Phases of the Research Process
10Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
11. Elements in All Phases of the Research
• Share our backgrounds and experiences and
how they shape interpretation
• Sensitive to ethical considerations—entry into
site, involvement of participants, personal
data gathered, and time of participants
• Through reciprocity, give back to participants
• Follow institutional review board guidelines
11Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
13. Ethics in Qualitative Research (continued)
13
Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
Sources: Adapted from APA (2010); Creswell (2013, 2016);
Lincoln (2009); Mertens and Ginsberg (2009).
14. Design Considerations Useful for
Engaging Readers
• Study a unique sample that has not been studied
or is unusual
• Assume an unconventional angle or perspective
• Observe uncommon or unusual sites
• Collect atypical forms of data, like images or
sounds
• Present findings in an unusual way
• Focus on a timely topic that is drawing attention
14Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
15. General Writing Structures
• Introduce the problem, purpose, and
research questions
• What do readers need to better
understand your topic?
• What do readers need to know about your
topic?
• What do you propose to study?
15Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
16. General Writing Structures
(continued)
• Describe the procedures guiding the study
• What is the setting, and who are the people
you will study?
• What methods do you plan to use to collect
data?
• How will you analyze the data?
• How will you validate your findings?
• What ethical issues will your study present?
16Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
17. General Writing Structures
(continued)
• Report preliminary findings available from a
pilot study if one was completed
• What do preliminary results (if available)
indicate about the practicability and value of
the proposed study?
• Outline anticipated implications of the study
• What significance does the study intend to
have?
17Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.
