Essay on Qualitative Research Methods

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Pages: 54

Question 1 Compare and contrast the following qualitative research methods: case study, phenomenological, and grounded theory. Synthesize the findings and determine which is best suited to a study on your potential dissertation topic. Analyze the issues associated with sample selection, validity, and bias in such a study.

Qualitative Research Methods
Introduction
It is common for researchers to compare qualitative and quantitative research methods. Quantitative methods originate from positivist and post- positivist research paradigms. Also, the methods objectively examine statistical data to determine cause and affect and often use generalizable data. There are various methods used in quantitative research such as surveys,
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According to Creswell (2009), the empirical inquiry collects data from multiple sources and examines them in detail over a period of time. The main purpose of a case study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the study’s process and outcome. Therefore, a researcher uses four factors: creates research questions, investigates tactics, sets up variables, and predicts an outcome. There are three types of case studies: (a) an instrumental case study focuses on the general aspects of the case; (b) an intrinsic case study focuses on understanding the details of the case; and (c) a collective case study which allows a researcher to compare multiple cases within a single research (Stake, 1995). The commonality among the three types of case studies is the descriptive or exploratory design which depends on the strategy of the study. Exploratory research emphasizes the relationship between factors; whereas, descriptive research focuses on documenting conditions, attitudes or characteristics of participants in the study (Creswell, 2009). Therefore, a researcher must structure the research questions to produce answers that identify the purpose statement. Miles and Huberman (1994) suggest the questions be quasi-deductive which is open-ended and structured directly from the conceptual framework in terms of variables, relationships and context. A case study is specific in its data collection approach