Reference no: EM133280642

Qualitative Methods and Design Assignment - Qualitative Research Methods Discussion

Question 1 - Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:

Discuss the concept of researcher bias. What are some ways a researcher might address these issues in a qualitative study?

Question 2 - Write a 250- to 300-word response to the following:

Discuss some of the key takeaways of conducting qualitative research. How might these help you as you continue to develop into a scholar-practitioner?

Student Response 1: Review the classmates' posts and respond to at least one in a minimum of 150 words.?Explain why you agree or disagree. Then, share an example from your professional experience to support your assertions.

Researcher bias refers to a situation where a researcher skews the complete or sections of the research process in an attempt to attain a given research outcome by bringing in a systematic error into the sample data (Galdas, 2017). When any form of bias is introduced into the research process, it deviates the research from its true outcomes. In qualitative studies, researcher bias can happen when a researcher lest his or her personal preferences and choices influence the study. Equally, a researcher may interpret data to meet their hypothesis but unknowingly or include data they deem to be relevant. A researcher may ask particular questions in a way that may influence the participant's response to the following question. Overall, common researcher bias types include confirmation bias, question-order bias, and leading questions and wording bias.

Wording and leading question bias entail a researcher using questions that prompt a research participant in the direction of probable outcomes that may bring forth biased answers. To avoid this form of bias, a researcher can purpose to avoid words that may introduce bias or ensure to keep the questions as simple as possible (Galdas, 2017). Question order bias can be avoided by a researcher via starting with general questions first, before heading to sensitive or specific questions. Confirmation bias is the most prevalent form of bias that happens when an investigator interprets data in a way that conforms to one's hypothesis. To avoid confirmation bias, a researcher can continually re-evaluate the responses and impressions, and make sure that pre-existing assumptions are kept aside.

References - Galdas, P. (2017). Revisiting bias in qualitative research: Reflections on its relationship with funding and impact. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1609406917748992.

Student Response 2: Review the classmates' posts and respond to at least one in a minimum of 150 words.?Explain why you agree or disagree. Then, share an example from your professional experience to support your assertions.

Some of the key takeaways I have learned from conducting qualitative research is that in-depth interviews are semi-structured interviews in which the researcher is required to pose topics and questions, however, the questions are open-ended and guided by the participant's response. I have also learned that an interview guide is a list of topics or questions that the interviewer wants to cover during the interview. Another takeaway is that open-ended questions are questions that the researcher asks but does not offer answers to. Also, a code is a condensed representation of a more complex set of questions or ideas. The process of identifying codes in your qualitative data is commonly referred to as encoding (Creswell and Poth, 2016).

Also, additional takeaways are that oral history is a less traditional form of data collection that can take the form of interviews. Its purpose is to create a written record of material that might otherwise be forgotten by those who are unlikely to record or create archival material themselves. Also, I learned that a focus group interview consists of several respondents who take part in the interview at the same time. Qualitative interviews allow respondents to communicate information in their own words and are useful for gathering detailed information and understanding social processes (Creswell and Poth, 2016). However, they rely on the accuracy of respondents and are time-consuming, costly, and potentially emotionally draining.

Reference - Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.