Advanced Qualitative Research: Understanding Paradigms, Research Designs, Literature Review, Research Methods, Tools, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Validity, and Reliability

Running head: PAPER ON ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
PAPER ON ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
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1PAPER ON ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Introduction
In recent times there have been witnessed a significant prominence in the utilization and
acceptance of qualitative methods in various domains namely health, education, social sciences
and other significant spheres. This has further been exhibited in the rise in funding assigned to
qualitative assignments or the ones constituting of qualitative component, along with a
development in qualitative publications and the incorporation of qualitative methodologies in the
educational curricula. It is important to note that qualitative researching and observation is
important as well as crucial within the educational arena, thus has been recognized as an
immensely gratifying activity because of its high level of engagement with things of utmost
importance and significance (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011). Understanding theories on sustainable
development have enhanced my theoretical perspective which reveals the propensity level of
theories to distinguish aspects of social divergences and conflicts from either conjectural
perspective whereby these theories should further be alleviated or further be radicalized in order
to purposely produce significant transitions and developments (Hatch, 2002). Through
qualitative research, we can effectively explore a broad array of aspects and dimensions of the
social world which tends to involve the texture and quality of everyday life, the vital
understandings, knowledge, and experiences and further envisages of our research participants,
along with the social approaches, institution, discourses or associations perform along with the
implication of meanings which are generated. However, this can be executed with qualitative
methods and approaches with the usage of techniques or methodologies that celebrate reliability,
opulence, intensity, nuance, ideas, and perspective along with the level of complexities rather
being inconvenienced by the participants (Hatch, 2002). However, these vital areas of qualitative
research at times is evaded in the face of criticisms which state that qualitative research and

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observation is identified as ‘merely’ anecdotal or is executed in casual and unsystematic ways.
The following paper explicitly evaluates certain areas of qualitative research such as
understanding paradigms, research designs, literature review, research methods, tools, data
collection, data analysis, finds, validity, and reliability of research by providing individualistic
reflections on these methods.
Discussion
Understanding ‘Qualitativeness’ of Qualitative Research
There have been recognized several endeavours in order to define qualitative research in
the domain of social sciences and further to determine the distinguishing factors of the method
with that of quantitative research. However, there cannot be witnessed any consensus on these
areas as qualitative research certainly is not a combined set of techniques, methods and
philosophies and thus has emerged as a broad array of intellectual and disciplinary traditions
(Lewis, 2015). For example, it can be noted that qualitative research is perhaps most commonly
associated with certain institutions which engage broadly within what is regarded as the
interpretivist sociological conventions particularly phenomenology and ethnomethodology
(Seidman, 2013). Psychology, although predominantly being long associated with quantitative
as well as ‘scientific’ research methods, in recent times has developed a more critical school
which tends to exhibit greater degree of inclination towards qualitative and sometimes advanced
or post modern approaches to conduct research particularly the observations rooted in discourse
and content analysis but also psychoanalysis (Hatch, 2002).

3PAPER ON ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
However, has been deliberated to be comprehensive set of influences which have
generated to be a diverse range of approaches which are identified as qualitative research but on
the other hand is formulated to execute a sense of the range of philosophical underpinnings along
with methodological methods and practices which have the tendency to be encompassed by time
(Denzin & Lincoln, 2011). Furthermore, these various traditions, schools and disciplines
function with distinctive perceptions related to what makes the social world go round along with
its value and significance. As a consequence, qualitative research comprises of various ideas and
techniques related to the extent to which empirical investigation can inform the researchers about
the meaning and proper connotations of anything (Graue, 2015). Thus, this signifies that the
wide array of traditions which constitute of some kind of interest in qualitative research does not
unite distinctively into a single identical philosophy or set of methodological principles (Flick,
2013).
In my perspective, it is a highly comprehensive area of strength of qualitative research
that it cannot be condensed to a simple as well as prescriptive set of standards and disciplines
and thus I belief that a major proportion of researchers ranging from various different traditions
and disciplines exhibit high level of interest in conducting research in some way or the other that
is qualitative in nature. Thus, with the understanding obtained by reading “Doing Qualitative
Research in Education Settings” by J.Amos Hatch and further acquiring ideas from other books
based on qualitative research, I emphasize on the high level of reliability and rich form of
qualitative research approaches, strategise and techniques through which I can further develop a
sense of comprehending the vital facets of qualitative research.
Paradigms of Qualitative Research