TCA Lectures What type of research tools are used in qualitative research? Mention the characteristics of any three tools for qualitative research. BEd

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Answer:

Qualitative research engages the target audience in an open-ended, exploratory discussion using tools like focus groups or in-depth interviews. Qualitative research explores the “what, why and how” questions and provides directional data about the target audience. It is commonly used to explore the perceptions and values that influence behavior, identify unmet needs, understand how people perceive a marketing message or ad, or to inform a subsequent phase of quantitative research.

Learn more about Isurus’ qualitative research tools:

• In-depth interviews
• Focus groups
• Asynchronous focus groups
• Qualitative techniques

In-depth Interviews

In-depth interviews are a guided, open-ended discussion with a single respondent. Interviewers lead respondents through a structured topic guide that addresses key issues of interest. Indepth interviews are appropriate for executives, geographically dispersed groups and people who would not feel comfortable speaking openly in a group (e.g., business competitors). In the US in-depth interviews are typically conducted by telephone. In the Middle East, Latin America and some Asian countries in-depth interviews are typically conducted in-person.

Focus Groups

A focus group is a moderated discussion with a group of participants; the size of the group depends on the target audience and mode (online versus in-person). While focus groups have historically been held in person (face-to-face), they are increasingly conducted virtually using teleconferencing, web-conferencing, or online collaboration tools. Focus groups are used when the research objectives will be better accomplished through a dynamic discussion and sharing of ideas among participants or when it is critical for the client team to observe the discussion in real-time.

Asynchronous Focus Groups

Also known as “bulletin-board” groups, asynchronous focus groups are threaded discussions that take place over the course of multiple days. Participants respond to new questions posted daily by the moderator. The discussion is observable by the client team. Asynchronous discussions are most useful when participants need time to digest and respond to the questions and other stimuli, either because the topic is complex (e.g., highly technical offerings) or because there is a lot of information (e.g., multiple concepts or messages). The asynchronous nature of the discussion also enables the client and research team to consider and react to findings that emerge during the discussion (e.g., use feedback from the group to revise and re-test a concept). This methodology can be the best way to reach target audiences who are difficult to schedule (e.g., doctors).

Qualitative Techniques

Isurus moderators employ a range of tools and techniques to make qualitative research productive, such as projective exercises, laddering and individual exercises. Through techniques like these as well as effective moderating, we encourage participants to go beyond superficial, knee-jerk responses to uncover their true opinions and behaviors. Effective moderation is critical to the success of qualitative research, of the specific methodology used. Each Isurus moderator brings more than 15 years of experience with a range of qualitative research approaches. The moderator, typically an Isurus principal, is an integral part of the project team from start to finish, and plays a key role in translating the business objectives into productive research, analyzing the data, and presenting the results 

Characteristics of any three tools for qualitative research:

According to Rolfe, “judging quality in qualitative research is symptomatic of an inability to identify a coherent ‘qualitative’ research paradigm and that, in effect, such a unified paradigm does not exist outside of research textbooks". This makes it more challenging for the researcher or scholar learner to adopt this methodology as a standard for investigation since the paradigm that Rolfe refers to has to expand through thorough reading or via the experiences of more educated researchers.

Another characteristic of qualitative research is its promotion of a more diverse reaction from those who have been asked or surveyed. This is because the human behavior is taken more into consideration than metrics or numbers–therefore making the results more difficult to analyze, due to the variety of rules for interpretation of the responses. It is challenging but at the same time it can be fun.

Yet another characteristic of qualitative research relates to time and cost. This type of research can be pricey and time-consuming because of the time that the analysis of the responses may tak–and you've heard it before, “Time means money". There are many voice questions about the value of qualitative research, especially in recent years. Most of the criticism comes from those who believe that the evidence is strictly circumstantial and lacks of hard metrics to be proven.

In conclusion, although the discussion here has been around the characteristics of qualitative research, it is important to emphasize that both qualitative and quantitative research methods form two different schools of research. On the surface it seems that qualitative research concerns the quality of research while quantitative research deals with simply numerical research. Qualitative researchers seek to appraise things as they are seen by humans, while making an effort to look at a realistic representation of life and providing an interpretative understanding of such mental drawing. Face it, qualitative research is not a hard science that will continue to draw criticism from quantitative researchers. Neither of these schools of thought is superior to the other, and when carried out correctly both provide what is needed for good research.

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