Qualitative analysis is the scientific method to deal with qualitative data. This definition suggests we explain the qualitative data first. The qualitative data is the one that does not contain digits or numbers. Rather, the textual form of information is a subject of qualitative data. In another way, we can also use the term ‘soft data’ for this non-quantifiable information. So, qualitative analysis is a technique to turn the raw textual data into a scientific story. From observation of people’s behaviour to making the company’s strategies, the qualitative analysis is helpful. Hence, in this article, we will discuss a different type of qualitative analysis.
In qualitative analysis, the data to be analysed comes from a target audience. To collect data from the target audience, we can use a variety of methods. For example, open-ended- questionnaires and one-to-one interviews are common tools to collect it. But, what tool you use to collect data from the target audience does not affect the analysis method as much. Instead, what analysis method you apply to make the data meaningful matters a lot. Getting dissertation help UK in this regard is the most important.
Different Types Of Qualitative Analysis:
There are many types of qualitative analysis which are discussed as under:
Phenomenological Studies
The phenomenological method is the most effective qualitative analysis type to examine human experiences. To achieve aims, the subject of the description is the participant’s experiences. In general, such experiences are known as lived experiences. This type of qualitative analysis is ideal for exploring subjects with very little or no published information.
Further, to conduct phenomenological studies, the researcher asks people for lived experiences. Perhaps the most common tool to gather experiences is interviewing. After gathering the experiences, the next step is to understand the experiences. To do so, the researcher must consider his beliefs and feelings as well. The bracketing is the central idea to conduct phenomenological research. In bracketing, the researcher first perceives his expectation about the discovery. After estimating the results, the researcher put aside personal ideas. This process allows the researcher to have an insight about people’s experience about a particular phenomenon.
Grounded Theory Studies
In social sciences to be specific, another most practical qualitative analysis type is Grounded Theory research. The Ground Theory suggested by two sociologists named Glaser and Strauss laid the foundation of this type. In Grounded Theory research, the researchers first collect or analyse the data. After that, the next step is to propose a theory grounded in the collected data. Both inductive and deductive approaches can help a researcher to conduct this research. The reason lies in the fact that, for the development of a theory, testing hypotheses is of paramount importance. The ground theory approach has vast applications in nursing and social societies. But before selecting this type of analysis, the researcher must know one thing, that is, the Ground theory type research emphasizes more on the generation of a theory, while other types focus on hypothesis testing in academic assignments.
Historical Studies
Historical studies are the type of qualitative analysis that involves the background. Further, historical researches are the best option for making decisions by the previous history. For example, the medical history of a disease or patients helps improve practices. In this way, historical studies allow us to link past events with current/future events.
The data for historical research are often present in artefacts and relics. As the data collected from such document refers to secondary method of data collection, the historical researchers consider this type as most difficult to conduct. Most of the historians have declared maintaining curiosity, tenacity, scepticism or perseverance in the research as the most difficult tasks. Thus, following a chronological ordering technique can help useful here.
Case Studies
By definition, a case study is an in-depth study of an individual and group of people. Besides people, organizations/institutions and even a medical situation can be analysed in case studies. In short, the subject of the case study depends on the nature of the field of research. An interesting fact about the case study is its multitasking abilities. It lies in both qualitative as well as quantitative research types. It is the type of data you get that decide what type of case study you are conducting. The questionnaires, interviews, official websites and observation are ways that aid in case studies. After data gathering, thematic or content analysis can help to get results.
In contrast, case studies sometimes irritate the researcher. It takes a longer time to analyse the data as compared to others. More, the success of a case study depends on the research skills of a researcher. To put it in another way, the personal factors are highly effective in this type of analysis. As a big picture, the case study helps us to conduct a qualitative analysis in several fields. By getting a few necessary skills, a person can conduct a good study.
Action Research Studies
Different types of qualitative analysis are working to make a better future in academic content writing. For achieving the aim, action research studies are most prominent. Unlike other researches, it helps us in improving current practices and suggest new ones. Such research targets people’s or institution’s actions in order to bring changes in a setup. This qualitative analysis is most sought after in medical or healthcare setups. Also, the implementation of a proposed action is a vital part of the action studies. Such research studies are best for social workers. It helps them to cater for ever emerging challenges in their professional path.
Other than benefits, the action plan researches have some drawbacks as well. For instnace, the researcher sometimes gets confused between the action and research. This confusion leads to improper application of research and actions. Further, it is taking too much time to complete, so it becomes difficult to use in short term studies.
To conclude, qualitative researches are effective in covering a variety of researches. But, at the same time, this method is not free from critique. It is more difficult to test a qualitative method by using a few standard criteria. More, in general, people feels digital or statistical facts are more authentic. So, as a whole, the qualitative analysis also has both pros and cons. So, before designing a qualitative analysis, proper knowledge about how it works is necessary.
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