An Overview of Qualitative Research and Focus Group Discussion

Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 1 - 15, 30.12.2021

Seçil Tümen Akyıldız , Kwestan Hussein Ahmed

https://doi.org/10.17985/ijare.866762

Cited By: 22

Abstract

Recently, qualitative studies have been widespread in various areas such as, psychology, business, and sociology. In this review, the process of qualitative study has been clarified with the aim of offering a description of its general process. Basically, the qualitative investigation is exploratory, which indicates an understanding of the results made by the researcher(s). Likewise, designing a research is a process or guideline utilized to prepare, implement, and evaluate an idea that the researchers want to reveal about an issue. It is also a plan to answer the problems or concepts of an investigated study. Since qualitative studies help researchers to examine opinions, attitudes, and perspectives of human beings, so it has gained more attention in many fields and especially in the area of social sciences. Accordingly, the qualitative study focuses on how individuals perceive and give meaning to different social behaviors in order to explore people’s social observations. This study aims to reveal the qualitative research process and how the data would be collected via this approach. The researchers attempt to announce the significance of the qualitative study and focus group discussion tool (advantages and limitations as well) to propose a better understanding for the academics who want to utilize a qualitative study in social sciences.

Keywords

Qualitative Research, Focus Group Discussion, Social Sciences

References

• Adelmund, L. (2007 May 9). Dos and Don’ts for a Positive Focus Group Experience. from https://www.foliomag.com/dos-and-donts-positive-focus-group-experience/
• Anderson, G., Anderson, G. J., & Arsenault, N. (1998). Fundamentals of educational research: Psychology Press.
• Barnett, J. M. (2002). Focus groups tips for beginners. Texas Centre for adult literacy & learning.
• Baumgartner, T., Strong, C., & Hensley, L. (2002). Measurement issues in research. Conducting and Reading Research in Health and Human Performance, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 329-350.
• Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods. Cameron, J. (2005). Focusing on the focus group.
• Cameron, J. (2010). Focusing on the focus group. Qualitative research methods in human geography, 3, 152-172.
• Casey, M., & Krueger, R. (1994). Focus group interviewing Measurement of food preferences (pp. 77-96): Springer.
• Charmaz, K. (2000). Grounded theory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. Handbook of qualitative research, 2, 509-535.
• Cohen, D., & Crabtree, B. (2006). Qualitative research guidelines project.
• Cohen, L. (2007). Experiments, quasi-experiments, single-case research and meta-analysis (Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. in Eds) Research methods in education. (6th eds.): London: Routledge Falmer.
• Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Memos and diagrams. Basics of Qualitative Research 3e. London: Sage, 117-141.
• Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory: Sage publications. Creswell, J. W. (2009). RESEARCH DESIGN.
• Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches: Sage publications.
• Crossman, A. (2020, August 27). These Software Tools Can Help You Analyze Qualitative Data. from Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/analyze-qualitative-data-software-3026538
• Dawson, S., Manderson, L., & Tallo, V. L. (1993). A manual for the use of focus groups: Boston: international Nutrition foundation for developing countries.
• Dilshad, R. M., & Latif, M. I. (2013). Focus Group Interview as a Tool for Qualitative Research: An Analysis. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), 33(1).
• Dudwick, N., Kuehnast, K., Jones, V. N., & Woolcock, M. (2006). Analyzing social capital in context. A guide to using qualitative methods and data, 1-46.
• Flick, U. (2011). A beginner’s guide to doing a research project. Introducing Research.
• Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research: Sage Publications Limited.
• Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2003). Student workbook to accompany how to design and evaluate research in education: McGraw-Hill.
• Gibbs, A. (1997). Focus groups. Social research update, 19(8), 1-8.
• Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory Aldine Publishing Company. Hawthorne, NY.
• González Moncada, A., & Quinchía Ortiz B, D. I. (2003). Tomorrow's EFL teacher educators. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal (5), 86-104.
• Gorman, G. E., Clayton, P. R., Shep, S. J., & Clayton, A. (2005). Qualitative research for the information professional: A practical handbook: Facet Publishing.
• FOCUS GROUPS (2017, April 18). Focus on Focus Groups. from http://www.getresearchpower.com/news/2017/4/18/focus-on-focus-groups
• Hancock, B., Ockleford, E., & Windridge, K. (2001). An introduction to qualitative research: Trent focus group.
• Hilal, A. H., & Alabri, S. S. (2013). Using NVivo for data analysis in qualitative research. International interdisciplinary journal of education, 2(2), 181-186. Hossain, D. M. (2011). Qualitative research process. Postmodern Openings, 2(7), 143-156.
• Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277-1288.
• Jorgensen, M. W., & Phillips, L. J. (2002). Discourse analysis as theory and method: Sage.
• Kitzinger, J. (1994). The methodology of focus groups: the importance of interaction between research participants. Sociology of health & illness, 16(1), 103-121.
• Kitzinger, J. (1995). Qualitative research: introducing focus groups. Bmj, 311(7000), 299-302.
• Krueger, R., & Casey, M. (2000). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research 3rd Edition Sage Publications London.
• Krueger, R. A. (2014). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research: Sage publications.
• Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2000). A practical guide for applied research. A practical guide for applied research.
• Kumar, R. (2018). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners: Sage.
• Lauri, M. A. (2019). WASP (Write a Scientific Paper): Collecting qualitative data using focus groups. Early human development, 133, 65-68.
• Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2007). An array of qualitative data analysis tools: A call for data analysis triangulation. School psychology quarterly, 22(4), 557.
• Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2008). Qualitative data analysis: A compendium of techniques and a framework for selection for school psychology research and beyond. School psychology quarterly, 23(4), 587.
• Levitt, H. M., Motulsky, S. L., Wertz, F. J., Morrow, S. L., & Ponterotto, J. G. (2017). Recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research in psychology: Promoting methodological integrity. Qualitative psychology, 4(1), 2.
• Lincoln, N. K. D. Y. S. (2005). The Sage handbook of qualitative research: Sage.
• Lobe, B. (2017). Best Practices for Synchronous Online Focus Groups. In A New Era in Focus Group Research (pp. 227-250): Springer.
• Lobe, B., Morgan, D., & Hoffman, K. A. (2020). Qualitative data collection in an era of social distancing. International journal of qualitative methods, 19, 1609406920937875.
• Lune, H., & Berg, B. L. (2017). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences: Pearson.
• Luo, A. (2020 June 19). What is discourse analysis? from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/discourse-analysis/#:~:text=Discourse%20analysis%20is%20a%20research,of%20different%20types%20of%20language
• Manu, B. (2018 March 26). 3 Qualitative Research Methods You Should Know. from https://humansofdata.atlan.com/2018/03/3-qualitative-research-methods/
• Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (Vol. 41): Sage publications.
• Med, S. A. C., & AFMS, E. D. (1997). Qualitative research.
• Mohajan, H. K. (2018). Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(1), 23-48.
• Moretti, F., van Vliet, L., Bensing, J., Deledda, G., Mazzi, M., Rimondini, M., . . . Fletcher, I. (2011). A standardized approach to qualitative content analysis of focus group discussions from different countries. Patient education and counseling, 82(3), 420-428.
• Morgan, D. L. (1996). Focus groups as qualitative research (Vol. 16): Sage publications.
• Morgan, D. L. (1997). The focus group guidebook (Vol. 1): Sage publications.
• Morse, J. M. (1994). Critical issues in qualitative research methods: Sage.
• Murphy, E., Dingwall, R., Greatbatch, D., Parker, S., & Watson, P. (1998). Qualitative research methods in health technology assessment: a review of the literature.
• Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Collins, K. M. (2007). A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. Qualitative Report, 12(2), 281-316.
• Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Dickinson, W. B., Leech, N. L., & Zoran, A. G. (2009). A qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data in focus group research. International journal of qualitative methods, 8(3), 1-21.
• Pole, C. J., & Lampard, R. (2002). Practical social investigation: Qualitative and quantitative methods in social research: Pearson Education.
• Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behaviour: Sage.
• Powell, R. A., & Single, H. M. (1996). Focus groups. International journal for quality in health care, 8(5), 499-504.
• Prasad, M., & Garcia, C. (2017 September 11). How to Conduct a Successful Focus Group Discussion. from https://humansofdata.atlan.com/2017/09/conduct-successful-focus-group-discussion/
• Rahman, M. S. (2020). The advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods in language “testing and assessment” research: A literature review.
• Reid, D. J., & Reid, F. J. (2005). Online focus groups: An in-depth comparison of computer-mediated and conventional focus group discussions. International journal of market research, 47(2), 131-162.
• Reid, F. J., Malinek, V., Stott, C. J., & Evans, J. S. B. (1996). The messaging threshold in computer-mediated communication. Ergonomics, 39(8), 1017-1037.
• Rice, P. L., & Ezzy, D. (1999). Qualitative research methods: A health focus (Vol. 720): Oxford Victoria, Australia.
• Richards, L. (1999). Using NVivo in qualitative research: Sage.
• Richardson, C. A., & Rabiee, F. (2001). A question of access: an exploration of the factors that influence the health of young males aged 15 to 19 living in Corby and their use of health care services. Health education journal, 60(1), 3-16.
• SHAH, P. (2017 June 18). Research Process as Circular from https://profparesh.in/research-process-as-circular/
• Smithson, J. (2008). Focus groups. The Sage handbook of social research methods, 357-370.
• Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2014). Focus groups: Theory and practice (Vol. 20): Sage publications.
• Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Sage publications.
• Tercanlioglu, L. (2008). A Qualitative Investigation of Pre-Service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teacher Opinions. Qualitative Report, 13(1), 137-150.
• Toland, S., White, J., Mills, D., & Bolliger, D. U. (2014). EFL instructors' perceptions of usefulness and ease of use of the LMS Manaba. JALT CALL Journal, 10(3), 221-236.
• Tong, A., Flemming, K., McInnes, E., Oliver, S., & Craig, J. (2012). Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ. BMC medical research methodology, 12(1), 181.
• Tümen Akyıldız, S. (2020). College students’ views on the pandemic distance education: A focus group discussion. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 4(4), 322-334.
• Van Maanen, J. (1979). Reclaiming qualitative methods for organizational research: A preface. Administrative science quarterly, 24(4), 520-526.
• Vanderstoep, S. W., & Johnson, D. D. (2008). Research methods for everyday life: Blending qualitative and quantitative approaches (Vol. 32): John Wiley & Sons.
• Weber, R. P. (1990). Basic content analysis: Sage.
• Wisker, G. (2001). Sylvia Plath: Hodder & Stoughton.
• Zakaria, N., & Zakaria, N. (2016). Qualitative content analysis: A paradigm shift from manual coding to computer-assisted coding using ATLAS. ti: SAGE Publications, Ltd.
• Zohrabi, M. (2013). Mixed Method Research: Instruments, Validity, Reliability and Reporting Findings. Theory & practice in language studies, 3(2).