Evaluating research questions and qualitative research designs
For this Discussion, you will evaluate qualitative research questions in assigned journal articles in your discipline and consider the alignment of theory, problem, purpose, research questions, and design. You will also identify the type of qualitative research design or approach the authors used and explain how it was implemented. Narrative, ethnographic, grounded theory, case study, and phenomenology are examples of types of research designs or approaches used in qualitative research.
With these thoughts in mind, refer to the Journal Articles document for your assigned articles for this Discussion.
A critique of the research study in which you:
· Evaluate the research questions (The Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist can be used as a guide to facilitate your evaluation; it is not meant to be used in a Yes/No response format in writing your Discussion post.)
· Identify the type of qualitative research approach used and explain how the researchers implemented the design
· Analyze alignment among the theoretical or conceptual framework, problem, purpose, research questions, and design
Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
- Chapter 10, “Qualitative Field Research”
Document: Journal Articles (Word Document)
Document: Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist (PDF)
For this Discussion, use the prompts in this checklist to look for indications of the research questions criteria in your assigned qualitative research article.
This checklist is not meant to be used in a Yes/No response format in writing your Discussion post, but rather as a guide to facilitate your evaluation.
Research Questions and Hypotheses Checklist
Use the following criteria to evaluate an author’s research questions and/or hypotheses.
Look for indications of the following:
• Is the research question(s) a logical extension of the purpose of the study?
• Does the research question(s) reflect the best question to address the problem?
• Does the research question(s) align with the design of the study?
• Does the research question(s) align with the method identified for collecting data? If the study is qualitative, does the research question(s) do as follows?
• Relate the central question to the qualitative approach
• Begin with What or How (not Why)
• Focus on a single phenomenon
• Use exploratory verbs
• Use nondirectional language
• Use an open-ended format
• Specify the participants and research site If the study is quantitative:
• Do the descriptive questions seek to describe responses to major variables?
• Do the inferential questions seek to compare groups or relate variables?
• Do the inferential questions follow from a theory?
• Are the variables positioned consistently from independent/predictor to dependent/outcome in the inferential questions?
• Is a null and/or alternative hypothesis provided as a predictive statement?
Is the hypothesis consistent with its respective research question?
• Does the question(s) and/or hypothesis specify the participants and research site? If the study is mixed methods, do the research questions and/or hypotheses do the following?
• Include the characteristics of a good qualitative research question (as listed above)
• Include the characteristics of a good quantitative research and/or hypothesis (as listed above)
• Indicate how the researcher will mix or integrate the two approaches of the study
• Specify the participants and research site
• Convey the overall intent of the study that calls for a mixed methods approach
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2009c). Qualitative methods: An example [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 11 minutes.
Accessible player –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript
Credit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.
