Introduction to

Qualitative Research
Japhet E. Manzano
International School, Lyceum of the Philippines Cavite
japhet.manzano@lpu.edu.ph
Learning Target
At the end of this lesson, learners are expected to:
1. explain research and its importance in daily life;
2. differentiate qualitative from quantitative research;
3. define the different kinds of research variables; and
4. describe characteristics strengths, weaknesses, and
types of qualitative research.
Definition Research
 Scientific process of asking questions and answering
them through a systematic use of predefined set of
procedures.
 Systematically collects evidence using those
procedures.
 Produces findings that are applicable beyond the
immediate boundaries of the study.
 Research is a systematic process of
collecting, analyzing, and interpreting of
information in order to increase our
understanding of a phenomenon about which
we are interested or concerned (Leedy and
Ormrod, 2013).
 Research is a systematic investigation and
study of materials and sources to establish
facts and reach new conclusions (Walker,
2010).
…continuation

 A process of inquiring that entails methods of

learning.
 A systematic investigation and collection of
information.
 A dynamic, multiple, adaptable activity of inquiry.
Inquiry as Foundation of Research
INQUIRY is defined as “a seeking for truth, information or
knowledge”. The information is sought through questioning.
Individuals carry on the process of inquiry from birth until
death, making inquiry as part of human nature.

Remember!
The process of inquiry begins with “gathering information
and data through applying the various human senses”.
… So if you desire to become competent researcher, you
can keep in mind the following:

You need to gain an understanding of the various

stages of the research process;
Anchored on an experiential learning approach where
you will fuse and build principles with real-life
experiences.
Why We do Research?
 Add to the existing body of knowledge
 Improve practice
 Solve problems
 Raise awareness
 Explore and discover useful truth
 Help the community
Characteristics of Research
Empirical a research that is based on observations
and experimentations of theories.
Systematic a research that follows orderly and
sequential procedures, based on valid
procedures, and principles.
Controlled all variables, except those that are tested
on are kept constant.
…continuation
Employs Hypothesis guides the investigation process;
a research referring to a search for
facts, answers to questions and solutions to
problems.
Analytical critical analysis of all data used.
Objective unbiased and logical.
Original Work requires effort to get at the
researcher’s own investigation.
What are the Different Kinds of Variables in
Scientific Research?
Variable is anything that has quantity or quality that varies.

2 Kinds of Variable
 Numerical (Quantitative)-anything that can numerically
be represented, e.g., height, weight, age, etc.
 Categorical (Qualitative)-a naturally descriptive variable
that cannot be quantified, e.g., socioeconomic status,
poverty, nationalism, etc.
 Other Types of Variables
 Independent-to be manipulated to affect the
dependent variable.
 Dependent-affected by the independent variable.
 Confounding-influences strongly, e.g., age of the
participants, physical ability, mental ability, etc.
 Extraneous-influences in weaker/less variable, e.g.,
year, location, instruction, etc.

STEM 116: JAN 22

…continuation
 Latent-an underlying variable that cannot be
observed in the part of the participants, though
related to the topic being researched as it is
dependent to it, e.g., political preference like being
conservative or liberal, intelligence, etc.
What is Qualitative Research?
 A type of scientific research or investigation.
 Seeks to understand a given research problem or topic
from the perspectives of the local population it
involves.
 Effective in obtaining culturally specific information
about the values, opinions, behaviors, and social
contexts of particular populations.
7 Types of Qualitative Research
Ethnography
 The researchers immerse themselves in the target
participants’ environment to understand to cultures,
challenges, motivations, and themes that emerge.
 It usually takes many years to immerse, making
them to be the firsthand source of such qualitative
account.
 Narrative
 Weaving sequence of events to form a cohesive
story by conducting in-depth interviews or reading
documents to look for themes, highlighting tensions
and challenges which can be opportunities for
innovation.
 Describing the culture with the application of
different qualitative methods, such as interview or
open-ended questions.

STEM 112: JAN 22

Phenomenological
 Describing an event, activity, trend, or phenomenon.
 You use a combination of methods, such as conducting
interviews, reading documents, watching videos, or
visiting places and events, to understand the meaning
participants place on whatever’s being examined.
 Conduct a lot of interviews, usually between 5 and 25
for common themes, to build adequate dataset to look
for emerging themes and to use other participants to
validate your findings.
Grounded Theory
 Whereas a phenomenological study looks to describe
the essence of an activity or event, grounded theory
looks to provide an explanation or theory behind the
events. 
 You use primarily interviews and existing documents
to build a theory based on the data. 
 Sample sizes are often also larger—between 20 to 60
—with these studies to better establish a theory. 
Case Study
 a process or record of research in which detailed
consideration is given to the development of a
particular person, group, or situation over a period of
time.
 It involves a deep understanding through multiple
types of data sources. Case studies can be explanatory,
exploratory, or describing an event. 
Action Research
 Action data collection aims to solve a problem and
is conducted by individuals working with others as
part of a “community of practice”.
 It is a method of problem-solving led by people
working with others in teams. Action research is
known also as collaborative inquiry, emancipatory
research, and contextual action research.
Content Analysis
This method includes interpreting words and
images from a variety of documents, music, or other
types of media.
The researchers aim to find out how the words and
images are used, and in what context. This way you
can draw and produce conclusions about the hidden
culture and behavior.
The main goals of content analysis include identifying
important aspects of the content, presenting them in a
clear way, support of some argument and others.
In a nutshell…

While the seven methods generally use similar data

collection techniques (observation, interviews, and reviewing
text), the purpose of the study differentiates them—something
similar with different types of usability tests. And like
classifying different usability studies, the differences between
the methods can be a bit blurry. Here are the five qualitative
methods in more detail.
 Related Characteristics of Qualitative
Research
 Concern for context and meaning, where human
experience takes its meaning from social, historical,
political, and cultural influences.
 Naturally occurring settings, since it is based on the
premise that setting affects findings.
 Human as instruments, where only human being can
do the field work methods such as interview,
observation, and documentary analysis.
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…continuation
 Descriptive data, wherein data used in qualitative
studies are in the form of words or pictures or other
visuals rather than number and statistics.
 The design cannot be finalized at the on-set because
the researcher continues to adjust his/her methods
and ways of proceeding as the study progresses,
making it as emergent in design and nature.
…continuation
 Provides information about the “human” side of an
issue and intangible factors, such as social norms,
socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and
religion.
 Findings are more often focused to people’s
characteristics, i.e., naturally occurring, gaining a rich
and complex understanding of a specific social context
or phenomenon.
What’s the Difference between Qualitative
and Quantitative Research?
Similarities of Quantitative and Qualitative
Research
 Empirical research is aimed at creating new knowledge.
 Research creates knowledge by observing phenomena.
 All the entities of interest like attitudes, motives, and
learning can be inferred from observing what people do or
say in a given setting.
 All researches are concerned about the universality of
ideas or expressing an idea in a general statement, i.e., they
desire to find meaning for the research results beyond a
particular time.
Remember! Qualitative Research…
 is based on approach which sees the individual and
the world around him or her as interconnected.
 sees social reality and unique and therefore, human
behavior can be understood by focusing on the
events based on meanings for the people involved.
 It is what people experience—how they do and
perform as well as think and feel.
 References
6 Types of Qualitative Research Methods and Designs. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://intellspot.com/qualitative-research-methods/
Mercado, E. M. (2020). Practical Research 1 for Senior High School
(Qualitative). Lyceum of the Philippines Cavite.
 Thank you.

For concerns and inquiries:

Japhet E. Manzano
International School, Lyceum of the Philippines Cavite
japhet.manzano@lpu.edu.ph