Suppose someone said to you that he has walked across a college campus and observed women and men interacting and made some observations about how men and women communicate differently. One of these observations was that men are more likely to boast about their accomplishments and women were more likely to talk about their friends. This person says he has undertaken a qualitative study using his perceptions and observations. He has not made any notes but has just observed. Do you agree that he has undertaken a qualitative research study? Explain why you agree or do not agree with reference to the nature of qualitative data analysis.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: This person has not undertaken a qualitative research study because he did not engage in qualitative data analysis. In order to analyze data, you must first record the data and this person has not done that. Qualitative research operates through research methods that include the various steps in the research process, including data analysis with conclusions that are consistent with the data analyzed. He could have made notes for each encounter he observed with men and women communicating with one another. He could have engaged in the content analysis of these notes.
Cognitive Domain: Application.
Answer Location: An Overview of Qualitative Data Analysis.
Difficulty Level: Hard.