CHAPTER FIVE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
5.1 Type of research – qualitative research
The researcher used an interpretive qualitative research methodology for this study. Some research scholars admit that providing a precise definition of qualitative research is not a mean feat (Snape and Spencer 2003). Denzin and Lincoln (2000) in an attempt to provide a definition suggest that qualitative research is a situated activity which locates the observer in the real world of the research subjects and consists of a set of interpretive and material practices that makes the world visible.
These practices turn the world into a series of representations which include field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world as opposed to quantitative methods which attempt to hold some factors constant so that others can be studied. This implies that qualitative researchers study phenomena in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, the phenomena in terms of the meanings people give to them. Jacob (1987), Crabtree and Miller (1999) as well as Brannen (2004) aver that most research scholars hold this view on the nature and purpose of qualitative research.
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On the other hand, a number of scholars (Bryman 1988; Miles and Huberman 1994; Hammersley and Atkinson 1995; Holloway and Wheeler 1996; Denzin and Lincoln 2000; Gillham 2000; Patton 2002), in seeking to unravel qualitative research, have focused on key aspects of methodology as defining characteristics of qualitative research. These aspects include: the overall research perspectives and the importance of the participants‟ frames of reference; the flexible nature of research design; the volume and richness of qualitative data; the distinctive approaches to analysis and interpretation; and the kind of outputs derived from qualitative research. These scholars also identify specific data collection methods as appropriate for qualitative research. These include observational methods, in-depth interviews, group discussions, narratives, and the analysis of documentary evidence.
Some scholars have also defined qualitative research in terms of what it is not (Ritchie and Lewis 2003). Strauss and Corbin (1998) delineate qualitative research as any research not primarily based on counting or quantifying empirical material. They conclude that it is a research method in which findings are not arrived at by statistical procedures or other means of quantification.
In summary therefore, it can be deduced that the following form key elements of qualitative research:
1. Aims which are directed at providing an in-depth and interpreted understanding of the social world of research participants by learning about their social and material circumstances, their experiences, perspectives and histories;
2. Samples that are small in scale and purposively selected on the basis of salient criteria;
3. Data collection methods which usually involve close contact between the researcher and research participants, which are interactive and developmental and allow for emergent issues to be explored;
4. Data which are very detailed, information rich and extensive;
5. Analysis which is open to emergent concepts and ideas and which may produce detailed description and classification, identify patterns of association, or develop typologies and explanations; and
6. Outputs which tend to focus on the interpretation of social meaning through mapping and
“re-presenting” the social world of research participants (Ritchie and Lewis 2003).
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From these definitions and suggestions, it can be deduced that qualitative research approaches apply techniques that enable the researchers to obtain in-depth information about the research problem going beyond a numerical perspective. It is also evident from the foregoing that qualitative research works well if conducted with small samples that facilitate closer interaction between the researcher and the subjects. The answers to the research questions are sought and interpreted from the perspectives of the subjects in the natural habitat. This may imply that the research may cut across various disciplines and the researcher should be able to adapt accordingly to obtain valid and reliable findings (Krauss 2005).
Although the comparison of research design to building plans made earlier has the connotation of rigidity, qualitative researchers propose designs which are more open, fluid and changeable in ways that are not defined purely in technical terms. According to this view qualitative research is an iterative process which requires a flexible, non-sequential yet guided approach. However, it is important to note that adherence to a specific research design is critical for any research study because it ensures that adequate research standards are followed.
Given that this project investigated and sought to recommend changes to services offered to people in defined communities, it was important that the social and cultural aspects of the issues and their effects on the subjects be considered. Qualitative research was best suited for these investigations.
Specifically, this study sought to understand the information needs of the research communities in Kenya, whether and how they are currently being met by the existing models of service applied by the research libraries. The researcher heavily depended on the views of the library users and librarians managing the libraries to understand the relevance of the services as perceived by them.
He also relied on their opinions on expectations of good research library services. Thus, he constructed meaning from the points of view of the participants. It is not possible to adequately unravel and interpret this data using other research methodologies because they must be investigated in a social and cultural context. As Orlikowski and Baroudi (1991) posit, there is no direct route to reality unmediated by socio-cultural factors. This view is also reinforced by Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) who argue that the goal of understanding a phenomenon from the point of view of the participants and its particular social and institutional context is largely lost when textual data are quantified. Given the research questions and environment in which the study was conducted, qualitative approaches were the most suitable to investigate and obtain appropriate answers.
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