- Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help in the Learning Resources to help you search for other books, encyclopedias, or articles that introduce and describe qualitative research.
By Day 3
Consider the statement:
Qualitative researchers study people in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.
Using the Learning Resources and other academic sources you found, expand on this simple statement. In 3–4 paragraphs, explain several dimensions of this paradigm that make qualitative research interesting and unique. Be sure to use the terminology you are learning (including but not limited to “phenomena”, “constructivist,” and “naturalistic”), and provide historical context.
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 1, “Qualitative Research: An Opening Orientation” (pp. 1–31)
Erickson, F. (2011). Chapter 3: A history of qualitative inquiry in social and educational research. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research(4th ed., pp. 43–58). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y.S. (2013). Chapter 1: Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In The landscape of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 1–44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/17670_Chapter1.pdf
Yob, I., & Brewer, P. (n.d.). Working toward the common good: An online university’s perspectives on social change, 1-25.
Walden University. (n.d.). What kind of social change agent are you? Retrieved from
Review this website and take the social change quiz to complete your Major Assignment 2 for this week.
Walden University Library. (n.d.). Course guide and assignment help for RSCH 8310. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8310
Use this website to search for books, encyclopedias, or articles based on the requirements for the Discussion and/or Assignment.
Document: Video Field Notes Guide (Word document)
Use this guide to help you as you take notes for your Scholar of Change video.
Document: Major Assignment 1: Developing a Research Topic for a Qualitative Study Overview and Guidelines (PDF)
Use this document to guide you through your Major Assignment 1 for this course.
Document: Major Assignment 2: The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data Overview and Guidelines (PDF)
Use this document to guide you through your Major Assignment 2 for this course.
Required Media
Scholar of Change Video #1
Isaac, B. (2014). Benjamin Isaac, EdD student, inspiring children with special needs [Video file].
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.
In this Scholar of Change video, Benjamin Isaac, Walden Doctor of Education student and 2014 Scholar of Change, is creating an animated show to inspire children with special needs. As you observe, take notes using the Video Field Notes Guide.
Answer preview
Qualitative research is empirical study where surveys are conducted using non-numerical data. The collection of data in the qualitative research uses methods like interviews, case studies, observations, focused groups, oral history, open-ended surveys, and analysis of textual and visual materials (Ravitch, & Carl, 2016). Qualitative researchers study people in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.
A naturalist approach for studying the natural settings is applicable since researchers manage to interpret their subject matter in an in-depth and plausible manner. With such a factor; this makes the qualitative research unique and interesting. Looking back at history, in the 1900s, researchers managed to create diverse qualitative research methods thus making this type of research multidimensional…
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