Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
What is a focus group? A focus group in nursing research involves a number of people – often with common experiences or characteristics – who are interviewed by a researcher…
Writing up Qualitative Research
The research account Writing the report of the research is an important task for the researcher; the presentation is in the public domain and can be reviewed by others. Researchers…
Establishing Quality: Trustworthiness or Validity
Quality All research is rightly open to scrutiny from its readers. Health researchers too must not only consider the ‘truth value’ of their studies but also demonstrate that it is…
Mixed Methods: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research
The nature of mixed methods studies Mixed methods research (MMR) means the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches in one empirical study. (It must be noted, however, that mixed…
Data Analysis: Procedures, Practices and Computers
The process of data analysis Qualitative data analysis (QDA) is a complex, non-linear process but also systematic, orderly and structured. Not all qualitative forms of inquiry take the same approach…
Action Research
What is action research? Action research (AR) is a type of inquiry generally undertaken by practitioners who become researchers, or who work in partnership with university researchers, to examine issues…
Additional Approaches
Case study research The term ‘case study’ is used for a research approach with specific boundaries and can be both qualitative and quantitative. Stake (2000) states that much qualitative research…
Phenomenology
Intentionality and the early stages of phenomenology Phenomenology begins with Husserl who was the core figure in the development of phenomenology as a modern movement. It is important, however, to…
Narrative Inquiry
The nature of narrative and story Stories are reflections on people’s experience and the meaning that this experience has for them. Narrative research is a useful way of gaining access…
Grounded Theory
History and origin GT originated in the 1960s by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, who worked together on research about health professionals’ interaction with dying patients in 1965. From research,…
