The Value of Qualitative Research
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The Value of Qualitative Research
The study of human social behavior and culture has mainly been undertaking qualitative research, which helps understand social phenomena by having the researcher in direct contact with the participants in their natural setting. At the same time, the qualitative researcher takes the point of view of the participants through observation and conducting ethnographic interview research, which uses qualitative research to provide the analysis based on the researcher’s point of view by engaging in the environment and sharing in the experiences of the participants (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Therefore, to determine the value of qualitative research, the study discusses the role of researchers, the Loic Wacquants research, and the research impacts.
Role of the Researcher.
Researchers’ play a vital role in every type of research since they are tasked with finding the necessary data relating to their work. The researchers’ role and role make them significant to the studies of every social phenomenon in investigating human behavior and their perceptions and understanding of a certain topic using various methods. Therefore a Qualitative research role is to help in obtaining the thoughts and views of the participants in any study. They ensure that they collect enough data and through observation and conducting interviews that enable them to understand how and why an individual does certain behavior and understand their thoughts and feelings. However, the researcher in qualitative researchers presents information according to the participant (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Ethnographic researchers play similar roles to those of the qualitative researcher but have a different approach. Ethnographic researchers use direct observation to study their participants to explain the behavior through shared experiences and their influence on their thoughts and feelings (Jones & Smith, 2017). Their role is to significantly provide a comprehensive account of different social phenomenon rich understanding of social action.
In qualitative research and ethnographic research, interviews or observations have challenges that researchers must become aware of to maintain the data’s credibility. They must promote confidentiality by protecting the participants’ information obtained through various methods. They should also ensure that before they conduct any method of collecting data from the participants, they should obtain informed consent and have voluntary participation by providing reasons for the process and the gains the participants stand to gain from the process (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Since the researchers are involved in data collecting among the participants, they should ensure they define and understand their role as a data collection instrument to avoid bias.
Researchers undertaking ethnographical research go through different and unique challenges due to their direct involvement in their experiences. They seek to explain the social phenomenal through their perspective (Jones & Smith, 2017). As a result, they tend to get out of focus from the study’s intended goal and objective by being carried away in the moments of the interactions and thus affecting the research and quality of information. The challenges of determining the study context are ever-present due to the enormous data they obtain from the participants. Also, researchers must deal with the challenges brought about by the issues of ethics. They must adhere to ensure the research’s credibility and authenticity and ensure that they redefine culture among the participants and society to have a clear understanding of the influences affecting human behavior and their perceptions.
To overcome the individual challenges, researchers must ensure they remain ethical and neutral in the process to avoid biased conclusions. Therefore, the researchers need to remain objective and unbiased by determining the participants’ subjective experiences to avoid having too much information (Jones & Smith, 2017). However, it is crucial to ensure that they have clarity through the research to make them understand the significance of the study to make sure that they research by fulfilling the ethical and legal obligations.
Loic Wacquant’s Research
Loic Wacquant, regarded as an interdisciplinary sociologist, dedicated much of his works to exploring the changing forms and conditions of urban life and poverty in Europe and America. Research on Boxing Proves a Hit for French Sociologist was a narration of the experiences he obtained in a gym in Chicago with both amateurs and professionals in trying to analyze why boxers keep on getting into the ring even after receiving numerous jabs (Abrahams, 2011). He explains the exploitation of the boxers from their managers and the importance of the Boxing to the boxers who are motivated by the background and poverty experiences in becoming good fighters that give them the courage and motivation to keep fighting (Abrahams, 2011). Through the moments when he was out of the ring due to injuries, he contemplated on other things he could be doing. Still, the attachment and the addiction of throwing jabs and knocking an individual keeps him thinking and contemplating going back in the ring even after receiving a broken nose.
In his research highlighting the exploitation and motivation of the boxers as a sociologist and boxer, he maintained ethical and neutral working conditions. Wacquant showed respect to each individual in the boxing room, which is one requirement for ethical practice, and respected the conditions and experiences that the people were facing, which is important in overcoming the blurring of the field. He appreciated and respected the living of the poor living conditions of the ghetto people. The good relationship maintained with everybody created confidence and trust among the boxers, which enhanced the research’s credibility. Also, by becoming a boxer to learn the boxer’s struggles and exploitation, Wacquant maintained neutrality (Abrahams, 2011). His accounts and research were credible and subjective since he kept a daily record of the ring experiences.
The study’s approach is an ethnographic one since he is involved directly with the experience of the boxers. The choice to become a boxer and pursue sociologist goals is important and necessary to the study since it provides a more comprehensive understanding of the boxer’s aspects that influenced their lives. By becoming a boxer, he made it easy to collect the information needed and interact with the other boxers instead of the other forms of study, such as quantitative research, which would have become impossible in collecting the in depth analysis of the study. This makes it possible to have credible results since direct involvement ensures that the boxers do not change their behavior or provide misguiding information.
Wacquant use of ethnographic research is not entirely because he could not apply other approaches such as quantitative research. The specific research approach is the best in obtaining comprehensive research in such conditions and social studies. Qualitative research seems appropriate in the significant study since it requires the research to analyze the participants’ point of view. The method it uses to obtain data would have challenges in getting a comprehensive and credible result (Jones & Smith, 2017). Therefore the use of ethnographic research in the study helped eliminate the challenges faced by the other methods in the research. It also helped obtain a credible and comprehensive result with an in-depth analysis of the information, thus making it an effective approach in determining the boxers’ social problem relating to their motivation and exploitation.
Impact of Research
Qualitative ethnographic research helps obtain a critical and in-depth understanding of the social phenomenal since it involves the researcher sharing directly with the participants (Jones & Smith, 2017). Social factors, such as culture and economic status, affect individuals differently. However, the effects of these conditions in individual behavior or perceptions on a specific subject matter are not out rightly observed through observation but keenly studied through having an experience in the real situation by sharing their experiences makes individual understand the changes and explain the causes of the changes (Agius, 2013). For instance, ethnographic research has become essential in health studies since they help in finding the perceptions of individuals to health issues and understand what conditions and factors play a role in influencing their decision and behavior, helping bin improving the health system.
Considering the tremendous improvement in the health system due to the qualitative research, it is clear that the approach helps improve services by identifying the effective and right policy for the specific social identities in society (Agius, 2013). The use of the approach can significantly ensure that there is peace in the political setting. It informs the various governments on which approach to undertake to maintain the necessary peace in the society and among countries. The approach can also significantly help in understanding and appreciating the individual’s thoughts and beliefs in society (Jones & Smith, 2017), thus helping in the adoption of new techniques or technologies in society, providing a chance for modernism and social improvements.
References
Abrahams, M. (2011). Boxing proves a hit for French Sociologists. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/jan/10/improbable-research-boxing-sociologist.
Agius, S. (2013). Qualitative research: its value and applicability. The Psychiatrist, 37(6), 204-206. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.113.042770
Jones, J., & Smith, J. (2017). Ethnography: challenges and opportunities. Evidence-Based Nursing, 20(4), 98-100. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2017-102786
Sutton, J., & Austin, Z. (2015). Qualitative Research: Data Collection, Analysis, and Management. The Canadian Journal Of Hospital Pharmacy, 68(3). https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.v68i3.1456