Qualitative research is a technique that allows the researcher to examine people's experiences by employing qualitative methods. It enables the understanding of issues from the perspective of the participant and the interpretations they give to objects, events or behavior. Qualitative research requires that the investigator be open minded, emphatic, flexible, curious and ready to listen to the participant as they tell their story. The approach is known as interpretative because it enables the researcher to understand the experiences of the subject regarding illnesses or disability, using health services or to identify cultural norms.
Qualitative research examines people in their natural setting to determine how their behaviors and experiences are shaped by their daily life. Therefore it tries to understand the contextual influence of the issue under study. Conducting these types of research requires one to learn and internalize the concepts and assumptions underlying it. Interpretive is inductive and deals with depth while exploring and not predicting. It is subjective in nature and purposeful. It employs textual data and can be subjective.
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In contrast, a positivist paradigm is a scientific approach to research that forms the foundation of quantitative studies, experimental research, and natural science. It emphasizes on objective measurement of issues, and it is believed that reality consists of facts that researchers can measure. Quantitative techniques are bottom up beginning with a prediction it looks into the breadth of the study while employing sampling techniques. The studies are very objective, and the data is usually passed through statistical software. Positivist paradigm qualifies a research problem, measure and counts the samples and generalizes the findings.
I relate more to the interpretative paradigm. This is influenced by the need to understand people in their natural setting and the context under study. Studying social science calls for one to understand human interactions and how to address issues affecting the profession. Interpretive paradigm recognizes people’s way of life from the participants themselves. Research can study the subjective meaning that individuals attach to their experiences in addition to their social actions. This approach stresses the importance of observation and interpretation to understand the social world. It recognizes that reality is socially constructed and the individual experiences take place within cultural, social and historical contexts.
Reference
Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2011). Qualitative research methods . London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
