Introduction
In the modern world, social sciences have developed significantly over the recent decades. More researchers have embarked on efforts to unravel the social happenings within human societies (Upadhyay & KC, 2014). As social beings, humans have developed several social concepts, ideas, beliefs, and mannerisms that play a significant role in society. Social science research plays a pivotal role in fostering a deeper understanding of the current happenings in society. In any society, there are always issues that affect how the members of the society relate. Social science research helps researchers and members of society to understand the dynamics behind these emerging social issues.
Scientific methods and procedures are instrumental in scientific research about the social world. Social science research unravels both latent and manifest aspects of social reality through a systemic process of social inquiry (Mohajan, 2018). These methods utilize premeditated procedures that are structured to enable researchers to obtain crucial data needed for analyzing and evaluating certain aspects of society. One of these methods is qualitative methodologies.
By definition, qualitative research is a form of social action that stresses how people interpret and make sense of their experiences to understand the social reality of individuals (Mohajan, 2018). In recent years, qualitative research has gained more traction in scientific circles. By carrying out qualitative research, a researcher is in a position to describe vividly human behavior, emotions, and life experiences. This paper explores and evaluates the qualitative methodologies used in social science research while assessing the application, prevalence, benefits, and possible shortcomings brought about by qualitative methodologies.
Qualitative Methodologies
Qualitative methodologies play an essential role in gathering qualitative data from social science research. According to Mohajan (2018), the roots of qualitative research can be traced to social and cultural anthropology, philosophy, psychology, history, and sociology. In its very fabric, qualitative methods seek to describe the topic of study by interpreting current issues as described from the point of view of the target population. Qualitative research can be traced back to the early 20th century, when sociologists and anthropologists adopted it as a method of inquiry (Mohajan, 2018). At its core, the qualitative methodologies use non-numerical data that includes texts to understand concepts such as social constructs. The main focus of qualitative methodologies is to retain the original meaning of issues being investigated while interpreting the collected data.
Qualitative methodologies have several characteristics which differentiate them from quantitative methodologies. Qualitative methodologies are humanistic. This means that the methods used are keen on understanding the personal, subjective, and experiential basis of knowledge and practice (Berkwits & Inui, 1998). In addition, qualitative methodologies are holistic as they aim to describe behaviors based on the current context. Qualitative methodologies are interpretive in that they attempt to describe a particular issue and aim to explain it in detail. Another critical characteristic of qualitative methodologies is that they are reflective. This means that the structuring of research questions can be influenced and shaped by personal experiences (Berkwits & Inui, 1998).
Application of Qualitative Methodologies
As discussed above, qualitative methodologies are focused on non-numerical data collection and analysis. In social science research, the decision to use either qualitative or quantitative methodologies relies on many factors. Qualitative methodologies are used when factual data is essential in answering the research questions (Chun Tie, Birks & Francis, 2019). In addition, they are used when the information being researched is based on a series of opinions, beliefs, and personal preferences. In some cases, these methods are used when variables in the study can be tailored to formulate hypotheses before collecting data. Finally, these methods are crucial in cases where the question being posed by the research is clear and straightforward.
Strengths and Limitations of Qualitative Methodologies
Qualitative methods are an excellent source of valuable information. They provide tools for people to understand intangible aspects of the social issue being investigated (Berkwits & Inui, 1998). Detailed data can be collected as this methodology allows for an in-depth examination of the investigated variables. Another strength is that it provides a wide variety of data collection methods, including primary and secondary data collection methods. In addition, this methodology is cost-efficient and helps keep the research costs low while providing access to richer data. Qualitative methods are open-ended, providing researchers with potential access to new information that they were not initially aware of in structuring the research. In addition, qualitative methods can be cost-saving as they do not require many respondents. However, qualitative methods have several shortcomings. The process is usually time-consuming, meaning that time constraints become a pertinent issue. Verification of qualitative data is a significant challenge that may adversely affect the research results. In addition, data collected using qualitative methods lack statistical representation. Issues of bias are often present in this method, thereby potentially affecting the overall results of the research.
Types of Qualitative Research Designs
Phenomenological Studies
This category of techniques focuses on exploring the experiences that humans go through, using descriptions from the target population. This technique seeks to understand the intrinsic meaning of these experiences from the point of view of the target population (Moriarty, 2011). In this technique, the researcher must put aside their premeditated assumptions on the research subject, referred to as phenomenon.
Ethnographic Studies
These studies are structured to collect and analyze data relating to cultural groups. The basic design of this technique is that the researcher lives with the target population, partaking in their cultural activities. The researcher interviews key people in the population referred to as key informants (Moriarty, 2011). The goal of this design is to gain a deeper understanding of the target population’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors to view the subject under investigation from their point of view.
Grounded Theory Studies
Developed by Glaser and Strauss in 1967, Grounded Theory (GT) studies have become commonplace in the current world (Chun Tie, Birks & Francis, 2019). In this design, data is collected and analyzed by the researcher. This is followed by developing a theory grounded in the data. This technique is used in cases where there is little to no information about the subject, giving the researchers the researcher freedom to develop a theory based on the collected data. This design is instrumental in qualitative research. It provides sequential protocols for carrying out research, provides needed strategies for the analysis stage of the research, fosters conceptualized analysis of collected data, and streamlines gathering and analyzing data (Chun Tie, Birks & Francis, 2019).
Historical Studies
This design utilizes the available past by evaluating past happenings related to the research subject and using the findings to help draw conclusions and possibly predict the future (). This method ensures that all data related to the subject of research is selected and analyzed rigorously (Moriarty, 2011). By using past data, the researchers can gather more data than they would, using credible sources. This helps ensure that reliable data is used for the research, thereby positively impacting the results from data analysis.
Types of Qualitative Research Techniques
Qualitative research techniques are focused on descriptive data collection, attempting to explore and understand non-numerical data such as beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of the target population. These techniques seek to make interpretations from these collected data, aiming to understand the constructs of social life. To gather this data, researchers employ some techniques when conducting qualitative research.
Direct Observation
This technique is structured such that the researcher is in a position to study the target population as they go on with their normal routine. Researchers aim to study the population in its natural setting without interfering (Moriarty, 2011). Observations can be made on many phenomena such as work ethics, social interactions, and other aspects of social life. This technique eliminates the possibility of unreliable information as the target population usually doesn’t know that they are being observed.
Interviews
This is a commonly used technique in research studies. In this technique, the researcher interviews respondents individually, striking conversations tailored to gather data about the research subject. This method helps researchers to get first-hand data from the interviewees, opening up the chance for in-depth conversations that avail in-depth data from the respondents. The techniques provide for immediate follow-up questions, which will help the researcher to understand the responses on the spot (Moriarty, 2011). All in all, interviews are excellent in getting data from respondents.
Focus Groups
Focus groups are made up of a small group of respondents. This technique aims at gathering data from this group of respondents from a conversation entailing the researcher and the group.
Content Analysis
In this technique, researchers draw data from media such as images, art, film, music, and other cultural media(Moriarty, 2011). This technique helps researchers understand the underlying cultural aspects that are rich in data needed for the research. In the current world, technological advances in the entertainment sector has helped researchers to use media to collect information on the social aspects of target populations.
Scientific Methods in Social Sciences Research
Social sciences research utilizes scientific methods in the design and structure of the research. Scientific methods refer to the series of stages used to create a logical flow process when conducting research. Scientific methods are critical in research as they help the researchers rigorously test theories by using evidence systematically. One of the common scientific methods is the hypothetico-deductive (H-D) method. This method is described as a cyclic pattern of reasoning and observation used to generate and test hypotheses and theories (Lawson, 2015). Researchers in social sciences utilize this method to draw relevant information regarding the target population. Scientific methods in social sciences are proving to be indispensable in research.
Scientific methods come in handy in collecting, handling, and understanding non-numerical data regarding qualitative methodologies. In turn, the results from the research become credible, reliable, and justifiable. The interpretation and analysis of the results reflect the correlation between the theories, hypotheses, and variables.
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Methodologies
Ethical issues are an integral part of any research process. Professional conduct requires researchers to observe ethical practices while conducting research. The structure of qualitative methodologies is that respondents or target populations are engaged with the researchers at a level that may qualify to be personal (Sanjari et al., 2014). Qualitative methods require the researcher to seek information from the respondents, information that may cross the personal threshold. Therefore, ethical considerations need to be accounted for as these methods may divulge private information. The major ethical issues in qualitative methodologies include; anonymity, confidentiality, and informed consent (Sanjari et al., 2014). These issues present the researchers with a significant challenge that may adversely affect their research. Due to the nature of some social studies, researchers need to consider these ethical aspects. The research requires that researchers observe the utmost level of ethics in the design and execution of their research. Measures and strategies need to be integrated to ensure that ethical boundaries are not crossed.
Analysis of Qualitative Data
Qualitative methodologies result in a huge volume of data. This presents challenges in the analysis of the gathered data. According to Mohajan (2018), “data analysis is the dynamic process of weaving together recognition of emerging themes, identifying key ideas and materials gathered from literature review.” Analysis of collected data starts after all the data has been collected and prepared. The researcher goes through the data, identifying patterns and relations in the data acquired. This is done while being guided by the research questions. This is to ensure the research stays within the stated scope to avoid using irrelevant data in drawing conclusions and recommendations. In addition, the researchers review the transcripts from the collected data, exploring potential similarities and differences in an attempt to discover recurring themes and develop categories (Wong, 2008)
Social Sciences Research Examples
Social sciences are an essential part of civilization. Social sciences refer to those sciences that deal with human behavior regarding the dynamics of social and cultural facets. Several research studies have been conducted in the sector of social sciences. One such research was conducted by Raudasoja et al. (2022), titled “I feel many contradictory emotions”: Finnish mothers’ discursive struggles with motherhood.” The research aimed at identifying the struggles that mothers of infants go through in Finland. The research utilized a qualitative method of open-ended questionnaires to determine the dynamics around their struggles to balance raising the children and living their individual lives.
Another example is a study conducted by Rao (2021) titled “The Ideal Job-Seeker Norm: Unemployment and Marital Privileges in the Professional Middle-Class.” This research aimed to understand how US married parents interpret and respond to a spouse’s unemployment and subsequent job-searching (Rao, 2021). The research used interviews to gather qualitative data regarding the phenomenon under study.
Conclusion
Social sciences are an integral part of the modern world. They strive to understand human behavior, beliefs, cultures, and attitudes and provide researchers with the opportunity to understand social behaviors. Qualitative research methodologies are essential in social sciences. They provide researchers with a guideline and framework to approach the topic under research or the phenomenon under investigation. This paper shows that qualitative methods use non-numerical approaches to research studies. These methods seek to gain an in-depth description of phenomena under investigation, prompting researchers to analyze the gathered data in-depth.
On the other hand, respondents are prompted to respond by answering a series of open-ended questions tailored to get them to talk about their beliefs, cultures, attitudes, and perceptions related to the phenomena under study. Qualitative methodologies have many strengths; they are a source of rich data, provide access to new information, are cost-effective in terms of fewer respondents, and provide several avenues for data collection. On the other hand, qualitative methodologies have several shortcomings; they are time-consuming in data collection and coding; there are chances of prejudice affecting the results, and these methods are difficult to verify the data collected. In conclusion, qualitative methods are integral to the scientific research community. Continuous improvements need to be made in areas such as ethical considerations to improve the results from qualitative research methods.
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