Social Research
Some of the notable strengths of qualitative field research include the flexibility in the sense that it allows for the scientist to plan for and accommodate every happening in the field which might affect the accuracy o the data collected during study. Qualitative field research also very well suited to study minor changes in attitudes and behaviors among subjects which may take place discreetly. Despite the strengths, this approach offers one shortfall which is it does not offer any statistical analysis whatsoever thus making data collection partially obsolete. The case study used in Dixon and singleton indicates one major flaw which is exposed by the lack o reliability in the results of the study.
One of the key ethical considerations that a researcher must take into account is the confidentiality of the source of data collected in the field. The research must be careful not to reveal sensitive personal information about the respondent without his or her express consent. The researcher must also avoid internal bias towards the subject which might affect the results of the qualitative research. A typical pre qualitative field research interview includes confirming the respondents satisfy the parameters for an ideal respondent and a clear comprehension of the privacy policy applicable to the research. This will clear up any privacy issues about the interview process.
Content analysis refers to the study of recorded human communication. An optimal study that would be suited for the use of content analysis is the study of opinion polls on a website about a certain controversial matter. Manifest coding could be used to set up a foundation for interpretation of data while latent coding could be used as a target for unearthing the meaning behind the communication being studied. Manifest coding focuses on the solid communication terms thus ensuring that the essentials of the information being communicated are not lost this would however limit this system of coding to access of information should it change. On the other hand, latent coding offers the research ample space to accommodate any change thus making it flexible and ideal.
For Amy’s case, the best source of data would be conducting a content analysis of information on government websites and peer reviewed journals which would give her written data about the impact of domestic violence on the victim. Using unobtrusive methods, she would gather all the statistics she requires, and then she would use coding to arrange them into a format that could be fed into a computer for analysis. Finally, she would compute them and draw conclusions from the results she finds. The advantage in this method is that the information she receives and subsequently analyses is credible data from credible sources thus guarantee credible results. However, as is with any other unobtrusive study, the data is subject to change thus it might not reveal the true trend.
One of the most common ethical issues when using qualitative research is the breaching of privacy, the second ethical issue is personal bias by the researcher. The best way to avoid privacy issues is to present a clear cut privacy policy to the respondents while working within the available framework in order to avoid bias. The same ethical issues could be carried over to unobtrusive research where plagiarism is at the center of unauthorized use of data and information from another source.
Yes, Chen has committed massive plagiarism by virtue of using another author’s material without proper permission or even citations. Naturally, she should credit the source of the information she used this would improve the credibility of her paper while making a professional courtesy to the writer. The best way to avoid plagiarism is through proper citation of ideas, words, phrases and information that is not the researcher’s own. This would avoid chances of running into legal copyright issues in the future.
The article taken under consideration presented a professionally conducted research procedure which presented credible findings. However, the research findings did not cover much new ground instead it reaffirmed what is already known; this is despite meeting its target and objects that were present at the beginning. The knowledge gathered through the research efforts of the article was far less valuable given that it concurred with most of what was already in circulation. In hindsight, the article was a well researched document that reaffirmed knowledge already privy to the profession.
The six ways of evaluating a research project include;
– Credibility of the findings
– How well the scope for drawing wider inferences explained
-Impact of the research on the existent knowledge level
-How effective was the project in addressing its aims and goals
– Credibility of the research procedure
-How clear the base for evaluative appraisal of the project
Several steps could be incorporated into a research project in order to ensure that it fulfills a certain standard of quality and professionalism. These steps include finding the relevant sources for use in the research project, citing information that is not the researchers own and proof reading in order to eliminate grammar and syntax errors. Above everything else, it is important to ensure that communication of the research findings in relation to the aims and objectives remains on course.
