ARAŞTIRMA YÖNTEMLERİ - Deneme Sınavı - 16

In participatory observation, the researcher actively partakes in the target setting or the daily routines of the target group via direct interaction with the members of that group instead of taking a distant stance. The correct answer is B.

The focal point of a performative analysis is not the words spoken, but gestures, mimes, and moves accompanying narration, and the effort to convince listeners. The correct answer is D.

The final step of a qualitative research process is reporting, which includes the following sections: theoretical background, method, findings, and results. In reporting step, 'selecting participants' must have already completed. Therefore, the answe is E.

Qualitative research is defined as a method where perceptions and events can be pictured in their natural environments with a holistic and realistic perspective through use of qualitative data collection techniques such as observation, interview, focus groups and document analysis. Surveys are used for quantitative research methods.

Qualitative research methods’ basic features can be listed as follows: (1) sensitivity to natural environment, (2) participatory role of the researcher, (3) holistic approach, (4) identifying the perceptions,(5)flexibility in research design, and (6) inductive analysis. Holistic data collection is among the other features of qualitative research methods. Based on the fact that a whole means more than the collection of its parts, research subject is approached with a holistic perspective.

Research studies conducted via quantitative research methods are inclined to see the facts through the same eyes all the time, and thus, fail to explain social phenomena that are constantly in a state of change. Yet, it should be remembered that social phenomena cannot be universal, are never fixed, and can change in time. Social world is complex and only one research approach or design is not enough to understand this complexity.

The contributions that qualitative methods can introduce into IR include three types of information (environment, process, perceptions) which can be gathered through use of qualitative research methods. First is the environmental information, which regards social, psychological, cultural, demographic, and physical characteristics.

One qualitative research design that can be employed in IR is phenomenology, which is rooted in philosophy and psychology and where participants’ experiences about a phenomenon defined by them are described. As obvious by definition, phenomenological research aims to determine individuals’ own perceptions and experiences through their own standpoint. Phenomenology is a research design to study participants’ experiences about a phenomenon they define.

Case study is the most widely employed design in IR, and this is an increasing tendency in the field. The efforts to figure out complex social events or phenomena can be taken as the reason for this inclination. A simplified definition of case study could be the attempt to seek answers to “how?” or “why?” concerning a current case of interest. Case study refers to examination of a case in real life (context) when the boundaries between an event and its context are obscure.

Even though each research design is different, basic order of conducting a qualitative research is as follows: identifying the research focus or problem; selecting participants; data collection techniques; data analysis; and reporting.

As a qualitative data collection tool, interview enables the researcher to gather data that observation and questionnaire techniques cannot unravel and to examine the participants’ feelings, opinions, perceptions, and attitudes. Observation means reviewing naturally- emerging signs of an event/phenomenon to comprehensively understand that event/ phenomenon. Diary can be described as a source of data where the researcher writes down her/his comments, feelings, and opinions about events that s/he observes and hears and where s/he can add her/his reflections about her/his experience. Documents refer to any kind of written, audio, and/or visual materials that bear information about the focal events or phenomena in a given research. Artifacts are another source of help qualitative researchers can use to answer the research questions. They can also be described as physical evidence for qualitative research. Artifacts refer to object(s) located within the focal context, and somehow, they appeal to the researcher’s interest.

Rigor refers to assessing quality and accuracy of research processes and conclusions. Rigor of a research involves the concepts of credibility (reliability) and validity. First major criterion for rigor in qualitative research is “internal validity” (trustworthiness), which means questioning the true value of the research for trustworthiness and to clarify the question “Does this research have a valid value?” Answering the questions below could be advised to establish trustworthiness for a given research:

Another important criterion for rigor in qualitative research is “external validity” (transferability). This refers to precise definition or explanation of the area that findings can be generalized to. It is not a generalization based on numbers as in quantitative studies, but an analytic generalization in terms of similar units, places, or cases.

Grounded theory is one of the qualitative research methods where a series of methods are systematically operated in order to develop an inductive theory. It is defined as a process in which the researcher digs out a general abstract theory about a process, action, or interaction grounded in participants’ standpoint.

Scientific research is the process of systematic and planned data collection, data analysis, assessment and interpretation, and reporting in order to figure out reliable and valid solutions to problems by limiting them (Erkuş, 2011). According to another definition, it is a process to gather and analyze information so as to gain insight about a topic or issue (Creswell, 2012). Based on these definitions, it is possible to deduce that a scientific research process involves 1) problem identification, 2) data collection, 3) data analysis, 4) interpretation, and 5) report writing.

The positivist paradigm advocates that reality will surface precisely through logic and experiment.

Quantitative research is based on positivist paradigm, which advocates that reality will surface precisely through logic and experiment. Accordingly, it strives to formulate universal laws for each field of scientific study. Such a stance with respect to the nature of reality led to the birth of a research design to produce knowledge that is measurable, replicable, generalizable, intact, and value-free judgements. Being "value-laden" is a characteristic that is not desirable in quantitative research.

Issues regarding metaphysical events, philosophy, theology, and astrology are not suitable to form research problems in a scientific sense as they cannot be examined in empirical studies. Issues in psychology, however, can be empirically studied.

Primary building blocks of quantitative research are the variables (Christensen et al., 2014).

If a variable can only assume certain values or options, and if it can be expressed through only whole numbers, then it is a discrete variable. For example, gender variable can assume either male or female option.

Continuous variables are those that can take any value between their bottom and top limits, that is to say,
they can be expressed in fractions. For instance, the value that variable of weight can assume ranges from zero to infinity (Karasar, 1994).