Doing research can be quite challenging and can cause you some problems if you are not experienced with it. However, when you spend some time in an academic environment, it becomes part of your daily routine to deal with stuff such as research and various types of analysis. Undertaking any kind of dissertation is overwhelming, but there are some things that can make the entire process much easier. But let us start with how to set things off. Here are some tips on how to apply qualitative research to your dissertation.
Make Mindset Switches: From Quantitative to Qualitative
Do not get it twisted, it is not switching from numbers to words; this means that doing qualitative research demands that you acquire various methods of seeing and understanding the world around you. Also, you need to learn how to interpret the world around you. In the majority of situations, people consider certain ways of learning to be the only ones. However, if you come from the medical or scientific field, you should always consider some alternative ways to understand and acquire new bits of knowledge. Making a switch from quantitative to qualitative research can be challenging, but you can always feel free to find here a comprehensive guide about qualitative research and read more about steps to implement guidelines that will make sure you get the best out of your research. It will help you prevent feeling stuck and insecure about your dissertation.
Things Do Exist in Theory
In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research relies on theories and treats them as a lens through which they are able to see, observe, and understand the world around them. Therefore, it is always recommended to use theory in the earliest stages and use references throughout your entire research. Since there are some conclusions to be drawn from your own work, there is always more than one way for you to compare your own theories with the ones defined a long time ago.
You Should Reflect on Your Own Role in the Research
One of the main goals of quantitative research is to provide you with raw or clean data while bearing in mind the context in which it has been generated. On the other hand, these are neither desirable nor possible for qualitative methods. To this end, every person included in some form of research should have their own personal overview of how their personal perceptions and points of view have shaped the way they collect and use data, not to mention the way they analyze data they use in the process. This method will not only help them achieve perfect transparency but will also help them interpret and present their findings in a much easier and more efficient way.
Give a Thought to the Depth of Your Research
Just as the very name of the research implies, it is the way you develop a deep and insightful understanding of the entire concept and phenomenon you are giving your time to and completing your expertise on. You need to be realistic about the final outcomes and what you can actually achieve within the time limits needed to finish your entire dissertation. Some of the professionals in this area suggest that it is much more efficient and easier for you to analyze smaller datasets instead of producing huge and forced ones.
There Are Some Boundaries to Be Blurred
One of the best methods to always be on track and know what you have completed is to use memos about the research and to keep a so-called research diary. Not only will these add to the value of your research, but they will also serve as a basis for crafting the first draft of your work and moving in the direction of theoretical thinking. Qualitative research goes from datasets to manuscripts as your ideas grow and develop. Moreover, all of these small techniques may contribute to understanding and also allow the theories to be further explored.
Not All Things Should Be Described
When analyzing some parts of your research, such as interviews, you may be tricked into thinking that coding your transcripts means that you are almost finished. However, do not rush to conclusions; you are not even close. You need to move past descriptive codes and use conceptual themes as well as theoretical things so you can produce a high-quality thesis. On the other hand, when coding your interviews, you should use a specific way of expressing these results so that your interview analysis does not sound like gossip.
Doing qualitative research can be quite a challenge, as you will need to implement a few different ways of expressing yourself and communicating your findings. All of these need to be done while staying professional and using innovative ways in which you can analyze your data and come up with relevant conclusions related to your dissertation topic.
