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In chapter 3, "Methodology", you discuss in great detail how you conducted the study,
the research design, how you selected the sample and the data collection techniques.
In Chapter 3 of your Thesis, you discuss details about the methodology you employed
in collecting data for your study. Here the title 'Methodology' is adopted for this chapter
in which you tell the reader how you collected the data to answer the research
questions in Chapter 1 - Introduction. You will describe the methods and procedures (or
techniques) used in the your study in sufficient detail that will enable future researchers
to follow your methodology for their respective study. You should write the methodology
of your study as though it were a 'recipe' which can be followed closely by individuals
In short, Chapter 1 describes why the research question is being asked and Chapter 3
describes how the research question is answered. Note that there are several ways of
writing Chapter 3 and the following is a suggestion on the sub-sections to include. Here,
Chapter 3 for qualitative research has been divided into 8 sub-sections. Please check
1. PREAMBLE
The 'Preamble' sub-section would normally consist of TWO parts. In the first part, you
restate the 'problem statement', the 'purpose of the study' the 'research questions'
(unless your study is based on the grounded theory method) and the theoretical
framework. Again you may ask, why should I keep on 'retelling' about the purpose,
problem statement, research questions and theoretical framework of the study! You
would assume that the reader should know what the study is all about. You should keep
in mind that when your thesis is later kept in the university library or in an online
database, researchers interested in your study may 'jump' straight to Chapter 3 to find
out how you went about collecting data for your study. Hence, it would be appreciated
by future readers if you told them briefly the problem statement, purpose, research
questions and the underlying theory of your study so that they understand this chapter.
In the second part of the 'Preamble', you tell the reader the sub-sections in Chapter 3
and how you will address each sub-section. Think of this part as the 'warm up' for the
full discussion of your data collection strategy. Note that the information regarding
"The study examined decision-making styles and its effects on employee performance
in the workplace. Previous studies have demonstrated that leaders may make decisions
that are not popular with employees (Boachie-Mensah, Dogbe & Ophelia, 2011). The
main objective of this study was to assess the impact of performance-related pay on
motivation of employees. Pay increases or the lack of for employees can have an effect
on employee's and the productivity of their work. If the employee feels they are not
compensated for their work, they may tend to decrease in being productive in their
work. Specifically the study sought to answer how might leaders's decision-making
styles effect employee performance and how leader's decision-making styles are
informed by emotions or feelings This chapter is divided into several section addressing
the choice of research design, selection of informants, data collection procedures, pilot-
Generally, 'methods' used in qualitative research are more flexible compared to the
research, the 'Research Design' sub-section is not essential. However, having this
sub-section enables you to tell the reader from the on-set whether your study used an
grounded theory or the generic qualitative method that does not subscribe to any
You should state the rationale for your choice of the research design or
method and its appropriateness. For example, why did you choose the case
study method or the grounded theory method or the narrative inquiry method.
Show how the method you had chosen helped accomplish the goals of the
study. Focus only on what you employed and implemented in your study.
Discuss in detail the steps you took when using a particular design. For
though it were like an 'operators's manual' that you might share with others so
to adopt or adapt your research design. "It is a balancing act between too
much information and not enough information". Cite from textbooks and
Merriam, Patton, Charmaz and others. However, do not take chunks from
these authors but focus on what you need in telling readers about the
"The case study method was used in this study because it is well-suited in answering
the research questions appropriately and adequately. The strength of the case study
method is because it allows for the examination of the phenomenon in depth using
various kinds of evidence obtained from interviews with those involved, direct
observation of events and analysis of documents and artifacts (Yin, 2003). Also, the
case study was used because the focus of the study is more to describe and explain
rather than prediction, and the variable variable studied is note easily unidentifiable or
the case study allows for empirical inquiry of phenomenon within its real-life context,
especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly
Irrespective of which qualitative research design you adopted for your study, the three
You may have used one or more of these data collection techniques in your study. Do
Discuss where the Interview with your subjects or informants took place.
How did you arrange the setting to ensure the level of quiet, intimacy and
privacy.
"On-site interviews and observations was the main data collection techniques for the
pertain to the study Interviews were conducted based on questions listed in Interview
Guide (see Appendix C). However, participants were allowed the freedom to talk about
4. INSTRUMENTATION
If you used INTERVIEW as a data collection, you will invariably have used
structured or unstructured
In this sub-section, you give details about how you got your subjects or informants for
your study. The issue of sampling can be quite confusing in qualitative research.
Students often ask "how many subjects or informants" do I need for my study. Can I
is"saturation" and not representativeness and the size of the sample is not statistically
Tell the reader how you chose the informants for your study -
procedure; i.e. why did you choose the particular sampling method.
informants will be able to provide you with information needed to answer the
research questions; also you can argue that the informants are most
HOW MANY? - For example, you chose 10 Managers - why 10 and not 15? -
research questions.
school canteen, discussion room? - explain how you got around the
'gatekeepers"?
In this study purposive sampling was adopted which is “a method of sampling where the
researcher deliberately chooses who to include in the study based on their ability to
provide necessary data” (Parahoo, 1997, p. 232). The rationale for choosing this
approach was that the researcher was seeking knowledge about the nurses’ opinion of
pain in patients who suffer from dementia, which the participants would provide by virtue
of their experience.
participants, based on their level of experience in caring for patients that suffer from
seven participated in the study. Some of the nurses were not available as they were off
duty, off sick, on holiday, while others did not want to participate in the study.
In-person interviews were conducted and recorded in a quiet, neutral location where the
6. PILOT-TEST
Some experts suggest that pilot-tests are not important for qualitative research while
others suggest it would be useful for novice researchers to do pilot-test. For example, if
you are using interviews for the first time, it would advisable for you to conduct interview
as a pre-exercise to get used to the type of data collection. The pilot test will assist the
researcher in determining if there are flaws, limitations, or other weaknesses within the
interview design and enable the researcher to make necessary revisions prior to the
pilot-test should similar to the informants involved in the final study. It has also been
suggested that the pilot test can the researcher with the refinement of research
questions.
Example:
A pilot-study was conducted with 3 senior managers and were interviewed at their
workplace. The interview was audio-recorded to ensure correct use of the device.
During the exercise, attention was given to body language and non-verbal responses
and the manner of asking questions. As the researcher was the main data collection
interviewing skills were rectified and not repeated in the main study.
7. DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis in qualitative research is subject to wide variation and this makes it
important that you tell in great detail how YOU ANALYSED the data YOU collected.
Explain how you analysed the data collection. It has been suggested to think
of it as “How to” guide that others would follow your data analysis and
coding method.
Give a step by step narrative description how you conducted the entire
You might start by making a bulleted list in another document, and then
It is important for your reader to know what you did with the collected data
and that it fits well with your research philosophy, research design and
research questions.
However you need to balance between too much details and not enough
information. Too much details may also put off the reader from reading this
sub-section.
8. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
respective institution)
harm or discomfort anticipated in the research will not be greater than any
Care should be taken to ensure that the participants fully understood the
during or after the study. For example, all data collected was anonymised by
Participants should be informed that they could withdraw from the study at
9. RESEARCHER'S POSITIONALITY
Throughout the research process, you have interacted with your informants or
participants or subjects and there is always the likelihood that you may impact the
methodology or findings of the study. Especially in qualitative research, it is difficult for
you to distant yourself from the subjects you interact with. Hence, it is necessary that
you state your 'position' which is described as 'reflexivity'. "Reflexivity involves a self-
between the researcher and an 'other' (Bourke, 2014, p.2). In short, it is a process of
continuous self-analysis in which you reflect more deeply on the experiences you
For example, if you study involves issues of race, ethnicity or religion, you would be
concerned how your race, ethnicity or religion being different from your subjects
influence interactions with them. The nature of qualitative research puts you in the
position of having to be close with your subjects and it is reasonable to expect your
forth to influence the research process. It is critical that you be mindful of your own
significant effects you may have had on the data at any stage of the
process
LINK: http://valmikiacademy.com/writing-chapter-3-methodology-qualitative-research/