Qualitative Research Design Discussion

The relevance of evaluating the quality of qualitative research design cannot be overstated. To begin with, in seeking to evaluate the quality of qualitative research design, there is need to determine whether the research context has been defined or described in clear and certain terms. This is more so the case given that without a clear definition of the context, it may not be possible to subject the findings to meaningful analysis (Hammersley, 2013). One of the most important considerations to be made in relation to context includes, but is not limited to, the pertinent published literature that relates to the issues under study. Secondly, it is also important to note that in seeking to evaluate the quality of qualitative research design, the methods utilized ought to be appropriate in relation to the research question. In this case, the methods ought to be evaluated so as to determine whether they actually investigate the phenomena they claim to investigate. Further, another key consideration on this front would be whether there is sufficient justification for the use of a single method, or for triangulation purposes, a range of methods would be necessary.
In reference to how the criteria highlighted above is tied to epistemological and ontological assumptions underlying philosophical orientations and standards of health sciences, it should be noted that the qualitative approach utilized ought to be not only applicable, but also suitable for the purpose of addressing the research question. Secondly, in addition to describing the purpose of undertaking the research, the author also ought to justify the qualitative approach. For instance, the research methodology could be seeking to discern or assess the subjective perspectives and/or experiences of the subjects, etc. The research methodology could also be seeking to evaluate observed outcomes or situations with an aim of understanding the WHY or the WHAT.
There are several potential ethical issues in qualitative research. One of these is confidentiality. It is important to note that persons participating in any research undertaking often have a reasonable expectation for confidentiality. This is to say that they do not expect the researcher to share their personal information with third parties. This is more so the case in health sciences whereby leaked information concerning the health and wellbeing of certain participants could potentially damage their public image or confidence. There are various approaches that could be undertaken in an attempt to protect the confidentiality of participants. The American Nurses’ Association (ANA), as Fouka and Mantzorou (2011), point out “suggests anonymity is protected when the subject's identity cannot be linked with personal responses” (48). As Fouka and Mantzorou further point out, in those instances whereby the researcher is not in a position to guarantee or promise full anonymity, then the need for privacy must be addressed sufficiently. In this case, the authors term privacy as “the management of private information by the researcher in order to protect the subject's identity” (Fouka and Mantzorou, 2011, p. 49).
In reference to the amenability of a research topic to scientific study using a qualitative approach, it is important to note that there need for feasibility of the study to be taken into consideration in relation to not only the availability of analytical tools, but also data availability. This effectively means that in those instances whereby the research topic is not acquiescent or biddable in relation to scientific study using a qualitative approach, then the validity as well as reliability of the entire study could be questioned. In basic terms, the research topic ought to be unbiased so as to provide a good basis for systematic enquiry (Hammersley, 2013).
References
Fouka, G. & Mantzorou, M. (2011). What are the Major Ethical Issues in Conducting Research? Is there a Conflict between the Research Ethics and the Nature of Nursing? Health Science Journal, 5(1), 46-51.
Hammersley, M. (2013). What is Qualitative Research? New York, NY: Bloomsbury.