Literature sources for qualitative research

 

Hello, Hi. Welcome to my blog. My name is Nonkululeko Hlophe…a highly social and inquisitive zulu girl from the small town of Pongola in Kwa-Zulu Natal. I have enrolled for honours in media studies as I am fascinated by the phenomenon that is media. I want to understand the role we, as consumers of media, play in the media’s production of the texts it communicates to us. Media forms part of our social world and therefore, together, the media and us, we define what the current situation is (Altheide & Schneider 2013). 

I also want to  further understand how the media influences people by looking at the “starts” or celebrities, media institutions including regulatory bodies as well as media texts to understand the signs, codes and their meanings, and how these signs and codes are interpreted by diverse people (du Plooy 2001, Fourie 2009 & Stokes 2002).

I am looking forward to finishing the course with better research and analytical skills and clear understanding of the principles fundamental to qualitative research

This blog has two main purposes. The first one is I want to improve my writing skills and grow as a creative yet professional writing. The second main reason is that I want to expand the little knowledge I have about research for and in media by engaging with the work and thoughts of my fellow students.

Qualitative Research Principles

Media research usually involves the use of textual analysis to examine the messages communicated by the media because it allows researchers to look at the textual relationships that the communication occurs in (du Plooy 2009). It is important for researchers to know where to look and select relevant texts to research before they start the research process. Analysing the text or content of media messages tells you why the message was communicated, the meanings of the message and the actors in the communication process (Altheider & Schneider 2013 & du Plooy 2001).

Media researchers should prioritise producing ethical research and sometimes researchers will be faced with having to make quick ethical decisions. Informed consent, confidentiality and doing no harm are some of the primary concerns in ethics (Mason 2002). The debriefing of participants at the end of a research also form part of ethics. Researchers should, however, critique the ethics codes they have been provided with by various institutions they are working for (de Vos et al 2005 & Mason 2002).

Now we’ll look at five principles that I think are key in qualitative research designs. The principles are in no particular order.

      Active Engagement:

Researchers in general, should actively engage with their work or research from start to finish, and afterwards, as post-mortem. The researcher should critically look at the methods he/she wants to use, the sample as well as ethical implications of the research such as who will be benefit the most from the research and examining one’s motive for the research (Mason 2002 & du Plooy 2009).

This is very important because research can be used to justify discrimination and other prejudice. The researcher should not be comfortable with following set methods but should be creative in their application of the methods (Mason 2010).

      Practicality:

Researchers need to be realistic about the sample size, ability to reach the sample and the time they need to conduct the research. This is important because you don’t want to find yourself with insufficient resources when you conduct the research.

The researcher also needs to assess his/her skill set as well as weakness so that he/she can ask for help where she/he needs to, for example, if the researcher has time management issues, he/she can ask somebody to be their time keeper or draw timelines or schedules that must be strictly adhered to.

      Confidentiality:

This core principle speaks to research ethics as well as morality. Researchers should not be people who’ve had their chests kicked by a horse, translated version of a Zulu idiom which means the person cannot keep secrets. When it comes to confidentiality, make sure that you make promises you can keep and make sure you have obtained informed consent from all your research participants.

      Ethics:

Researchers need to know the ethics and ensure they adhere to them so that they can protect themselves from facing disciplinary actions as well being sued by participants. The researcher needs to also inform participants about consequences of taking part in their studies and get informed consent from them. Being ethical sound will also play a role in selecting sponsors because sponsors can make you alter your research to suit their ideologies (de Vos et al 2005).

      Soundness :

It is important for researchers to evaluate the soundness of their research by looking at validity and reliability in their research. They should check if the findings are credible and if these findings are a true reflection of the participants’ experiences or understandings. Researchers should also be aware of their bias.

These are the principles that I think are needed in preparing for a successful qualitative research project. Am I wrong or did I get it right, lets talk.

SOURCES CONSULTED

Altheide, DL & Schneider, C. J. 2013. Qualitative media analysis. Arizona: Sage.

de Vos, A. S., Strydom, H., Fouche, C. B. & Delport, C. S. L. 2005. Research at grassroots: For the social science and human service professionals. 3^rd edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers

Du Plooy, G.M. 2009. Communication research: techniques, methods and applications. 2^nd edition. Cape Town : Juta & Co

Fourie, P. J. (2009). Media Studies: Media content and media audiences. Vol. 3. Cape Town: Juta & Co

How to do media and cultural studies: Typological approaches & star study / Stokes, J. Sage. (2002), p. 92-97

Mason, J. 2002. Qualitative researching. 2^nd edition. London: SAGE [Pongola Library DDC no.: 300. 72 MASO]