Qualitative research

Topic: The term methodology refers to both the methods/techniques of research and the theoretical assumptions that drive research. Can focus group research claim to be methodological? Critically discuss this issue. Introduction The topic of focus group research has fuelled a lot of debate among scholars and researchers. As part of this debate, Vicseck (2010) published a paper on focus group research. Nonetheless, whether focus group research qualifies as a methodology is not yet clear. It is imperative to clarify what the term methodology means, because this will provide a solid foundation for the upcoming discussion. As stated in the question above, a methodology is the methods or techniques of research and the theoretical assumptions that drive research. Vicseck’s (2010) definition of focus group research as an “informal debate in a group of selected participants on a selected topic” lays the foundation for this paper. Effective research should and must have a well-defined methodology because it makes the study valid. This work will discuss the subject of focus group research and prove that it is methodological. Methodology Since the scope of this work is to identify whether focus group research is methodological, it is crucial to understand the facets of methodology. Several authors have examined the term ‘methodology’. For instance, Arksey and O’Malley (2005) assert that a methodology is used to “collect, organise, and analyse data”. It follows that the methodology used will depend on the scope of the research question. Hutchinson and Lovell (2004) describe a methodology as a lucid collection of methods that complement each other and have the capacity to deliver data and results that reflect the objective of the research question. A methodology is also the outline of principles and theories that build the foundation for procedures and methods of the study. Therefore, the best available definition of the term ‘methodology’ is that it is the methods or techniques of research and the theoretical assumptions that drive a research. It is appropriate here to clarify the difference between research methodology and research methods. Research methods are all the techniques and methods used to complete a study (Rajasekar et al., 2006). Research methods refer to the methods researchers use to perform study operations. In simple terms, research methods are the methods used by a researcher in the course of studying a research problem. The unknown aspects (of the research problem) and the available data of a research problem must be related in order to simplify the solution of the study. This concept allows researchers to classify research methods into three main categories. The first category includes the methods that deal with the actual collection of data. This method deals with data that is readily available but is insufficient to enable the researcher solve the problem in his/her study. The second category comprises statistical tools used to establish relationships between the unknowns and the collected data. The third group comprises methods used to assess the accuracy of the study outcome (Leech and Onwuegbuzie, 2007). It is crucial to point out that the research methods in the last two categories are regarded as the analytical instruments of the study because they help the researcher analyse the study. Research methodology is the science of performing research or the systematic procedures used to solve a research problem. The research methodology includes various steps that a researcher adopts in studying the research problem as well as the logic and rationale behind each step. For the researcher to conduct a successful, accurate and credible research study, it is necessary for him/her to not only demonstrate an intricate understanding of the research techniques, methods and criteria used in the study, but also the underlying assumptions related to those techniques and methods. For comprehensive studies, the researcher should know how to develop and conduct tests and indices and how to calculate values such as “the mean, the standard deviation, the mode, and the median” (Knight and Steinbach, 2003). An understanding of these techniques enables the researcher to decide which methods and techniques are relevant and applicable for his/her study (Knight and Ruddock, 2009). It is necessary for researchers to design appropriate methodologies for their research because methodologies may differ for various types of research problems. Designing the methodology forms a basis for future evaluation, and the researcher should expose the logic behind his/her decisions for evaluation from interested parties. As we can see, a research methodology is a multi-faceted concept with many dimensions, including research methods. Carter and Little (2007) state that a research method is a subset of a research methodology. It follows that the research methodology is wider than the research methods, because it covers the issues constituted in the research methods and the underlying logic behind the selection of those methods. The methodology includes the explanations as to why certain methods and techniques were chosen to solve the research problem. The research methodology addresses a broader spectrum of the research problem. This spectrum includes why the study is being conducted, a definition of the research problem, how and why the hypothesis has been formulated and developed, why particular data analysis techniques and methods have been selected over others and the assumptions underlying each method, technique and step undertaken (Holloway and Wheeler, 2010). Thus, an excellent methodology should include the research methods, research methodology and the underlying assumptions of the study problem. Focus Group Research Focus group research is a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis that is used in a wide range of applications, especially when quantitative approaches, such as phone interviews, are not suitable. Originally, focus interviews were referred to as focussed interviews or group-depth interviews. They were first developed and applied after the Second World War as a means of evaluating the audience response to radio programs (Larson et al., 2004). Since their inception, focus groups have gained global popularity because they help researchers understand why people tend to hold beliefs about events, topics and programs of interest. According to Panas and Pantouvakis (2010), a focus group is a group of individuals who are freely interacting and who exhibit similar interests and characteristics. The best feedback from a focus group is achieved when the group is homogeneous in nature, meaning that members are faced with similar challenges or have similar professional or ethnical backgrounds. Usually, a moderator brings the group together and takes advantage of the existing interaction among the members of the group to gather information about a specific or a focussed issue. The presence of a moderator ensures that the discussion flows smoothly and facilitates an environment that encourages participants to air their views without pressure to reach a consensus (Robin et al., 2013). After collecting the views, the moderator conducts several interviews with other groups that have similar participants in order to identify the general trend of people’s perceptions regarding the topic of interest. Typically, focussed groups have no membership limitations; however, a range of between five and ten people, who are not familiar with each other, is recommended (Lewin and Somekh, 2005). The selection of the members is based on common characteristics of potential members. The fact that a focus group is composed of five to ten members makes it effective because each participant has an opportunity to express his/her opinion. It is notable that a group of seven individuals is large enough to provide diversified opinions. A typical focus group researcher has to visit between 3 and 12 groups during the research period. Apart from being a socially oriented research procedure, a focus group also has many advantages as an approach for undertaking research. For instance, its setting allows the moderator to explore the flexible and respond to unanticipated issues that arise during the course of the discussion. The approach is also relatively cheaper to execute because the results are obtained relatively faster (Robin et al., 2013). However, critics claim that the focus group research approach comes up with data that is difficult to analyse and calls for trained interviewers and data analysts. For accurate results, the discussion must be carried out in a conducive and nurturing environment because groups may be difficult to assemble. The focus group approach is suitable when the nature of the data being sought is not statistical and when people’s opinions are likely to vary greatly (Onwuegbuzie et al., 2009). During the ...