Sage Research Methods - Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Roadmap from Beginning to End (2024)

FAQs

How do you complete a qualitative dissertation? ›

Qualitative research

It uses methods like in-depth case studies, open-ended survey questions, unstructured interviews, focus groups, or unstructured observations (Cottrell, 2014, p93). The nature of the data is subjective, and also the analysis of the researcher involves a degree of subjective interpretation.

Overview. SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process.

Most dissertations are guided by 1-3 substantive and specific research questions.

Approaches to qualitative research

Common approaches include grounded theory, ethnography, action research, phenomenological research, and narrative research. They share some similarities, but emphasize different aims and perspectives.

The three most common qualitative methods, explained in detail in their respective modules, are participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Each method is particularly suited for obtaining a specific type of data.

There are a variety of methods of data collection in qualitative research, including observations, textual or visual analysis (eg from books or videos) and interviews (individual or group). However, the most common methods used, particularly in healthcare research, are interviews and focus groups.

Developed and adapted by the authors of this book, thematic analysis (TA) is one of the most popular qualitative data analytic techniques in psychology and the social and health sciences.

Three features characterize the method: qualitative content analysis reduces data, it is systematic, and it is flexible. Unlike other qualitative methods for data analysis which open up (and sometimes add to) data, qualitative content analysis helps with reducing the amount of material.

What type of journal is Sage? ›

It publishes more than 1,000 journals, more than 800 books a year, reference works and electronic products covering business, humanities, social sciences, science, technology and medicine.

6 months to 1 year: This is a more common timeframe for most dissertations, considering research, analysis, writing, and revisions. 1 to 2 years or more: Complex, data-intensive projects or those facing significant external constraints might take longer.

The findings should be presented in the context of any similar previous research and or theories. A discussion of the existing literature and how this present research contributes to the area should be included. A consideration must also be made about how transferrable the research would be to other settings.

The standard in qualitative research is that it takes 12-13 responses to reach saturation -- meaning whether you survey 13 or 130 people, the number of insights/themes you get is the same. There are folks who debate the exact number of participants, but most in the scientific community agree it's below 20.

5 components: (i) purpose; (ii) conceptual context; (iii) research questions; (iv) methods; and (v) validity.

It's determined by multiple factors, including: discipline, type of analysis (qualitative or quantitative), and the area of research. Generally speaking, the average length of a dissertation is between 150-300 pages. However, it's important to consider a number of contributing factors.