Evaluating Research Questions and Qualitative Designs

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Evaluating Research Questions and Qualitative Designs

The purpose of research should be used to determine qualitative research designs. The approach deployed in qualitative research studies should align with the research questions. In evaluating a qualitative analysis, individuals should seek to establish whether the research questions best address the problem and are in alignment with the methods for data collection (Babbie, 2017). Studies of a qualitative nature focus on the single phenomenon and in most cases use exploratory verbs. The aim of this evaluation is to evaluate the qualitative research article authored by Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) and titled “When mobility makes sense: A qualitative and longitudinal study of the daily mobility of the elderly.” The said article was published in the “Journal of Environmental Psychology.”

Evaluating Research Questions

Research questions in a qualitative research should be in an open-ended format, use non-directional language, and specify not only the participants but also the research site. Additionally, according to Babbie (2017), they ought to align with the qualitative approach and use exploratory words. In the study by Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011), the questions start with ‘what’ and ‘how’ and none of the questions begin with why. Such words are explorative and open-ended such that no definite answer is guaranteed. However, Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) questions do not focus on one phenomenon as one question is directed on psychosocial impacts while another is on functional and sensorial limitations. However, the questions specify the participants as older suburbanites and the research site as their houses. The language that Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) use is not directional.

Type of Qualitative Research Approach

The research approach used in a qualitative study should align with the questions such that it will aid in providing substantive answers to the questions (Laureate Education, 2015). Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) deployed a longitudinal study approach in their quest to answer the research questions. In this observational research method, the old suburbanites were repeatedly observed over a specific period. The authors implemented such a design by investigating the daily mobilities of the participants as well as their everyday experiences over time. In so doing Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) could compare the observations they made in each of the days and reach conclusions as to the existence of any common patterns among the participants.

Alignment among the Theoretical or Conceptual Framework, Problem, Purpose, Research Questions, and Design

The theoretical and conceptual framework for a study should be related to the problem and should align with the purpose of the study as well as the questions to be addressed in the research. Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) has a conceptual framework which touches in the mobility as well as daily lives of elderly suburbanites. In such a concept, the authors provide cases of aging and automobile uses as well as aging and meanings of mobility. Such ideas align with the propose of the study which was to examine how old suburbanites move into their houses and neighborhoods. Additionally, such ideas are related to the questions of research which focus on the how the participants cope with their functional as well as sensorial limitations in their homes. Moreover, looking at the conceptual framework, it is aligned to the longitudinal design which involves observing a single phenomenon over time. As such the theoretical framework in the study by Lord, Després, & Ramadier (2011) aligns with purpose, problem, research questions, and the design of the study.