Guide to Designing Qualitative Research Free Essays

Guide to Designing Qualitative Research When you are asked to design a qualitative research and write your dissertation or research study using this method, you might be confused where to start. Many students simply assume that qualitative research is based on interviews or observation, and does not need to include literature research, or theses. This is the first misconception of qualitative research methods, and there are many more to come. We will write a custom essay sample on Guide to Designing Qualitative Research or any similar topic only for you Order Now If you would like to be confident that your qualitative research study will be suitable for submission, and you will get great grades, you will need to understand all the requirements of research, studies, structure, and design. Read the below guide to help you understand what qualitative methods entail and how to make the most out of your research. The Role of Qualitative Research Qualitative research is usually carried out to understand the different perspectives of issues and phenomena. It is concerned about human behaviour and experiences. In many cases, it measures attitudes, therefore, the information gained cannot be quantified. Qualitative methods are usually applied in the following fields of study: Health and social care Social studies Humanities Marketing Psychology Teaching Qualitative research, in short, is a research method that focuses on findings that reflect on the complexity of a problem or issue and do not provide statistical or quantifiable information, but – instead – answer the initial research questions of the study. Qualitative research attempts to answer the questions: â€Å"what?† and â€Å"why?†, while quantitative methods focus on â€Å"how many?†. Methods of Qualitative Research There are different methods that researchers can apply to conduct qualitative studies and answer the research questions. Some of them are listed below. Direct observation This method takes into consideration the environment and setting, however, the researcher’s bias might affect the reliability of the information gained. Participant observation This approach requires the researcher to take part in the activities of the group researched and participate in their routines. This method allows a deeper understanding of the issues faced by the group, but can be costly and lengthy. Qualitative interviews There are three main types of interviews used by researchers: Informal Semi-structured Open-ended This approach allows the researcher to take into consideration the individual differences of participants and tailor the questions to their profile. The main disadvantage of qualitative interviews is that the results are hard to analyse. Focus groups This data collection method is often used to predict attitudes of groups towards an issue or product Action research This collaborative method allows the author of the study to manipulate the situation and measure the outcomes, while designing interventions for improvement. Case studies This method is usually applied when a researcher is focusing on one organisation, group, or institution and provides an in-depth analysis of phenomena based on the research question. When to Apply Qualitative Research Qualitiative research can be used when the author would like to test a hypothesis, understand the attitude of individuals or groups towards a service or product, try to develop interventions, meet the needs of a certain consumer or peer group, or capture the language used by the participants. Presenting the Results of Qualitative Research The main goal of presenting the results of the qualitative study is to answer the research questions. Therefore, the interview questions observation strategies need to be built around the research aims and objectives. When presenting the qualitative research results, the author needs to focus on answering the questions and identifying trends. As an example, when researching people’s attitudes towards a new health care service interviewed, the most important emerging themes that were mentioned by participants need to be listed and discussed in the context of the literature. To successfully present the results of the study in qualitative research, you need to: Read the answers or transcripts closely Use sequential text interpretation Take into consideration individual differences and the impact of the setting To identify trends, you might need to use coding that captures the essence of the content Structure of a Qualitative Study The best way of designing a qualitative research method is to use a research protocol. This will help create a methodology that is fit for the purpose of the study. The main parts of the research protocol are: Aims and objectives Background of the study Methods Ethical issues Resources needed to conduct the research Timescale for the research Dissemination plan / output Once the qualitative research protocol is drawn up, you need to get it approved by the supervisor before the study can take place. When structuring the final research paper, you need to have the following sections: Title Using the keywords that represent the purpose of the study, you need to create a title that sums up the content. Abstract Write the abstract after the paper is finished, to summarise the content Background and Context List the information on the topic available through theories and recent research studies, and signify the importance of carrying out the research Design and Methodology Provide the research questions, setting, research methods, epistemological commitments, and the data analysis methods Findings Present the results of the study in a structured, logical format, focusing on the research questions Discussion and Conclusion Reflect back to the research questions and literature research, to present how the results can be interpreted and used to make improvements in your field. Do You Need Help Conducting Qualitative Research? If you already have an idea of what you would like to research, and need help with developing your research questions, protocol, timeline, or choose the right research methodology for your study, you can get in touch with our friendly team at our site who will assist you with your research or dissertation. Alternatively, you can submit your question online and our professional writers will discuss your options and provide personalised answers based on your research topic and field of study. Related Articles: Different Research Methods Used in the Aviation Industry A Critical Discussion of research methods and approaches Dissertation – Different Research Strategies you can use in your dissertation Summary Reviewer Dissertation Ideas – Qualitative Review Date 2017-08-26 Reviewed Item our site – Admin Author Rating 5 How to cite Guide to Designing Qualitative Research, Essays

Case Study for Department of Administrative- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCase Study for Department of Administrative Services. Answer: Develop strategy for protecting informal digital identity It is identified that there are number of personal as well as data protection risk associated with the digital identity that is created by the users in the portal of MyLicense. The risks that are associated with informal digital identity are elaborated below: The safety of the users can be at risk: Due to data theft as well as hacking the informal digital identity can be at risk (Beduschi et al., 2017). It is identified that if proper security measures is not taken by the department of administration for security digital identity of the people then the safety of the people are at risk. Leakage of important as well as personal information: The personal information including, name, address, phone number can be hacked if the portal of DAS do not provide proper security (Bozkurt Tu, 2016). This will create number of challenges as well as risks for the people who uses the portal of MyLicence for renewing their license of the services. Leakage of financial information: The people generally login in the portal of MyLicense and renew their services. It is identified that the users can pay for the renewal online whose information can be stored within the portal (Reamer, 2013). If the digital identity of the persons faces risk then it would put the financial information at risk. The above risks that are faced by informal digital identity on the portal of DAS can be resolved or mitigated by adopting proper strategies as well as methods that are as follows: Digital identity must have proper security control: It is identified that by compromising the authorized users informal digital identity, the hackers can access the information ad as a result it would create number of security related issues (Balsam et al., 2015) Therefore in order to mitigate the issue it is quite important to authorize as well as authenticate the access of the user in order to secure digital identity. The Web access management must evolve in order to keep them ware about various security threats as well as vulnerabilities. Identity context must be important for insider threat as well as threat prevention: It is identified that the users of the portal of DAS are privileged with access in the remote location but it is very much important to evolve proper identity context as well as transactional attributes for making sure that legitimate users have accessed which further helps in avoiding the activities of fraudulent users (Simmonds, 2015). Identification of governance and analytics: It is identified that the department of administration must have customized IT driven identity management for governing the information as well as data of the people that are mainly stored within the portal in order to support their regulatory compliance (Al-Khouri, 2014). It is identified that proper auditing as well as risk teams must be present to focus on the threat of informal identity so that they can be able to make proper decision as well as strategies that are helpful in providing security risk management. References Al-Khouri, A. M. (2014). Digital identity: Transforming GCC economies.Innovation,16(2), 184-194. Balsam, K. F., Molina, Y., Blayney, J. A., Dillworth, T., Zimmerman, L., Kaysen, D. (2015). Racial/ethnic differences in identity and mental health outcomes among young sexual minority women.Cultural diversity and ethnic minority psychology,21(3), 380. Beduschi, A., Cinnamon, J., Langford, J., Luo, C., Owen, D. (2017). Building Digital Identities: The Challenges, Risks and Opportunities of Collecting Behavioural Attributes for new Digital Identity Systems. Bozkurt, A., Tu, C. H. (2016). Digital identity formation: socially being real and present on digital networks.Educational Media International,53(3), 153-167. Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work in a digital age: Ethical and risk management challenges.Social work,58(2), 163-172. Simmonds, P. (2015). The digital identity issue.Network Security,2015(8), 8-13.

4th Grade Lesson Plan for Expanded Notation

4th Grade Lesson Plan for Expanded Notation Students will create, read, and decompose large numbers. Class 4th Grade Duration One or two class periods, 45 minutes each Materials: paper or large note cards numbered 0 - 10 (enough for the whole class)chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector Key Vocabulary place value, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, expanded notation (or expanded form) Objectives Students will demonstrate their understanding of place value to create and read large numbers. Standards Met 4.NBT.2 Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Lesson Introduction Ask a few volunteer students to come to the board and write down the largest number that they can think of and read aloud. Many students will want to put endless numerals on the board, but being able to read the number aloud is a more difficult task! Step-by Step Procedure: Give each student a sheet of paper or large note card with a numeral between 0 - 10.Call two students up to the front of the class. Any two students will work as long as they are not both holding a 0 card.Have them show their numerals to the class. For example, one student is holding a 1 and the other is holding a 7. Ask the class, â€Å"What number do they make when they stand next to each other?† Depending on where they are standing, the new number is 17 or 71. Have students tell you what the numbers mean. For example, with 17, the 7 means 7 ones, and the 1 is really 10.Repeat this process with several other students until you are confident that at least half of the class has mastered the two-digit numbers.Move on to three digit numbers by inviting three students to come to the front of the class. Let’s say that their number is 429. As in the above examples, ask the following questions:What does the 9 mean?What does the 2 mean?What does the 4 mean?As students answer t hese questions, write the numbers down: 9 20 400 429. Tell them that this is called â€Å"expanded notation† or expanded form. The term â€Å"expanded† should make sense to many students because we are taking a number and expanding it into its parts. After doing a few examples at the front of the class, have the students begin writing the expanded notation down as you invite students up to the board. With enough examples on their paper, when it comes to more complex problems, they will be able to use their notes as a reference.Continue adding students to the front of the class until you are working on four-digit numbers, then five-digit, then six. As you move into the thousands, you may want to become the comma that separates thousands and the hundreds, or you can assign the comma to a student. (The student that is always wanting to participate is a good one to assign this to - the comma will be called upon often!) Homework/Assessment You can give your students a choice of assignments  - both are equally long and equally difficult, though in different ways: Have students write 987,654 in expanded notation OR the largest number that they are able to.Have them write 20,006 in expanded notation (Be sure to go over this one in class the next day.) Evaluation Write the following numbers on the board and have students write them in expanded notation:1,78630,551516

Free Essays on Ordinary People

The book I did my report on is called Ordinary People, by Judith Guest. It is a very well written novel about a boy’s battle with depression, suicide, the loss of his brother, and communication gaps with his parents. The story starts by not telling you much about the situation, and the more the book ropes you in. The boy in the story starts out being 17, his name in Conrad Jarrett. Conrad had an older brother who died in a boating accident, he drowned. Conrad idolized his older brother, and never really came to terms with the loss, and about 1 year later, Conrad tried to take his own life. After that, his parents sent him to a hospital for the depressed, he spent 8 months there, and fell a year behind in school, and grew apart from his friends. This story starts when he is back in school and repeating his Jr. year. Throughout the story you see his ups and downs and recovery. Also, one of his main problems is communicating with his parents. His father feels tremendous guilt and just constantly tries to make him happy, but his mother on the other hand, resents him for trying t take his own life. In the end Conrad finally comes to terms with his loses, and faces his problems head on. He regains the friendships that, in his mind are worth it, and lets go of the ones that really weren’t. Conrad is the main character in this story. Throughout the story he undergoes many changes, good and bad. At first he goes through many low points, where he feels he has nothing, no friends no family, and no one to rely on. Until he finds a psychiatrist named Dr. Tyrone C. Berger. Mr. Berger helps Conrad to come to terms with his problems and face them. Conrad doesn’t develop any close relationships with anyone throughout the story until Berger comes along. Then he becomes involved with a girl named Jeannie. He develops a good relationship with her, and they are still going out at the end of the story. I think Conrad is a good kid that just tries t... Free Essays on Ordinary People Free Essays on Ordinary People What exactly makes a world and it’s people ordinary? In the spellbinding novel Ordinary People, Judith Guest gives readers a taste of life after having to deal with a terrible crisis, and introduces us to an ordinary family living in an ordinary world. The novel’s descriptive nature highlights the main character, Conrad’s, struggle in maintaining sanity in an ordinary world. Conrad Jarrett is a precise description of a teenager, having to deal with things every teenager his age has to go through daily. The internal conflicts he struggles with, especially his need for affection, and his sense of wanting to belong is what deepens the plot and intrigues readers even more. We see conrad’s point of view on life, of the world in which he lives, and where he sees himself fitting into. "†¦.Your sense of identity is what seems to have been misplaced. No. Wrong. You don’t lose what you never had." (pg.24) Readers can take his point of view and compare it with their own observations. The next issue is that the affection he is searching for, he gets from the wrong person, his father, while he really needs it from his mother. "†¦.She loves my father, I know that. She loved my brother, too. It’s just me."(pg.188). Trying to get his mother’s affection and approval is what in some ways intensifies his struggle, as well as affects h is parent’s marriage. The descriptions Judith Guest gives throughout the story, regarding all the different issues, that come up, make the book even more realistic, and in some instances even humorous. The descriptions given, depend of Conrad’s mood at that time. Although it may seem like it is a bad thing it’s not! The variety in the descriptions (which resemble his moods), add excitement to the novel, and make the story flow a lot better. The reader will know what to expect from a chapter, just from the descriptions given at that moment. For example, will it be humorous? Depressing? Touching? ... Free Essays on Ordinary People The book I did my report on is called Ordinary People, by Judith Guest. It is a very well written novel about a boy’s battle with depression, suicide, the loss of his brother, and communication gaps with his parents. The story starts by not telling you much about the situation, and the more the book ropes you in. The boy in the story starts out being 17, his name in Conrad Jarrett. Conrad had an older brother who died in a boating accident, he drowned. Conrad idolized his older brother, and never really came to terms with the loss, and about 1 year later, Conrad tried to take his own life. After that, his parents sent him to a hospital for the depressed, he spent 8 months there, and fell a year behind in school, and grew apart from his friends. This story starts when he is back in school and repeating his Jr. year. Throughout the story you see his ups and downs and recovery. Also, one of his main problems is communicating with his parents. His father feels tremendous guilt and just constantly tries to make him happy, but his mother on the other hand, resents him for trying t take his own life. In the end Conrad finally comes to terms with his loses, and faces his problems head on. He regains the friendships that, in his mind are worth it, and lets go of the ones that really weren’t. Conrad is the main character in this story. Throughout the story he undergoes many changes, good and bad. At first he goes through many low points, where he feels he has nothing, no friends no family, and no one to rely on. Until he finds a psychiatrist named Dr. Tyrone C. Berger. Mr. Berger helps Conrad to come to terms with his problems and face them. Conrad doesn’t develop any close relationships with anyone throughout the story until Berger comes along. Then he becomes involved with a girl named Jeannie. He develops a good relationship with her, and they are still going out at the end of the story. I think Conrad is a good kid that just tries t...

Happiness Inherited or Gained (Nature vs Nurture) Essay

Happiness Inherited or Gained (Nature vs Nurture) - Essay Example There are hundreds and hundreds of things involved in the whole make up of the happiness. Your birth, your health, your parents, your achievements, your relationships etc. And as if all these things were not enough, now it is clear that your genes are also involved in the level of your happiness. responsible for your happiness [1] . The studies conducted on twins and animals show that genes matter a lot when it comes to happiness. However, at the same time these studies have also revealed that it is not just the genes but also the environment that is instrumental in shaping the personality of a human being [2] . This is a good news as it makes us hopeful that we do have a chance of being happy no matter what genes we are carrying. But it is not that easy. To achieve happiness, first of all, we have to understand what happiness is. Only after understanding what happiness actually means will we be able to be happy. Can happiness be taken out of the clutches of scientific studies and taken to a different dimension altogether? Isn’t happiness something beyond the understanding of science? And if not, then can we be courageous enough to be independent of the scientific studies and make our own way towards happiness, no matter what scientists say about our genes? Can we, in short, go beyond nature and nurture and be happy? The answer is ‘Yes’. The only need is to go beyond the strength of the genes and free ourselves of the environmental influence and take a courageous step to embrace the happiness. It is just a matter of decision, that’s it. To understand happiness, we have to understand the different aspects involved in it. We can divide

Public Health and Health Care Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Health and Health Care Paper - Essay Example Generally, the private sector in any health care system of a nation consists of diverse nongovernmental institutions of varying scale and scope. Public health is basically financed with government’s funds solicited from tax revenues. In the United States, â€Å"the public sector includes official (or governmental) agencies, voluntary agencies, and nonprofit agencies.† (Delaune & Ladner, 2006, 60) This essay is hereby written with the objective of describing public health and its role in the delivery of health care services. It aims to describe a selected public agency and determine its contribution to the core functions of public health. The essay will also examine specific ways the agency influences the workplace and health care provider. Finally, the roles of the agency workers are to be identified, including specific responsibilities, competencies, and skills. At the top of the hierarchy in the public sector’s delivery of health care is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) which is the sole governing body tasked with the responsibility of delivering health care services to the public. Next in line are state departments of health which vary in providing health care to their constituents. The state departments of health eventually relegate and coordinate health activities of local health units. A report from the USDHHS on Public Health in America proffered the public health sector’s vision as â€Å"healthy people in healthy communities† with the mission of â€Å"promoting physical and mental health and preventing disease, injury and disability†. (DHHS, n.d., 21) The national governing body ensures that its role in the delivery of health care services to the public encompasses the following core functions, to wit: â€Å"prevents epidemics and the spread of disease; protects against environmental hazards; prevents injuries; promotes and encourages healthy behaviors; responds to disasters

Introduction to Carrot Crops Production and Marketing

Introduction to Carrot Crops Production and Marketing Eric Harms Production Seeding Carrots are a very specialized crop, which is suitable to late season starts, seeding should take place around 3-5 days after your last suspected frost. Carrot seeds prefer a deeply tilled sandy soil with a plant density of one plant per three to four inches. Seeding depth can very from a quarter to a half inch deep. Germination takes place in ten to twenty one days. Due to thinning of carrots it is recommended to re-sow sections of the row that have thinned every two weeks, leading up to May. Seeding equipment varies depending on the size of operation, planting can be done by hand with large commercial machinery being used for large-scale operations. Fertilization Carrots should be fertilized five to six weeks after they have been planted and based off of soil test from field of planting. It is recommended to broadcast half of the desired fertilizer onto the field and work in before planting occurs, then incorporate. Once seeding has taken place you should side dress the remaining fertilizer. Amounts of Fertilizer varies depending on the prior mentioned soil test. Later charts illustrate desired fertilizer. (from University of Minnesota) Crop protection Carrots main pests come in the forms of insects with the main ones being Carrot Rust Fly, Carrot Weevil and the Aster Leafhopper.   There is a variety of ways to monitor for these pest some being orange/yellow sticky traps, wooden plate traps, carrot root section monitoring and planting away from marshes and wet lands. Continuous monitoring is necessary as these pests can drastically reduce your yield potential and incite disease. If thresholds are reached there are many insecticides that can be used to treat the populations. Diseases in Manitoba production have been limited as not many acres have been planted over the years. Much like soybeans it is in its Cinderella period, most of carrots problems come from nutrient deficiencies, which can be managed by proper soil tests. Harvest Harvest typically takes place between august 15 and into late fall with September and October being the best months. For wholesalers carrots must be five inches or longer and between  ¾ inch and 1-1/2 inch diameter. Depending on where you sell, carrot sizing can vary largely. Farmers markets have limited standards and grocery stores have personal standards. Marketing End Use/End Market Depending on the size of your farming operation the final destination for your carrots will vary. Small farmers 1-5 acres will typically focus on farmers markets and direct marketing to local food stores in their areas. Once you get into medium sized operations farmers will typically work with peak of the market in order to get branding and packaging. Peak of the Market acts as a co-operative that helps sell your produce for you. Lastly large scale carrot producers, typically will package their own produce under their own branding cutting out peak of the market as their help isnt required. Sales are typically with large scale grocery chains starting from province of origin then working outward to other provinces as business scale grows. As a whole carrot farming is marketed towards two main groups wholesale (supermarkets, grocery stores) and farmers markets. Where the farmer focuses on typically depends on the stage of the farmers business and how large of scale they are operating in. Current/Historical prices Carrot prices historically have been on the good side with the average farmer being able to make a good living. In the current market we are looking at a price of around $2.46 per kilogram. This is a higher price when compared to the historical prices where in 2014 carrots were around $2.04 per kilogram. This increase in price is the trend going forward with carrots as populations increase. Carrot prices function much like major crops where they will typically skyrocket with natural disasters. On the tail end of things prices dropping below the level of earning a profit do not typically occur. Carrots are a cash crop and farmers are usually making a good living off of this species. Supply/Demand With Canada and most other first world countries becoming more health conscious carrot demand has been improving both globally and nationally. For standard carrots there has been a slow gradual increase in demand. On the other hand specialized carrots such as organic have had a substantial increase in demand in first world countries. Those who produce carrots are in a very viable market in Manitoba and Canada for that matter. When it comes to supply there is typically enough food in the market so that customers demanding carrots dont go home carrotless. In Manitoba there are some carrot farmers but not enough to saturate the market thus the good prices we are facing. Supply is on the low end when it comes to carrots, though demand is being met there is more room in the market for other suppliers to enter it. References   Ã‚   Stevenson, AB, and J. Chaput. Carrot Insects. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. N.p., 1 July 1993. Web. 1 July 1998. . Fritz, Vincent A., Cindy B.S. Tong, Carl J. Rosen, and Terry Nennich. Carrot-Vegetable Crop Management. University of Minnesota Extension. N.p., 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2012. . Munro, D. B. and E. Small (1997). Vegetables of Canada. National Research Council. http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/home.html Chaput, J. (2000). Identification and Management of Carrot Root Diseases. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Nitrogen recommendations for carrots: Approximate Yield Goal2 Soil Organic Matter Level (O.M.)1 Organic Soil Low Medium High cwt/A N to Apply (lb/A) Soil Tes K Level (ppm) 0-41 41-80 81-120 121-160 161-200 201+ Yield goal cwt/A K2O to Apply (lb/A)2 350 200 150 100 75 50 0 Soil test P Level (ppm) Bray-P1 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51+ Olsen-P 0-7 7-15 16-25 26-33 34-41 42+ Yield Goal cwt/A P2O5 to Apply (lb/A)2 350 150 100 75 50 25 0