Qualitative Methods in Research Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Qualitative Methods in Research - Case Study Example Exeter City Council is unhappy on certain counts about the way in which the festival is being conducted. The Council is interested to find out which events of the festival is being liked by the visitors, and what improvements in the opinion of the visitors must be done to make the festival more effective from the cultural and economic point of view. The Council is un-desirous of using the questionnaire survey method. It is interested in engaging some social research method that can provide an in-depth analysis of the views and opinions of the visitors and on that basis want to devise new programmes for conducting the festival in the future. In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. ... (2) To outline the programme of research for the method selected to do the research and also to detail the features of the research method that makes it suitable for the study (3) To present the final report to the City Council on the recommendations of the research method and the ways in which the qualitative data can be interpreted 4.0 Method In general the qualitative research is being supported by different research methods such as ethnography, participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing, case studies, content analysis, and focus groups. The method of ethnography is used normally in research issues connected with the anthropological issues where the method entails an extended period of participant observation, it is considered unsuitable for this study. Next came in to consideration is the research based on more or less exclusive interviews which is considered as a better alternative for the collection of qualitative data. However interviewing, the transcription of the interviews and the process of analysing the transcripts are all very time consuming. Hence the focus groups and group interviewing is considered as the best suitable method for conducting the research for gathering the qualitative data for advising the Exeter City Council on the possible issues in conducting the festival in the perspective of the visitors. 4.1 Focus Groups Academic literature has provided various definitions to the term 'focus group'. The following are some of the important elements which the focus group method has contributed to the field of social research: Organised discussion (Kitzinger, 1994) Collective