Understanding
Qualitative
Research Components

Key components to any research study
 Topic/Title
 Identifiable problem ‘problem statement’;
 Purpose statement
 Research Questions

Key components to any research study
Problem (driven by topic / title)
 Identifiable problem
- ‘what’ is the problem under study
- quantifiable evidence
- need for the study
- generates topics for the study
Anchor to your entire study
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Leave Your Opinion at Home
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Problem under study
 Broad to narrow – like a funnel general area of interest – key concepts – what
has already been studied – why it is important – what is missing - still needs to
be learned is outstanding – unknown –
 Problem is … context of the study – the missing piece – it is a real problem –
evidence of the problem
District
State
Regional
National
Broad to narrow

Identifying the Problem Statement
- may not be explicit in all studies
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 Paragraph – page – audience gets it in less than 20 seconds
 Does not lead to solution or cause
 Presents evidence for the need of study
 Contains measures
 Problem Statement includes
- Who
- What
- Where
- When
- How many (measures)
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Sample
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 Purpose
- ‘why’ the study needs to be conducted
- identifies an approach to address the problem
 ‘The purpose of this study…’
Key components to any research study
Purpose
Potential direction to address
the problem
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 Research Questions
- ‘how’ will you find answers
- if answered, will help address (understand) the problem
- focus topics for studying the problem
- guide the choice of research method, design, and data collection
- Not the interview questions
Key components to any research study
Research Questions
Answers to RQ’s will help address
the problem

Need to have Alignment
 Alignment needs to exist between
- Topic
- Title
- Problem statement (need for the study)
- Purpose Statement (why do the study)
- Research Questions
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Why is alignment important
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Mis-alignment can throw the reader off
and change the context of the study

Alignment is the Key
Quant/
Qual
Data
Instruments
Conceptual
Framework
Research
Questions
Data
Analysis
Population
Problem
Statement
Data
Collection
Purpose
Statement
Without alignment – even one word – can change
the entire direction of your study

The Pieces of the Research Jigsaw
Quant/
Qual
Data
Instruments
Framework Research
Questions
Data
Analysis
Population
Problem
Statement
Sample
Data
Collection
Purpose
Statement
Research
Design
Research
Methods
Proper alignment – is consistently – regularly
reminding
the reader about the context of the study
NO SURPRISES OR TWISTS

Alignment needs to exist between Topic, Title, Problem,
Purpose, and Research Question
 Research Topic: Understanding North Texas English students’ use of electronic
tablets for learning in school
 Research Title: North Texas Middle School English Teachers’ Perceptions of
Students’ Use of Electronic Tablets for Learning in School
 Problem Statement Sentence: The problem is 90% of North Texas English
curriculum launched in the 2018-2019 school year instructs middle school
English teachers how to leverage hand held devices in the classroom yet
teachers are not allowing students to use hand-held technology for
learning in school.
 Purpose Statement Sentence: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to
understand North Texas middle school English teachers’ perceptions of students’
use of electronic tablets for learning in school.
 Research Questions:
- What are North Texas middle school English teachers perceptions of students’
use of electronic tablets in the classroom
- What instructional methods do North Texas middle school English teachers use
to enhance learning in the classroom
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Consistency
in use of
words