Robert Polk
I agree with Robert Polk’s assertions that given the many methods of qualitative research that exist, the researcher and, by extension, the type of data that the researcher looks for plays a big role in determining the qualitative method to be engaged. Moreover, the idea that “the type of phenomenon as well as the aspect of first knowing what the phenomenon is all about” are two main strategies that help a researcher in determining the method to be used. Polk pinpoints that a researcher employs the use of ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, and grounded analysis in a bid to understand a phenomenon. The researcher engages the grounded theory in research that entails behavior and human experiences. For research that tries to understand how a group of people live and how they carry on with their day to day activities, the researcher should employ the use of ethnography. Further, research that aims at finding out how teens, for example, cope up with diabetes calls for a method that helps in capturing factors such as the “experience of teens with diabetes,” and for this case, phenomenology will be the appropriate method. On the other hand, Polk argues that if one wants to find out the personal accounts of people who have been exposed to a specific phenomenon, for instance, the best method to use is the narrative inquiry method. Much like the strategy of first identifying the type of phenomenon, the strategy of identifying the type of information in which a researcher wants to explore and how the data should be collected is another fundamental strategy in regard to choosing a qualitative method. The bible states clearly that “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16, KJV). This presumably translates that by communicating or rather sharing information in a research setting, for example, one should not forget. By communicating or sharing information, the researcher can easily decide which method is best suited for which phenomenon. In a nutshell, I completely agree with Polk’s claims as they resonate with my claims.
Teresa Santos
I agree with Teresa Santos that a number of approaches can be utilized in a bid to determine the appropriate method for a particular qualitative study after meeting certain criteria. These criteria include an assessment of the credibility, reliability, trustworthiness, and transferability of the product during the qualitative inquiry. Santos illustrates explicitly that these parameters help a researcher in maintaining objectivity, a checklist for the study as well as a tool for measuring the qualitative research’s merit. Notably, another strategy that helps in identifying the best method is by assessing the reliability and validity of the method, which helps in making the study reliable. Teresa further points out that a research method should be arrived at after a comparative qualitative analysis have been outlined. This strategy, however, helps in directing the research towards the variables intertwined as opposed to the idea of first trying to understand the variables independently. Teresa explains that as long as the research method that is selected meets the criteria and, more specifically, matches the type of data being collected, the qualitative research lacks a se mold of how it looks. In this case, Teresa gives a clear picture that for qualitative research, what is most important in regard to the method of data collection is basically meeting the criteria. This, however, goes to show that meeting the criteria and getting it right (research method that is selected has to match what type of information is being collected) are prudent strategies that can be employed in a qualitative research setting. As the bible says in (Matthew 7:20, ESV) that “thus you will recognize them by their fruits,” the output of the research will portray the best strategy or rather the appropriate method for a particular study in the long run.