Chapter 14 Kevin Lane Keller Answer

Chapter 14: Qualitative Research

Answers to Review Questions

14.1. What are the key characteristics of qualitative research?

One good summary list of the key characteristics is Patton’s list of the 12 major characteristics of qualitative research shown in Table 14.1 (see your textbook).

Another good summary that you should review now was shown in Chapter 2 in Table 2.1.

14.2. Why is it said that qualitative research does not follow a series of steps in a linear fashion?

One reason is because of the characteristic of qualitative research called emergent design flexibility (it’s the second of the characteristics shown in Table 14.1). Another reason is because, unlike quantitative research, qualitative research opposes reducing research to a series of steps. Qualitative researchers tend to collect some data, analyze those data, and then continue this cycle until some closure is obtained. This is part of what is called extended fieldwork and interim analysis.

14.3. Why is qualitative research important for educational research?

If you look again at the two major scientific methods (exploratory and confirmatory) and the five major objectives of science (in chapter one) you will notice the importance of theory generation and exploration. Qualitative research is especially strong in describing and exploring phenomena and generating tentative explanations. Furthermore, qualitative research is very helpful in adding new dimensions of understanding (e.g., understanding groups from the insider’s perspective, understanding the importance of local context, studying complicated processes that occur over time, etc.).

14.4. What is poststructuralism, and what is postmodernism?

Poststructuralism is a historical intellectual movement that rejects universal truth and emphasizes differences, deconstruction, interpretation, and the power of ideas over peoples’ behavior. It rejects parts of but not all of the movement called structuralism. Postmodernism is a...