Qualitative research: more than just a story

Qualitative research may have no measure of objectivity, but there is more to it than simply good story-telling. It has deeper meaning to researchers, as it involves interviewing  the participants, and it is deeply involved in issues of gender, culture and marginalized groups. The research is centered on human emotion, which is too complex to measure using statistics. Futhermore, ontological and epistemological assumptions influence the validity around how the research is conducted.  Without qualitative research, it would be difficult to gather in-depth data around the complexity of human thought and emotion without simplifying them into simple statistics.

Qualitative research is influenced by ontological and epistemological assumptions.  Researchers must have a deep understanding of the two in order to carry out valid research when using a qualitative approach. In order to understand ontology and epistemology, a researcher has to try to explain the truth in an objective detached manner and has to believe the truth can only be understood by gaining insight into the meaning an individual gives to his/her experiential world. The researcher should also believe there is fixed reality or truth, since reality is changing all the time and therefore their reality can only be known by those who experience it personally (Bogdan & Biklen, S.k. (2003). Ontological assumption is the way the researcher believes deep down how social reality should be viewed, and epistemological assumptions are how the researcher thinks social phenomena should best be studied in order to be able to represent the most truthful picture of it (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008).

Ontology is about what we assume things to be constituted of or from. Hence, we might assume that leadership is constituted of a particular personality trait or we might form the assumption that it is a relational phenomenon which emerges in particular settings. “Ontology concerns the ideas about the existence of and relationship between people, society, and the world in general (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008, p. 13). As Bryman and Bell ( 2003, p.19) point out, the central idea here is “…the question of whether social entities can and should be considered objective entities that have reality external to social actors, or whether they can and should be considered social constructions built up from the perceptions and actions of social actors.” It’s clear that an ontological position relates to a person’s assumptions about how the world is made up and the nature of things. Ontology deals with the categories and relationships inherent in different realms of human research.

My ontological position can be viewed as relativist because my research is influenced by my core values. As I research the effects of physical activity among young people, I must keep in mind, however, that there is not one absolute truth to the study. I am morally committed in my own learning with others to improve my practice and my ability to provide better quality research and community engagement. I acknowledge the constant mutual influence that happens between myself and my research project. In contrast to simple story-telling, qualitative research requires carefully planned communication with the participants of the study, and analytical thinking in order to organize data in the most objective way possible. 

Similar to ontology, epistemological ideology would require reflection on an understanding of science as  it helps to explicate views and opinions on things like truth, knowledge and reality. A researcher would use existing literature as the framework for determining what is needed as he or she attempts to remove all influence and bias from the research subject. He or she deploys different epistemological assumptions from various psychological, social, cultural, theoretical contexts to make sense of reality. My epistemological position is influenced by the way I see the world, how I think knowledge is created and shared and how I believe truth is defined. It deals with the nature, methods, validity, limitations and scope of human knowledge and understanding. It gives beliefs about how I might discover knowledge about the world and how I come to know things. Epistemology is my everyday assumptions about what is true and how I determine the truth. As I develop my research around the health determinants in youth, I must keep this ideology in mind so that the research is focused on the voices of the participants rather than my own thoughts and emotions around the topic.

Qualitative research is not simply good story-telling; it is not about numbers, but it is about the richness of the information and insight a researcher can get access to by spending time with participants and looking for patterns in their reactions and responses. “Qualitative researchers have a responsibility to make their epistemological and ontological positions as they conduct their research in a manner consistent with that position, and present their findings in a way that allows them to be evaluated properly” (Madill, 2000, p.17). There are important relations between ontological and espistemological positions in qualitative research. According to Hughes (1990, cited in Tylor and Edgar, 1999, p.28) “every tool or procedure is inextricably embedded in commitments to particular versions of the world (i.e. ontology) and to knowing that world (i.e. epistemology)”. It is obvious that qualitative research brings together a variety of empirical materials (case study, personal experience, life story, interview, participant observation, historical, and visual texts) that make routine and problematic moments and meanings in individuals’ lives (Sutton, 1997). When we limit data of human experience and emotion to numbers or statistics, we miss the big picture or deeper meaning behind it all.

Qualitative research is used to gain insight around people’s attitudes, behaviours, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles (Schwandt, T.A. 2007). It is based on assumptions of a worldview and the study of a theoretical lens. “Qualitative research is a situated activity of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recording, and memos to self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them” (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005, p.3). It is clear that qualitative research is emphasized as flowing from ontological and epistemological assumptions, through a theoretical lens and involves the studying of human social problems. The complexity around this type of research must be acknowledged to understand why the data is multifaceted compared to simple statistics, and to highlight the importance of the interpretation of data done by the researcher.

Qualitative research is conducted because of the human social problems or issues that need to be explored. Researchers explore these issues because they need to study a group of populations, identify variables that can be measured or hear silent voices. We also conduct qualitative research because we need to understand complexity (Creswell, 2007, p.42). To understand it we interview our participants, empower them to share their stories, hear their voices. We try to minimize the power relationship that often exists between a researcher and the participants in the study. We also try to collaborate directly with participants by having them review our research questions and having them involved in the data analysis and interpretation phases of research. Qualitative research in a good study should be ethics, morality and politics in the research strategy and design (Creswell, 2007, p.42). Qualitative researchers are much more focused on plannning, designing the research  and have to be aware of ethics to considers threats thoughout the process of the research

Qualitatvie research is used to convey stories without the restrictions of formal academic structures of writing, in which the participants address the issue. The qualitative researcher cannot separate what people say from the context in which they say it, regardless even if this context is their work or family (Creswell, 2007, p.42). We use qualitative research to explain the linkage in casual theories. These theories provide a general picture of relationships but they don’t explain to us about why people respond as they did and the behaviours that influence their responses. We use qualitative research because quantitative research measures statistics, and we believe that statistic analyses do not fit the problem. We believe that by interacting with people it would be difficult to level all individuals to a statistic without overlooking the uniqueness of individuals in our studies (Creswell, 2007, p.42).

Qualitative research is sensitive to issues such as gender, race, economic status, and individual differences. It is simply a better fit for my research problem because statistics will not illustrate the importance of human emotion. There is more to qualitative research than just good story-telling; it requires a strong commitment to study a problem and demands time and resources. It should not be viewed as a substitute for a “statistical” or quantitative study. It is for researchers who are willing to spend many hours in the field, collect extensive data and analyze data though the ambitious task of sorting through large amounts of data and reducing them to a few categories (Creswell, 2007, p.42). Qualitative research tasks are challenging, especially because the database consists of complex texts and images.

Researchers using qualitative methods understand the importance of accurately measuring the participants’ voice. They must carefully develop questions for their participants, as the participants are ultimately going to drive the research.  These questions have to be designed in such a way that takes into account the diversity and complexity of the subjects. The researcher has to be willing to write long passages and needs to show multiple perspectives. We ask open-ended research questions with interest in listening to our participants we are studying and shaping our questions after we explore. We refrain from the idea that our questions are the best, and our questions change during the process of research to increase the understanding of the problem (Creswell, 2007, p.42). Qualitative research requires asking questions that usually change during the process of research, allowing the researcher to reflect on the problem more deeply.

In order to develop appropriate research questions, qualitative research requires the researcher to clearly understand what varieties of questions are likely to be constructed. The researcher needs to plan and prepare to develop research questions effectively. The better the researcher understand clearly the purposes of research questions, he or she will accomplish good research questions. The questions should be framed in ways to help the researcher achieve research goals.

The information gathered from participants must be carefully analyzed and described within a narrative in such a way that makes clear the thoughts and feelings of the participants. Throughout the collection of extensive data and data analysis, we shape our narrative with many forms in qualitative research. We tell a story that unfolds over time and present the study following the traditional approach to scientific research (i.e., problem, question, method, findings). We talk about experiences in conducting the study, and how they shape our interpretations of the results. We let the voices of our participants speak and carry the story through dialogue (Creswell, 2007, p.42).

As a qualitative researcher my study will be observing young people in their natural setting and analysing the cultural symbols they use. My approach to qualitative research will be based on a naturalistic view; my research is focused on promoting physical activity with and among young people. I will be using young people’s life-stories interview to explore how physical activities influence the life-style choices among young people. I feel that it is important that I try to understand young person’s experiences in life or their relations to others, to let their voices be heard, to let them speak about themselves. If I want to know the unique perspective of the individual, there is no better way to get this by being present to hear that person’s own voice. I am also interested in having young individuals tell his or her story from the vantage point that would allow me to see his or her story as a whole. I will find a gatekeeper that will allow me to gain access to young people and also help build a level of trust between myself and my participants.

I disagree with the statement that qualitative research is simply good story telling. According to (Sutton, 1997), qualitative research is deeply involved in issues of gender, culture and marginalized groups. The topics that qualitative researchers choose are predominately focused on human emotion, which is too complex to measure using statistics. As a qualitative researcher I am interested in understanding the meaning that people have constructed. I want to know how people make sense of the world they live in and experiences they have undergone. For example, when you ask an athlete about his coach’s leadership style, he will probably tell you how he feels based upon his experience working with the coach and how he interprets his relationship with the coach. I would be interested in the meaning that is embedded in the athlete’s experience in the training and his interaction with the coach. I will apply a similar method while conducting my research on promoting physical activity with and among young people.

My qualitative research will involve extensive collection of data, typically from different sources of information. According to Silverman, ‘If you are concerned with exploring people’s life histories or everyday behaviour, then qualitative methods are favoured” (Silverman, 2000). I will use open-ended research questions so that my participants would feel free to tell their stories, and I will write about what is most significant about their story.  

As a qualitative researcher, my writing will reflect my own interpretation based on  the culture, social status, gender, class and personal politics that I bring to research. I expect my interpretation will be different from other researchers and will need to remain open-minded about my writing. According to Richardson (1994), the best writing acknowledges its own “undecidability” the material within a particular historical and locally specific time and place. In this perspective, no writing has “privileged status” (Richardson, 1994, p. 518) or superiority over other writings. Laurel Richardson (1994) is clearly making an argument that researchers need to recognize that writing is a way of knowing, “a method of discovery and analysis” (p. 516) which does not innocently reflect a social reality, but rather creates that reality. 

Richardson’s critique of writing conventions has alerted me to the possibilities and responsibilities inherent in the writing process.  As a researcher I will be selecting, deleting, framing and re-interpreting the stories of participants. I will recognize my own voice and I will work towards a more polyphonic representation of participants. I will be aware of how much theory from the literature will be included and I will make sure that theory literature helps to situate and clarify my field work without detracting from it. My research will illustrate that qualitative research is not simply good story telling by engaging in a rich and vital story of lived experiences, while being respectful to all participants (Richardson, 1994 & Hart 2002).

I hope to draw readers in, through a dramatic story of lived experience involving participants, by highlighting some of the shared narrative threads linking my study to on-going conversations in the field. I will incorporate a discussion of pertinent theoretical insights into each chapter, rather than combining them into one contained literature review. I am interested in having a person tell his or her story from the vantage point that allows the individual to see his or her life as a whole, to see it subjectively across time as it all fits together. This subjective perspective is what I am looking for in my research and this is what will constitute the individual’s reality of his or her world.

 Qualitative research has no measure of objectivity because the research is influenced by personal feelings, interpretations of the results or personal prejudices. The researcher writes another person’s story to gain context and recognize meaning. Story-telling is being used to accomplish research goals. The researcher is aware of the range of possible roles and standards that exist in a community. They gain information about social reality existing outside the story that is described by the story (Bertaux, 1981). They explain the story as a social construct (Rosenthal 1993) as well as help to explain an individual’s unique understanding of social events, movements, and political causes, or how individual members of a group, generation, or cohort see certain events or movements (Stewart, 1994). I will go to young people to observe, interview or collect documents. I will immerse myself in the situation and I will watch naturally occurring events and not control them. (Guba, & Lincoln, 1994). I will be sensitive to reactions of participants and my data will be immediately processed. I will be able to take whatever action to check and confirm with the subject if there is doubt or uncertainties.

I have chosen the qualitative perspective because it is the best way to measure the effectiveness of youth programs. My research will be important to investigate the relationship between the individual child, the school and the home environment in establishing and reinforcing positive attitudes and behavior concerning physcial activity  among young people’s health. This research will provide health information to children’s adherence to a promotion of physical activity in their life style choices. Numbers would not be as meaningful to my research as would interviews of the participants. I am interested in ‘multiple realities’ or multiple interpretations and not just one conception of reality or one interpretation (Guba & Lincoln, 1994). To accurately measure the effectiveness of physical activity among young people and the impact it has on their health later in life, I would have to involve multiple views of participants. This might include youth who are involved in physical activity, those who are not, teachers, coaches, parents, etc. I am interested in finding any links or discrepancies between the subjects’ views, using qualitative methods.

To sum up, qualitative research is not simply good story telling; it requires time and efforts including: the logistics around sampling, recruiting and arranging the interviews, attending research meetings, spending time on email with research colleagues to discuss the study and completing the analysis. It is interested in knowing how people make sense of the world they live in and experiences they have undergone, in a way that no number or statistic could demonstrate.

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106.

Ways sport programs could positively impact youth, and how physical education could be used to provide youth with positive experiences of health education.

OBSERVATIONS IN DOHA

Upon my arrival in Qatar, the first thing I noticed stepping off the plane was the humidity of the weather. It is quite humid at night and during the day temperatures are 40C (104F).  It is difficult to walk around outside. I feel that the heat drains my energy.  It is much better to stay indoors because most buildings are air- conditioned but that doesn’t defeat the heat, just holds it off.

            Even though all the buildings are air—conditioned, I could still see construction workers on the road and moving slowly. There are very few people running outside, maybe the dust from construction and dry air made it difficult to exercise. I notice buildings on every street corner, skyscrapers on the horizon and more beige colored buildings than I’ve ever seen in one place. Road construction is an issue with the country changing roundabouts into intersections. It is not difficult for expats to obtain a driver license; they just trade in their old license for a new one. Driving through a roundabout is terrifying, people speed and cut each other off; during rush hour it’s even worse.

            There are no restrictions on driving; people drive fast, aggressive and there is a notion that Qataris don’t obey driving laws. If a Qatari were to get into an accident, they could simply replace the car with another sitting on their property. Driving slowly is not an option, as it allows locals to drive in front of you and slam on their breaks, which may cause an accident. Seatbelts are neglected here, and many drive with a cigarette in one hand, cell phone in the other. I’ve overheard rumors of Qatari men driving with their pet cheetah on their lap but have yet to see this for myself.

            Qatar is the fastest growing country in the Middle East. According to our driver, who arrived in the country 12 years ago, there were only three building then, and now there’s a skyline of them. There are so many fast food restaurants like MacDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc. Restaurants deliver and most of the grocery stores carry food imported from other countries.

Running water is a problem, majority of the expats only drink bottled water and are advised not to drink water from the tap. Water is a very expensive commodity, Qatar is known as the world’s highest per capita for water use. It is imported from other countries and depends on seawater desalination.  To put it into perspective, gas is cheaper than water here. Recently our driver stopped at a gas station and paid thirty riyals (which is eight dollars) to fill out his tank.

Qatar is a wealthy country. The locals show their wealth by driving the most expensive cars. Going to the malls is a social thing; the malls involve shops, restaurants and even children’s amusement parks. I noticed that the shops sell clothing and accessories from very expensive brands. The local women are covered with a long black dress called an abayha.  The Qatari men wear a thobe, a long white shirt over loose pants. They also wear a loose headdress, called a gutra, in white or red and white cloth, held on with a black rope known as the agal.

The country is investing this wealth in education, research and sports. Qatar Foundation is a program in which the country has formed to navigate education, science and research across the country. The non-profit organization carries out Qatar’s vision by making the country a leader through three main pillars: Education, Science and Research, and Community Development.  Education City consists of educational houses, research facilities and branches of the world’s leading universities. It provides education for all-age students but universities only offer undergraduate and graduate courses and don’t offer postgraduate courses. Most institutions offer degrees related to the oil and gas industry similarly to make a fortune.

Science and research have been the foundation’s priority by encouraging companies around the world to invest their technology in Qatar. The foundation has medical training and biomedical research centers. These centers are built mainly to help entrepreneurs start-up technology businesses.

Qatar has a passion for sports and has been encouraging the world to acknowledge their sports development. The country has also been investing in building sports infrastructures. Aspire Academy and Qatar Olympic Committee are recognized programs in the world. Through the Qatar Olympic Committee the country was able to host the 2006 Asian Games, one of Tennis ‘WTA Championships, and hosted the 2011 Asian Cup football tournament as well as the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Aspire academy is an elite program that trains athletes with the best technology and it employs first-rate coaches.  The Qatar royal family funds it and every year elite athletes gain trials at Aspire. Each year hundreds of thousands of athletes are put through trials with opportunities to earn a scholarship. Around the world, young people rarely get opportunities to showcase their skills to been seen by scouts. Aspire Academy is providing opportunities to youngsters to make a future in football and turn dreams into a reality.  I’m convinced this Academy has influenced Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup 2022. 

Regardless of Qatar’s fast growing economy and passion for sport, health is still an issue and has resulted in an increase of obesity and other health illnesses. I have been involved with Qatar Academy where my wife is currently teaching.  I have noticed that many of the students are overweight; none of them walk to school, and there are not as many kids involved in after-school sports programs. I have interviewed two physical education teachers who have informed me that obesity is a significant problem; children do not follow a healthy diet and parents lack the education for physical fitness.  

Qatar Academy hosted a cultural training for all their employees, so I joined my wife to learn more about the local way of life. The training made it easier to understand ways to adjust to the new culture. It introduced ways people do things differently compared to other cultures. One of the differences was that Qatari people are often late.  The culture is more focused on the present, so they live in the moment. People use the word “inshala” which means “God’s willing”. When making an appointment with a Qatari, should remember that they would use the word “inshala” which means they would arrive whenever they get there. I have learned to have patience and understand that nothing is ever finished on time. For example of my experience with this so far: we have been placed in a temporary housing and promised to be moving to a permanent housing. I applied for a permanent residency permit and have not received it. I have become aware that waiting is part of culture.

INTERVIEWS

# 1

Physical Education

My first interview was with an international physical education teacher from England, who has taught in Qatar for five years.  He is a primary school teacher, his student are predominately Qatari nationals. He is a kindergarten, junior secondary school teacher and an after school program coordinator at the Qatar Academy.

He stated that Qatar has a vision to promote health initiatives but does not see the value of physical activity as a preventative method to future health problems. He believes that what they should be looking at is increasing physical activity to prevent common illnesses like diabetes. He recommends that Qatar needs to tackle this issue by focusing on an earlier age and educating children about the importance of physical activity and long-term factors into adulthood. The PE teacher believes that people in Qatar don’t see the long-term benefits for physical activity; they view it as a short-term benefit.  They don’t realize the negative impact of it until they turn fifty years old. They need to be taught well to understand the importance of physical activity and that should be taught at an early age. He also mentioned that, “ our schools are starting to teach healthy habits at elementary school, it needs to be a consistent message and the message needs to be implemented throughout the year. Our school is considering hiring a full-time health specialist, who will deliver the message to children on a consistent basis”.

The PE teacher emphasized that parents needs to be on board and they need to have the level of education to know that if their child is eating donuts, pizza, everything else- how is it going to affect them in the future?  Every parent in Qatar needs to be aware of children’s eating habits rather than leaving it up to the Nannies to decide on what they can eat. The teacher expressed the misunderstanding of parents and kids. The problem was after he taught kids resistance training, they went home but the parents strictly inform kids to not do resistance training because it stunts their growth.  This teacher feels that parents need to be educated so they can pass the message onto their children, otherwise both teacher and parents are confusing the child. 

There is still more work to be done than just teaching physical education in school; more kids needs to be involved in an after-school physical activity program. The British PE teacher explained the pros and cons of being a physical education teacher in Qatar. He expressed things he likes about Qatari children: when they are taught something they take it into action. For example one of his students approached him and said “Sir, I have been eating healthy; eating fruits, doing physical activity and watching less television”.  The teacher believes students take his teaching seriously but he doesn’t know if it makes a difference. He is hopeful that if other teachers consistently repeat the message, eventually children will get it and take it to action.  On the other hand, it is a different culture for him to teach in and sometimes his message is misunderstood. For example when he is teaching, Qatari children are usually talking to each other rather than listening to instructions.  It has made difficult for him to teach but has trained himself to have patience.

This PE teacher believes that PE in Qatar is improving all the time and the level of education is improving as well.  The British teacher is very pleased with the fact the Qatar will be hosting the World Cup 2022, he is confident health message will get out there for the Qatari population. He’s certain that football will be the vehicle to deliver the message since that is most popular sport in Qatar.  The teacher believes that having role models will be another encouragement to educating kids about the health.

The PE teacher spoke about an after-school soccer program that was created by him and his best friend from England. The Evolution Soccer program has involved itself with local schools to teach health and has teamed up with Qatar Star League.  The Qatar Star League is a soccer professional league and has collaborated Evolution Soccer to teach and educate health through coaching soccer sessions.

The PE teacher talked about the difference between physical education in Qatar and the UK, where he is from. He indicated that physical activity is the same, what he finds is a different pace. In the UK if he asked children to participate in a physical activity, the skills are higher and they do things faster compared to Qatar. In England many children play football and it is not just playing at school but it is going to outside clubs to play on the weekends and after-school. In Qatar, kids are playing in school but they are not playing in outside clubs or organizations like in UK.

His final message was there are more expat kids doing more physical activity compared to the local Qatari kids. Aspire Academy and Evolution Soccer offer free sports sessions to all kids but the expat kids are the ones participating in the programs. Thousands of expat kids attend and few Qatari kids participate. One reason local kids don’t attend may be because their parents are so busy. They assign the Nannies to take the kids to the activities but the Nannies don’t necessarily see value of physical activity. Many Qatari kids end up staying home and playing video games. Clearly, physical activity is an issue among local Qatari culture. Physical education needs to be more effectively implemented in schools and at home, to improve the long-term health of Qatari people.