Why is Most educational research qualitative?
Qualitative research is a method of investigation that involves the study of human or environmental behaviors. As the term suggests, qualitative research seeks to understand the quality an identified factor has. Primarily used to investigate human behavior and responses, qualitative research focus on the how and why of things rather than the close ended questions such as what, how much and how many. Qualitative research involves holistic and contextual analysis that provides focus, consistency and reliability. As part of social sciences, qualitative method is most commonly used for evaluating policies and procedures because of its effective and efficient property to answer important, unrelenting questions. Although this type of research can take a lot time, money and effort, qualitative research has the capacity to keep up with changing times as responses get diverse and more interesting.
In conducting educational research, the most important thing that needs to be studied is the behavior of the people that comprise this field. Teachers, administrators, staff and mostly students become the subject for study. Therefore, the reason why most educational research is that of the qualitative type is fairly simple. In educational research, the primary aim of the study is to know why students respond or act in a certain manner and the reason for behaving or doing such act. And the most apt technique to find the answers of such queries is through the use of qualitative approach. In the use of qualitative approach, educational research becomes more sustained and supported because human behaviors are being observed and evaluated. More so, qualitative approach has the ability to source out important details that can make the educational research more reliable, valid and sustained.
Thus, conducting educational research is mostly qualitative because human behaviors are being studied, evaluated and improved.
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