Checklist: Selecting a Research Design

Research question

Can the design and its application address the essential aspects of the research question?

Design

The design must be applied according to the methodological elements and targets

There should be no jumping between research designs, except when it is grounded in the research question or theoretically

Researcher

Are the researchers able to apply the design?

What are the consequences of their own experiences and limits, resources, etc., in the realization?

Participant

Is the research design appropriate to the target group of the application?

How can one take into account the fears, uncertainties and expectations of (potential) participants?

Scope allowed to the participant

Can the participants present their views in the framework of the questions?

Is there enough scope for the new, unexpected and surprising?

Interaction with the field

Have the researchers applied the research design correctly?

Have they left enough scope for the participants?

Have they fulfilled their role? (Why not?)

Were the participant’s role, the researcher’s role, and the situation clearly defined for the participant?

Could the participants fulfill their roles? (Why not?)

Analyze the breaks in order to validate the design between the first and second field contacts if possible - aim of the interpretation

Are you interested in finding and analyzing limited and clear answers or complex, multifold patterns, contexts, etc.?

Claim for generalization - the level on which statements should be made:

For the single case (the interviewed individual and his or her biography, an institution and its impact, etc.)?

With reference to groups (about a profession, a type of institution, etc.)?

As general statements?

An Introduction to Qualitative Research