Qualitative Research About Importance Of Friendship (Research Paper Sample)

Qualitative Report
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Word count: 2084
Research Methods
TITLE: The Importance of friendship
ABSTRACT
The research is about interviewing an individual about friendship and how they made friendship with another person. In this research, Deborah was interviewed regarding friendship. That is she was supposed to identify one of her friends and explain how they became friends. The research utilized qualitative method of data collection. The interview information for the research was obtained from the Higher Education Academy Website (HEA). Qualitative data collection, where in this research is interview is known to spend a lot of time and also it requires ethical approval to obtain the data.
The method of analysis for this report is interpretative phenomenological analysis that is projected to capture qualitative and experimental, and still dialogue with conventional psychology. This analysis method was a model by Smith (1996) and it seeks to comprehend precisely how a person experiences an occurrence from a specific perspective within a given circumstance. It is also focused on the manner that individuals interpret their experience and understand life events. IPA places the researcher as the hub to the research procedure where observations recorded during the evaluation of the interviewee accounts are essentially the outcome of interpretation.
The research found that Deborah was able to develop friendship with her friend since they had a lot of features that were common even having not met each other before. Deborah is also sociable and the other thing that also helped them develop friendship is sharing the same class or issues (being mothers). They also maintained their friendship due to constant communication, visiting each other and meetings. Deborah also made a friend with a mother they met in a mother and toddler group while others are childhood friends. The general finding of the report is that people make friendship with people they interact with most of the times and those that they have common traits with.
The major strengths of the qualitative interview method used for the research is that it enable the participant to share data using their words and is helpful for amassing comprehensive data and comprehending social processes. On the other hand, some of the weaknesses include dependence on participant’s precision and their passion in regard to expense, time and probable psychological strain.
RESEARCH QUESTION
The research is about friendship and how people make friendship. Also, the research also focuses on forms of friendships and how they are developed.
Research questions:
* Discuss why friendship is vital for an individual’s welfare?
* What are the features if a good friendship?
* Outline the features that are significant for an individual’s welfare?
Growing in a community, people should identify the significance of friendship being worthwhile in daily life. To assist in understanding what sustains friendship , the paper is based on friendship , and the friendship policies that binds it together though interviewing an individual based on how they obtained their friends.
There are various definitions of friendship, but in general it is a relationship between two individuals that is reciprocally productive and is usually characterized by mutual optimistic regard. To develop enduring and strong relations, the parties involved ought to be productive in a friendship rapport and without causing hard to each other. Since childhood, friends help people in their continuous process of maturity and self development. Friends also help people deal with transformations in distinct life stages and also sharing of achievements, troubles and apprehensions. Friendships are generated from sense of security. Friendship develops from an individual’s childhood, adolescence up to their adulthood. Friends made since childhood help people heal particular past memories and wounds. Additionally, friends enable people to assume new roles in life that those individuals could not have developed or identified alone.
DATA COLLECTION METHOD
The approach used to collect data is qualitative interview method. The method was used since it could help the interviewer to obtain comprehensive data that will help in understanding social process of friendship. The interview data was obtained from Higher Education Academy website. The interview process was conducted on willing individuals and they were allowed to pull out whenever they wished to. Also, the participants were assured that their information would remain confidential. The name of the interviewer is Deborah and she is a mother. Deborah had several friendships since her childhood, at campus as well as at mother and toddler groups. There are several aspects that helped Deborah make friends easily. She is sociable, friendly and talkative. In most cases, she interacted with people that they were sharing common issues like mothering. Also, she had childhood friends especially those they lived in the same area. The research uses a qualitative interview where the data was obtained from the HEA website. The interviewer was able to collect adequate and helpful data for the research regarding friendship and how people make friends.
METHODS OF ANALYSIS
The method of analysis that is used for this research is interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The method of analysis was selected since it is an investigative technique that focus to comprehend precisely the perspective within a specific context and also focus on the manner that individuals interpret their experiences and understand life occurrences. The participants for the research are deliberately chosen since they have something to contribute regarding the topic under research. The participant stands for perspective instead of population. Moreover, IPA is interpretive and phenomenological and requires the researcher to maintain reflexivity all through the study. The analysis technique selected also does not try hard to make global arguments, instead it seek to make cautious general arguments regarding the specific group under study. Therefore, IPA is best suited for this kind of research that seek to obtain information from participants in order to make inference about friendship and how people make friends. The researcher is expected to make interpretation based on the observation that they made during the evaluation of the interviewee account. Thus, IPA is helpful as it guides the research and removes any instance of bias that might arise.
The method of data analysis involved four vital steps namely:
The first step involved raw data management, which is also regarded as data cleaning. This step involves collecting of data from the participants and sorting the crucial data that is fit for the research.
The second step of the data analysis involves data reduction I and II, it involves chunking and coding of the data collected. The researcher has to read the data severally, jot down notes on the margins as well as categorizing raw information into groupings.
The third step involves data interpretation, which entail coding and clustering of data. After the data was collected in raw form, it requires be organizing and refining to appraise and make inferences. The data for this research was obtained from interview thus it necessitated coding that will display meaning and essence of the data that participants provided. That is to summarize data in a meaningful manner. The step also entails generating meaning for the groupings having labels. Themes materialize from the groupings and the researcher ought to interpret themes to get answers to research questions.
The fourth step of the data analysis was data representation. This implies explaining the story, thus making sense of the information for other people. The researchers interpret the information as they study, re-read and inductively create a thematic analysis. Themes turn to be the narrative or the story. Data can be interpreted in form of visual representation, figures, thematic among others.
Methodology:
The research data was collected using qualitative interview from HEA website. The research ensured that people participated out of their free will and were free to quit at any stage of interview process. The participants were also assured that the information could remain confidential. The research questions were many to ensure that the information from the participant is adequate.
RESULTS/ FINDINGS
How people make friends
The research found that people usually make friendship with people they interact occasionally in their life. Also, people make friendship since their childhood, at adolescence and during adulthood.
Significance of friendship
Research also found that friendship is very significance for an individual well being since people are able to share achievements, encourage each other during hard times and help each other to mature and progress in life.
How to sustain friendship
Friendship also can only be sustained if people do not hurt each other and if the benefit is mutual. There are also various aspects that make people choose other people as friends. They include; having similar traits, being sociable and supportive.
Obstacles of friendships
There are also some of the aspects that affect friendships including how an individual live their life, as well as the surr...