Abstract

Building and strengthening research skills in students is the immanent credo of postgraduate research studies in Pakistan. The downside is the stereotypical approach to conducting research and an urge for generalization that thwart students from learning contemporary paradigms. Thus contravening the probability of their excellence in all the other prevailing paradigms. This research study, wherefore, has its focuses on exploring students’ experiences of learning qualitative research approach. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview guide, in interviews with 10 students of the qualitative research approaches course enrolled in the MPhil degree program of a private university in Lahore. The data analysis revealed that studying this comparatively less common but emerging approach in Pakistan has challenged their fast-held beliefs and has provided them with a fresh perspective. Findings also revealed that a more practical, field-bound approach provides students with the underpinning knowledge required to complete their course and thesis successfully. Nevertheless, students struggled to grasp the concepts of reliability and validity of qualitative research studies, underscoring the significance of ethical practices.

Key Words

Lived Experiences, Learning Outcome, Constructivism, Qualitative Inquiry, Semi-Structured Interview, Curriculum

Introduction

Acquisition of knowledge and understanding is a social act that requires the learner’s active participation (Richards, 2011). Multiple experiential techniques, however, tend to maximize students’ learning (Hopkinson & Hogg, 2004). Qualitative inquiry deals more with the way of thinking and conceptualization; hence, it is imperative to explore students’ learning experiences with a qualitative research approach (Morse, 2005). Phenomenology brings a system of contextually related experiences concerning pre-reflective immediate consciousness. Phenomenology, therefore, has its very theoretical and philosophical approach based on the concept of experiences along with the research methodology consistent with this theoretical approach (Chan, Walker, Gleaves, & Education, 2015). 

Students are usually carried away by the fear of failure while learning something new that is generally perceived as an exigent (Kalman, 2019). With an absolute zero prior knowledge of the Qualitative Research approach and the hampered beliefs about its redundancy, I reluctantly attended the first class entitled “Qualitative Research Approaches to Education." The very first encounter with the instructor made it pretty clear that he is a snappy observer with an immaculate sense of humour and zero tolerance for sluggish, ignorant and distracted students (Hsiung, 2018). “It’s gonna be a nightmare.” I thought to myself within a few minutes after the class had begun. Staying focused and attentive is the last thing I then thought I could ever achieve. Contrary to the fears of my class fellows and me, our instructor demonstrated his concern towards every single student in the class. Him, being highly approachable and at the oracle of his craft at teaching, not only helped us understand the theoretical underpinnings rather drew our interests in conducting qualitative research studies on our own (Hsiung, 2018). The students who were struggling to remain focused in class within no time were in the fields of conducting and writing their own research papers. This course has transformed our university life’s learning experiences. Though this full of enthusiasm, hustling, and humming setup soon shifted to a virtual classroom- Thanks to COVID-19! The trust and bonding developed over time remain intact.

Our instructor meticulously developed a must-have skillset required for becoming a qualitative researcher (Cooper, Chenail, & Fleming, 2012). We learned to be curious, to become ardent observers of our surroundings, to listen to the unheard, to probe the untold, to look at the events from others’ perspectives, to read between the lines, and to look for inherent meanings (Nind, Holmes, Insenga, Lewthwaite, & Sutton, 2020). The instructor’s ability to look beyond the visibility encouraged us to build connections and collaborate for our own learning. His immaculate art of story-telling and narratives related to research methodologies made it easier to understand the concepts that would have been difficult otherwise. His stories usually were embedded with the key terms of qualitative research approaches helped us strengthen our concepts on validity, reliability, and ethical issues (Kalman, 2019). 

Reading qualitative research articles and case studies further provided clarity of concepts, basic designs, and data analysis. Moreover, mock sessions were arranged to provide students with a practical experience of presenting papers at conferences and thesis for defence. Students with a more nuanced understanding of research designs developed their likeness to qualitative research approaches and chose to conduct their thesis in a qualitative paradigm (Nind et al., 2020). 

An evident body of literature is available on contextual prospects of studying a qualitative research method course, while others are nexus on critical thinking, reflexivity, and socio-cultural environment as the components of a qualitative study. However, the dearth of evidence on exploring the lived experiences of students studying a qualitative research approach, primarily focusing on their learning and understanding of philosophical foundations, research designs, data collection methods, data analysis, and their ability to establish the validity and reliability while conducting a qualitative research study (Delamont, 2012; Hernández-Hernández, Sancho-Gil, & M, 2015; Hopkinson & Hogg, 2004; Li & Seale, 2007; Nind et al., 2020).

Literature Review

A naturalistic inquiry that intends to explore and process information yielding interpretive and non-numerical data is usually termed a qualitative research study. Qualitative Research processes, therefore, require a great deal of rigour and quality (Nassaji, 2020). 

The qualitative research method holds its beliefs in contradiction to that of the quantitative. Scholars, in particular, usually have numerous questions and doubts about the credibility, validity and reliability of the qualitative studies. The first stigma attached to the qualitative research methodology is its ‘generalizability.’ Researchers from a quantitative background usually face a hard time understanding that qualitative researchers tend to generate ideas related to a particular setting. They rather explicitly show the social process as a universal statement, usually applicable to all social settings. Yet, grounded theory researchers embrace this approach of generalizability. Careful documentation of the study is required to see the potential to create anomalies if the researcher wants to enlarge the understudied phenomenon (Ward & Delamont, 2020). Secondly, a qualitative researcher objectively studies the subjective states of their participants. To avoid the perils of discriminatory behaviours, a majority of researchers immobilize their personal biases. Also, spending ample time in collecting, interpreting, and triangulating data helps minimize prejudices and biases. Thirdly, researchers usually connect with their participants in a natural way in order to minimize the chances of any behavioural change in participants, which may be consequential to false or inefficient data collection, thus jeopardizing the credibility of the whole research. Forth, The findings from two similar types of research conducted in two different settings will differ from each other without affecting the validity and reliability of the data, which is unusual for quantitative researchers. The fifth one is usually concerned if the research is scientific or not (Delamont, 2012).

A careful analysis of the available literature on the experiences of learning qualitative research reveals that students are likely to face challenges from the inception of the qualitative research procedures to its conclusion. Wang (2013) stated qualitative research is a complex activity for nascent researchers. Students usually find the concepts of validity and subjectivity difficult to understand. Moreover, conducting systematic data analysis and presenting the findings embedded in genre and the knowledge of the discipline is humungous for novice researchers. Guided practices provided by the mentors are likely to mitigate the pressure, albeit students are recommended to indulge in extended reading on qualitative research methods. 

Research conducted on learning qualitative research in group settings concluded that learning of research methods is interwoven with contextual and performative experience. It implies that the conditions and circumstances in which the learning takes place are the important determinants of effective learning of qualitative research approaches. It further emphasized that developing the projects and that too in groups maximizes students’ learning. The relationship among the collaborators not only affects their choice of adapting the approach but is also crucial in developing the cognizance of intricate commingling of epistemological and ontological positionalities established on the context and rhetorical assumptions of the study. Besides, learning research skills in groups has significantly improved students’ understanding of underlying philosophical foundations and is likely to boost students’ confidence in their own research skills (Hernández-Hernández et al., 2015).

A meta-analysis of twenty-five studies conducted to explore the learning experiences of qualitative research methodology students stretched over a span of thirty-five years revealed that learning qualitative research tends to promote a high level of stress and anxiety among students, which is also consistent with the findings of Hernández-Hernández et al. (2015); Wang (2013). Nevertheless, an inductive approach incorporated with experiential learning can profoundly tone down their stress levels. Teaching qualitative research with a primary goal of how to conduct the research whereby requires instructors first to facilitate the provision of theoretical knowledge and, secondly, hone their skills is found to be profoundly significant in supporting learners in grasping and conducting qualitative inquiry (Cooper et al., 2012).

Nind et al. (2020) conducted a narrative and thematic analysis of the data generated from dialogue as a result of combining diary circles via the online diary method with face-to-face focus groups. The synthesis of common experiences shows that though difficulties and struggle often characterize active and experiential learning, mentors connecting with learners and sharing their own stories of struggle, imperfection and messiness can help them in diluting the delusion of perfect research. 

In coherence with the findings of previously discussed studies, Kalman (2019) concluded that almost all the students felt overwhelmed, confused and uncertain in the beginning and during the entire process. Its unstructured and non-standardized process has challenged students to a great extent. Nevertheless, students have reported it as a satisfying and pleasurable experience in the end as compared to quantitative studies. The findings have also unearthed that students found data analysis onerous in particular right from its initiation. Nevertheless, students, with their interest grown with time and their research skills developed during the process, are likely to mitigate negative emotions associated with it. Moreover, reading more about qualitative research methods in order to develop a nuanced understanding facilitates the choice of just the right strategy before conducting the actual research and expedites the whole process by eliminating expected barriers. 

A study was conducted on the students and teachers of South Korea with a prime focus on studying three themes: the role of teachers in teaching qualitative research methods, the institutional context within which the teaching and learning take place and the emotional factor of learning qualitative research. The findings reported that supervisors capable of instilling a decolonizing sensibility among their students positively impact their learning. Moreover, the findings ascertain that par excellence teaching potential can only be realized when students are provided with enough space to own their learning and to learn from their mistakes. Highly substantial and less influential teachers tend to have all but highly dependent, more pliant, and impuissant learners. 

Acknowledging the feelings and emotional pressures of learners rather than stigmatizing them is a significant determinant of the success of the entire process. As far as the emotional aspect of learning qualitative research is concerned, learners have referred to be frustrated, disoriented, and impuissant. Teachers capable of navigating through any such emotions constructively and productively determines the quality of learners to a great extent (Hsiung, 2018). Similarly, the structure of academia is usually held responsible for shaping the teaching and learning of qualitative research. The research conducted in cultures conducive to positive paradigms underscoring timely, measurable outcomes is, therefore, needs to be challenged by qualitative methodological and epistemological assumptions (Hsiung, 2018).

A research paper explicitly focused on the challenges students faced while analyzing the qualitative data reported that a great number of learners are usually disoriented, cast adrift in the ambiguous coding categories fear interpretation either being inaccurate, overly done or both (Li & Seale, 2007). However, adopting a systematic approach, learning to exclude the irrelevant data, establishing just the right size of the data required for sustained arguments, and only dealing with one category at a time can save the day (Li & Seale, 2007).

Methods and Materials

The current study is a qualitative study using a hermeneutic phenomenology research design. Lydall, Pretorius, and Stuart (2005) state, "a fundamental tenet of hermeneutic phenomenology are that people seek to create meaning of their experience from the response sited within human consciousness" (p. 1). Using semi-structured interviews, the researcher accessed the participants' world of the lived experience and their interpretations of these experiences.

The research study was conducted at the University of Management and Technology Lahore. The university has earned its name in research-led studies and offers courses on different research paradigms, thus facilitating students in making informed choices for their research work. 

The participants were selected based on their experience and the phenomenon of interest to meet the criteria. The criterion sampling is done to extract meaningful information to receive rich data. It highlights weaknesses in the specific area to enhance the improvement process and ensure quality. Following are the criteria decided for the inclusion of participants in the study. All of the participants selected were enrolled in the MPhil ELM program at the University of Management and technology and had varied educational backgrounds. Among ten participants, eight are females, and two are male participants.




 

Table 1: Demographic information of the participants

Participant	Gender	Age
Participant 1	Female	35-40
Participant 2	Female	25-30
Participant 3	Female	25-30
Participant 4	Female	30-35
Participant 5	Male	25-30
Participant 6	Female	25-30
Participant 7	Female	30-35
Participant 8	Female	25-30
Participant 9	Male	25-30
Participant 10	Female	25-30

 




Semi-structured interviews have been adopted for data collection for the reason that they are suitable for the investigation of the views and beliefs of respondents about multifaceted and sometimes delicate matters and allow probing for extra information and explanation of responses.

A number of possible questions for the interview guide were developed based on the areas identified in the literature (Brinkmann & Kvale, 2018; Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015). More specifically, this study used the dimensions carved out through the review of literature for the development of interview questions.

As the sampling was criterion-based, the researcher connected with the participants in the university. The aim behind the research was discussed; the participants showed their willingness to give interviews. Then, the time and location were decided for the meeting. Participants were individually interviewed at the time and location set.

Some of the interviews were recorded on zoom, and some were face-to-face. In addition, some notes were taken on the interview guide; wherever required. When the researcher found something missing, some probing questions and recordings were done on the phone as per available resources and the participant's convenience. All participants’ data retrieved from interview recordings were transcribed and translated into English. Some of the interviews were in English.

Findings

The current qualitative study used a Hermeneutic Phenomenology design to explore individuals' lived experiences. The main idea of the research is to explore the student's lived experiences related to learning qualitative research in Higher education. The data collection process relied upon semi-structured interviews. Purposeful sampling was employed because the selected participants required specific data to explore their lived experiences.

It was found that most of the students preferred to carry on their research in the qualitative paradigm. As students knew the importance of subjectivity, they considered it an essential concept in quantitative research. The learning of philosophical foundations in the classroom changed their belief system. The individual's norms, ideas, and opinions are linked with the different scenarios, and we cannot generalize the results to the whole population or community. Multiple realities exist, and we cannot ignore their characteristics, which vary from person to person. Initially, most students believed that only the numbers were required to obtain the results. Still, after learning the philosophical foundations of the qualitative course, they found that subjectivity is inevitable. There were some challenges in understanding philosophical foundations, but the real-time stories and experiences, when shared in the class, helped clarify concepts.

The qualitative research designs were an exciting part of learning. Understanding different research designs were developed through videos the instructor shared in the online sessions during covid-19. Despite lengthy videos, the student's interest in learning research was high. The students play and pause the videos anytime, conveniently. Lots of discussion and questions raised by the students developed an environment of inquiry and deep learning. It was easy to grasp the concepts through videos. The experiences shared with the students related to different research designs enhanced the teaching and learning process in the classroom. 

Like the philosophical foundations, the data collection and data analysis were easy to understand for some students and hard to absorb for the rest. Most of the students believed they could not be well understood unless related tasks were not assigned. The classroom environment promoted learning effectively, but students demanded hands-on experience for authentic learning. The instructor shared his lived experience of data triangulation in the classroom and explained that the researcher remains unbiased for data validity, reliability, and credibility. The data collection procedures affect the analysis process to a considerable extent. As the story-telling method remained throughout the learning students, many students on inquiry mentioned that the validity and credibility of data were linked with the current topic in every session. So, it was not challenging to understand the fundamental concepts when learning data analysis. 

As the learning process remained fruitful, most of the students understood that to ensure the trustworthiness of data; It is essential that the researcher is unbiased and no participant is pressurized for data. In every lecture, the teacher summed up everything on ethics. A researcher has to maintain ethics at all levels. If the data is collected by force, the research can be biased. 

Initially, understanding the intricacies involved in qualitative research was intimidating for many (Berg & Lune, 2017; Delamont, 2012; Hernández-Hernández et al., 2015; Kalman, 2019). Nevertheless, as their knowledge of the approaches grew, it became an intriguing paradigm. 

It triggered my thought process. As my background is connected with international relations, I was drilled with the theories of international relations. E.g., Realism, Marxism, and classical realism. My thinking perception was according to that theories. In qualitative research, we have gone through different philosophies like multiple realities, positivism, and epistemology; they changed my belief system from the power of a state to the individual. (Participant 3)

Learners credited their instructor for developing in-depth knowledge by challenging their thinking patterns, providing a hands-on experience, and keeping a keen eye on the performance of the students(Cooper et al., 2012). His art of telling stories based on the real experiences of students and sometimes his own kept the students enthralled and motivated the whole semester (Nind et al., 2020). His exquisite art of letting students feel accomplished further contributed to the success of the course. “Real-life examples shared in the classroom cleared our philosophical foundation's concept. I attempted my PPSC exam after learning philosophical foundations.” (Participant 8)

As philosophies and philosophical assumptions concepts were new to me, I searched the content on the internet for further knowledge and understanding,  But understanding remained confusing and distracting unless and until the instructor explained it through the lived examples. (Participant 6)

Unlearning the concept of one single reality and embracing the ontological assumption of multiple truths profoundly impacted their dusted beliefs so much so that even the students with mathematical and statistical backgrounds considered carrying on their research in qualitative paradigms (Höijer, 2008).

When I started learning qualitative research, ontology explained that there exists no single reality but multiple. Thus emphasizing subjectivity by acknowledging that individual brought their own belief systems, ideas, thought processes, and values with them which are contextual to the world we live in. (Participant 9)

Since the course was conducted during the lockdown days, the classes were conducted online, and it became a blessing in disguise. Students regarded video lectures as very helpful in their learning journey as they could listen to a particular concept as many times as they wished. Engaging in discussion carried out during the online classes further strengthen their concepts (Hiltz, 1993).

Recorded videos played a significant role in strengthening my concepts. Watching videos provided some basic concepts, and confusion was cleared during online classes later on. Watching the content for the third time gave me a crystal clear understanding of the concept taught. (Participant 7)

Students were taught five qualitative research designs during the course. Students gave mixed responses on the level of difficulty of each approach. They regarded research approaches as “easy to learn but difficult to understand.”  A majority, however, found the grounded theory to be as most challenging and demanding of all the approaches (Hesse-Biber, 2007). Nevertheless, students were motivated and curious to learn more about the approach. “Grounded theory involves scientific data and henceforth is needed to be studied in-depth to build a strong knowledge base” (Participant 6). Some of the students remained confused by the end of the course and showed flawed concepts.

Grounded Theory is not my cup of tea. I could not understand the stages involved. It may require some scientific steps, such as developing a hypothesis and testing null and alternative hypotheses. I am not aware of the developmental procedures as these were not discussed in quite a detail in the class. (Participant 3)

Students were found to be most interested in phenomenology and narrative. However, the demarcation was difficult for them. “Phenomenology and narrative research are interesting but very confusing as I found them highly overlapping.” (Participant 2)

Most students find ethnography an exciting study; however, owing to parity, ethical issues and the obstacles involved, students refrain from pursuing it any further (Creswell, Hanson, Clark Plano, & Morales, 2007). 

Interestingly, contrary to prior studies, students of the course found data collection easiest of all (Whiting, 2008). It was pretty easy for all students to learn data collection methods. Interviews, observations, documents, field notes, and artefacts are all ways to gather data for research. The instructor shared some of his experiences while searching for the PhD thesis, which added more interest in the learning process (Hernández-Hernández et al., 2015; Kalman, 2019; Li & Seale, 2007) or perhaps prepared them for facing the upcoming challenges by enabling them to foresee the situation. Moreover, his hands-on style of teaching facilitated students in learning the nitty-gritty of not just collecting the data but the overall research study. 

Data collection is pretty challenging. One needs nerves to stick to the long and tiring process of looking for a data-rich resource, going through the ever delaying permissions and systematic procedures. Nevertheless, we were all prepared to face and navigate through the frustration. Had he not been sharing the difficulties he faced while pursuing his PhD, we would have never been able to understand with such ease. (Participant 8)

Yet, few students considered data collection tiring as it requires consent and has to seek participants' permission, and it consumes a significant amount of time. During interviews, you have to create an environment that makes the participants feel comfort on able with the researcher. Data collection can be time-consuming if the required answers are not received, and then you have to ask probing or follow-up questions as less attention is paid to the understanding of sampling techniques.

Data analysis is considered the most challenging stage because it involves technicalities (Delamont, 2012; Hernández-Hernández et al., 2015; Nind et al., 2020; Wang, 2013). One should be very alert about what they comprehend from the data they have received. As the study mode was online, data analysis learning was through video watching, lecture-based, and question/answer sessions. The instructor elaborated it by giving routine life experiences to make it easier to understand. Screen recording of Nvivo was shared with students to clarify the concepts of data analysis. Most of the students discussed that the videos of practical approaches during the lessons made it difficult to grasp fully. Few students shared that the facilitator took the data analysis method with data collection. There was always connectivity in the delivery of content with the previous concepts. When students were experiencing problems understanding data analysis procedures, the instructor did counselling and motivated the class towards learning.

Thanks to COVID-19. We were bound to learn data analysis online. Though the instructor facilitated us by providing videos, and screen recordings of the steps, it could have been more fulfilling if it had to be done practically in the presence of the instructor. (Participant 8)

Data validity and credibility methods and procedures play the most crucial role in analyzing and maintaining the authenticity of data. This validation and credibility enhance the worth of the study (Brink, 1993). Trustworthiness is achieved by credibility, authenticity, transferability, dependability, and conformability in qualitative research. Then comes the triangulation of data sources, where the researcher has to establish credibility. The concepts of validity and credibility for many students were new, and they understood them in ample time and effort. Few students believed that these concepts were easy to understand, as there was nothing numerical in them and no tests applied to any data (Brod, Tesler, & Christensen, 2009). There were many real-life stories for the understanding of the concepts. Students found that the actual learning of validity and credibility of data starts when they start their research. The instructor taught different procedures to check the validity and credibility of data. So, these concepts were not difficult to understand at the end of learning qualitative research because prior discussions in the learning process were so clear that everything went smoothly.

Understanding whether it had reliability itself is not exactly difficult. However, when the concept was often mixed with that of the quantitative research, doing what was most challenging to understand. (Participant 2)

Ethics is an integral part of the research, and without it, the study and researcher’s credibility are compromised. Moral boundaries are essential to maintain by ensuring the confidentiality of the participants. When the ethical boundaries are not observed, the results are not reliable, which can put a question mark on the credibility of the data and create problems for further research. The students were given more insights into what boundaries should be observed and limitations to ensure trustworthiness throughout the research process. 

So basically, there is some code of ethics that we need to follow while conducting research that might impact the credibility of the researcher and their work. I particularly remember that the instructor guided us on how a researcher should blend in the environment so that he won't make the subjects uncomfortable or abide by social norms. Yet, he would stay separate from them so that the results are not biased. (Participant 7)

The strong moral values and a concern for ethical consideration the instructor developed among the student is remarkably surprising as the students were novice researchers, and a vast majority of them were undertaking qualitative research for the first time in their lives.

One of my batchmates shared her experience of collecting data. She sought permission from the authorities of the institution she was working in. Unfortunately, she wasn’t granted permission. She could gather data from her colleagues without it being notified to any of the authorities. She refrained from doing so. (Participant 8)

For some students, the concept of outsider and insider was new. However, they considered it interesting to learn ethics in qualitative research. Few Students discussed that before studying qualitative research, they were somehow aware of the insider and outsider concept that researchers stay in the specific area for the research purpose by observing things externally, studying documents, or taking interviews and then transcribing and triangulating the data. The facilitator guided that the researcher has to immerse himself in the community for the research purpose; this may change his belief system as the stories were shared in the class that it happened when researchers remain attached to the specific community for a long time, they prefer to live with them. The instructor's interview video shared in the classroom guided the learning process of ethics more effectively.

Conclusion

This qualitative research aims to explore the student's lived experiences related to learning qualitative research in Higher Education. The study provided the perception and understanding of students studying qualitative research courses at the university. The learning experience depicts the transformation process that, after evaluation, can provide a roadmap for further planning of course and instructional strategies. Qualitative inquiry moulds the thinking process and develops the critical thinking skills of the researchers to conceptualize the facts in the context they exist. Lived experiences reflect the phenomenon, which aids in exploring the facts deeply. It is hoped that participants' experiences are shared to guide the instructors and students to efficiently plan their teaching and learning strategies to meet the quality standards in education. The primary purpose behind the research was to explore the gaps which students experienced in their learning. The flipped classroom, Peer learning, Group discussion, Mock presentations, Storytelling, ethical considerations in research, and change in the students' Belief system helped in the learning of qualitative research in the classroom. All the learning to be effective requires hands-on experience, which was found lacking in the class. Some alternatives were present, like screen recording of Nvivo, but still, students felt only theoretical learning was insufficient for teaching qualitative courses.

The following recommendations are suggested based on the findings of the current study for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance the quality of learning and effective teaching of research methods:

When studying qualitative research courses, data analysis tools learning should go side by side. Workshops should be arranged in the same semester.

Case studies and research articles should be part of the course content. Every research design should be linked to some cases for their analysis.

The current study's research work revealed that the instructional strategy of the flipped classroom for higher education students in qualitative research courses is beneficial. 

This research recommends teachers use the art of story-telling in their lectures to engage students and keep them motivated in learning qualitative research.

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