Qualitative Research Methods

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes qualitative research methods and compares it to the methods used in quantitative research. The paper specifically focuses on two articles which discuss food safety and correct handling procedures - "Food-Handlers' Beliefs and Self-Reported Practices" by D.A. Clayton, C.J. Griffith, P. Price and A.C. Peters and "Factors Impacting Food Workers' and Managers' Safe Food Preparation Practices: A Qualitative Study", by L.R. Green and C. Selman. This paper compares the methods used in each articles and discusses what makes one quantitative and one qualitative in its methods.

From the Paper:

"Qualitative research has grown somewhat in the last several years, as new ideas have been tried and expanded upon (Wolcott, 1995). This is significant for many individuals that are working on research projects today, because qualitative research has become much more widely used and also much more widely respected than it was in the past. Social science areas of research have used and respected qualitative methods for some time, but it has not been that long ago that other areas of research started becoming more involved with the qualitative method as well (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). The quantitative method is still very necessary for many of the areas of research that are seen today, as statistics are necessary, but the move toward more qualitative areas of research is significant and worth noting (Wolcott, 1995; Flyvbjerg, 2006; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, P. A. & Adler, P. (1987). Membership roles in field research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
• Becker, H.S. (1996). The epistemology of qualitative research. University of Chicago Press, 53-71.
• Boas, F. (1943). Recent anthropology. Science, 98, 311-314, 334-337.
• Clayton, D.A., Griffith, C.J., Price, P., & Peters, A.C. (2002). Food handlers' beliefs and self-reported practices. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 12, 25-39.
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2000). Handbook of qualitative research ( 2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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