| The essence of qualitative research
is flexibility. Research teams should be prepared to rapidly
adapt research plans and instruments as new information
becomes available. Otherwise, several of the advantages
of qualitative research - to identify emerging trends,
to uncover unanticipated dimensions and shift emphasis
to pursue unexpected findings - may be compromised.
A "rolling analysis," (daily on-site analysis
of data by the local team) is a method used increasingly
to help build flexibility into qualitative research.
Once clear trends are documented, those research questions
can be quickly eliminated, allowing new questions to
be added to follow-up unexpected leads. For example,
a number of complication narratives conducted in Kenya
unexpectedly found that many women with obstetric emergencies
"detoured" to visit indigenous religious groups
for prayer healing. The original research plan was modified
to include this new group in future interviews. |
