SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.31 issue4 author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Curationis

On-line version ISSN 2223-6279
Print version ISSN 0379-8577

Curationis vol.31 n.4 Pretoria  2008

 

ARTICLE

 

The qualitative research proposal

 

 

H Klopper

PhD, MBA, Professor; School of Nursing Science, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), South Africa

Correspondence

 

 


ABSTRACT

Qualitative research in the health sciences has had to overcome many prejudices and a number of misunderstandings, but today qualitative research is as acceptable as quantitative research designs and is widely funded and published. Writing the proposal of a qualitative study, however, can be a challenging feat, due to the emergent nature of the qualitative research design and the description of the methodology as a process. Even today, many sub-standard proposals at post-graduate evaluation committees and application proposals to be considered for funding are still seen. This problem has led the researcher to develop a framework to guide the qualitative researcher in writing the proposal of a qualitative study based on the following research questions: (i) What is the process of writing a qualitative research proposal? and (ii) What does the structure and layout of a qualitative proposal look like? The purpose of this article is to discuss the process of writing the qualitative research proposal, as well as describe the structure and layout of a qualitative research proposal. The process of writing a qualitative research proposal is discussed with regards to the most important questions that need to be answered in your research proposal with consideration of the guidelines of being practical, being persuasive, making broader links, aiming for crystal clarity and planning before you write. While the structure of the qualitative research proposal is discussed with regards to the key sections of the proposal, namely the cover page, abstract, introduction, review of the literature, research problem and research questions, research purpose and objectives, research paradigm, research design, research method, ethical considerations, dissemination plan, budget and appendices.

Key words: Proposal, Qualitative Research, Attributes, Qualitative Process


 

 

“Full text available only in PDF format”

 

 

References

AGAR, MH 1980: The Professional Stranger: An Informal Introduction to Ethnography. New York: Academic Press        [ Links ]

ALTHEIDE, DL 1987: Ethnographic content analysis. Qualitative Sociology. 10:65-67.         [ Links ]

ARBER, S 1993: The Research Process. (In: Gilbert, N. Researching Social Life). London: Sage.         [ Links ]

BELGRAVE, LL & SMITH, KJ 1995: Negotiated validity in collaborative ethnography. Qualitative Inquiry. 1:69-89        [ Links ]

BOTTORFF, JL 2002: Writing Qualitative Research Proposals. Retrieved 17 May 2004 from www.vchri.ca/i/presentations/qualitativeproposals.         [ Links ]

BURNARD, P 2004: Writing a qualitative research report Nurse Education Today. 24 (3): 174-179        [ Links ]

BURNS, N & GROVE, SK 2005: The Practice of Nursing Research. Conduct, Critique and Utilization. London: Elsevier Saunders Company        [ Links ]

CRESWELL, J 1994: Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. London: Sage        [ Links ]

CRESWELL, JW & PL AM) CLARK, VL, 2007: Designing and conducting Mixed Method Research. USA: Sage Publications        [ Links ]

DENZIN, NK & LINCOLN, YS 1998: Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage        [ Links ]

HEATH, AW 1997: The proposal in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report. 3 (1). Retrieved on 17 May 2004 from www.nova.edu/ssss/OR/OR3-l/heath.html.         [ Links ]

HIGSON-SMITH, C; PARLE, J; LANGE, L & TOTHILL, A 2000: Writing your research proposal. A workbook for first time and inexperienced researchers in the Social Sciences and Humanities. NRF: South Africa; online from http://www.nrf.ac.za/methods/proposals.htm        [ Links ]

JONES, R 1995: Editorials: Why do qualitative research? British Medical Journal. Volume 311:2(1 July).         [ Links ]

KLOPPER, HC 1995: Vertrouenswaardigheidstrategieë (Trustworthiness Strategies) RAUCUR. 1(1): 25-28        [ Links ]

KLOPPER, HC & KNOBLOCH, S 2008: Validity, reliability, and trustworthiness (Submitted manuscript) pp. 1-18        [ Links ]

KNOBLOCH, S & KLOPPER, HC. 2008: Compassion fatigue within the nursing practice: A concept analysis (Submitted for publication).         [ Links ]

LINCOLN, YS & GUBA, EG 1985: Naturalistic Inquiry. London: Sage        [ Links ]

LOISELLE, CG, PROFETTO-MCGRATH, J, POLIT, DF & BECK, CT 2004: Canadian Essentials of Nursing Research. Philadelphia, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins        [ Links ]

MALTERUD, K 2001: Qualitative research: standards, challenges and guidelines Lancet. 358 (928): 483-489        [ Links ]

MANNING K 1997: Authenticity in constructivist inquiry: Methodological considerations without prescriptions. Qualitative Inquiry. 3:93-115.         [ Links ]

MAPHORISA, MK, POGGENPOEL, M & MYBURGH, CPH 2002: Community mental health nurses' experience of decentralized and integrated psychiatric-mental health care services in the Southern mental health region of Botswana. Curationis. 25(2):22-29        [ Links ]

MAYS, N & POPE, C 2000: Quality in qualitative health research. London: BMJ        [ Links ]

MCHUNU, GG & GWELE, NS 2005: The meaning of community involvement in health: the perspective of primary health care communities. Curationis. 28 (2): 38-50.         [ Links ]

MINNAAR, A 2001: Caring for the caregivers - a nursing management perspective. Curationis. 24 (3): 19-26        [ Links ]

MINNIE, CS 2007: Best Practice Guidelines for Counselling for HIV testing during pregnancy. (PhD Thesis). Potchefstroom: Notth-West University        [ Links ]

MINNIE, K, KLOPPER, HC & VAN DER WALT, SJC 2008: Factors contributing to the decision by pregnant women to be tested for HIV. Health SA Gesondheid. 13 (4): 50-65        [ Links ]

MOROLONG BG & CHABELI, MM 2005: Competence of newly qualified registered nurses from a nursing college. Curationis. 28 (2): 38-50.         [ Links ]

MORSE, JM 1994: Designing funded qualitative research. (In: Denzin, N &Lincoln, YS (Eds) Handbook of Qualitative research). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage        [ Links ]

MORSE, JM, HUPCEY, J, PENROD, JA, SPIERS, J, POOLER C & MITCHAM, C 2002: Issues of validity: Behavioral concepts, their derivation and interpretation. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 1 (4) Article 3. Retrieved 20 May 2004 from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm.         [ Links ]

MORSE, J 2003: A Review Committee's Guide for Evaluating Qualitative Proposals. Qualitative Health Research. 13 (6): 833-851        [ Links ]

MOUTON, J 1996: Understanding Social Research. Pretoria: JL Van Schaik        [ Links ]

MOUTON, J & MARAIS, HC 1994: Basic Concepts in the methodology of Social Sciences. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council        [ Links ]

RODGERS, BL & COWLES, KV 1993: The qualitative research audit trial: A complex collection of documentation. Research in Nursing and Health. 16:219-226.         [ Links ]

SANDELOWSKI, M 2002: The Qualitative Research Proposal. U-M Conference on Qualitative Research Methods. Retrieved 13 May 2004 from www.umich.edu/~qualnet/material/sandelowski.         [ Links ]

SANDELOWSKI, M & BARROSO, J 2003: Writing the Proposal for a Qualitative Research Methodology Project. Qualitative Health Research. 13(6):781-820        [ Links ]

SILVERMAN, D 2000: Doing Qualitative Research. A practical handbook. London: Sage        [ Links ]

SLIEP, Y, POGGENPOEL, M & GMEINER, AC 2001: A care counselling model for HIV reactive patients in rural Malawi. Curationis. 24 (3): 66-74        [ Links ]

SMALING A 2002: The Aisumentative Quality of the Qualitative Research Report. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 1 (3): Article 4. Retrieved 22 May 2004 from http://www.ualberta.ca-ijqm        [ Links ]

STRAUSS, A & CORBIN, J 1990: Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedure and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage        [ Links ]

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ (http://www.jyu.fi/hum/laitokset/kielet/oppiaineet_kls/englanti /research/postgrad/instructions, accessed 31 July 2008):        [ Links ]

VAN MAANEN, M 1990: Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Albany: State University of New York Press        [ Links ]

 

 

Correspondence:
Prof HC Klopper
School of Nursing Science
North-West University
Tel: (018) 299 1829/1830; Fax:(018)299 1827
Email: Hester.Klopper@nwu.ac.za

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License