Qualitative methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qualitative methods - Essay Example Individual interviews were conducted with the respondents and lasted for a time range of between thirty minutes and one hour. In depth interviews were used because they provided the opportunity for the researchers to understand the experiences of participants and dig deeper in discussing these experiences (De Gagne & Walters, 2010, p. 360). Four interviews were tape recorded and tape recorded to facilitate transcription. The research used a semi-structured interview format to gather information from participants. The rationale for choosing the structure was to ensure that respondents narrated their experiences without being confined to specific answers. Participants in the interview were strictly be students pursuing health-related programs in the university. There were four participants of which two were male and the remaining two were female. The researcher accessed the participants by visiting Central Queensland University and presenting invitations (Sadler, Lee, Lim & Fullerton, 2010, p. 370). This convenience sampling, A purposeful selection method was used with the aim of identifying participants that could illuminate the experiences of students pursuing health-related programs in the university (Dineen & Soltis, 2011, p. 10) while pursuing part- or full-time work. The rationale for choosing a purposeful selection method was because the research was dealing with a small population. Students pursuing health-related programs were chosen as participants because research studies reveal they pursue the most challenging courses in university (Dineen & Soltis, 2011, p. 10). To ensure informed consent, the researcher provided potential participants with information sheets. The information sheets outlined the aims of the research and the entire research process (Singh, 2012, p. 411). Participants were provided with the sheets and were allowed to raise questions about the research (Olson, 2010, p. 109). They were also