The study is exploratory in nature dealing with a sample of 15 participants. This is a replicated study and conducted first time within new geographical location with different physical, social and cultural dimension.
I wish this link may help you
https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_the_sample_size_in_qualitative_research_is_determined
Usually, n=10-20 is sufficient for a qualitative explorative study, but in the end it depends on the research question and the kind of inference you want to draw.
Depends on the population as well. If there are 200 firms, a carefully selected purposive sample of about 10% may be targeted. If after 20 interviews, new information is emerging, then the size could be extended by another 10. If after coding the interviews, there is saturation and no new data is coming through, then you could stop.
It is possible to do that. A longitudinal empirical study of less than 20 participants of a program, for example, targeting 100 people can provide solid findings credible enough for a research paper. Particularly, this credibility of findings from few participants can be enhanced through triangulation of data collection...observing behaviors, capturing their perceptions about issues, and their responses to stimuli.
I agree w/ all who have said yes. And, as others have mentioned, it depends on the purpose of your study. If your study seeks rich description and understanding of a context, then typically a smaller selection of participants is actually preferred. You may have some advocacy within your discipline to do if you receive any push back.
depending on your research question(s), sometimes even one person is enough.
this may be helpful: http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/2273/4/how_many_interviews.pdf
best,
demet
I think it will be dependent upon your intent first, then questions you seek opinion, answer or overview about, followed by what method you are going to use.
Yes, you can present and even publish them. Here is an article we've recently published with 17 participants: Article What Happens After the Protests? Understanding Protest Outco...
It is related to the qualitative method you will decide.
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is suitable for fewer numbers of cases. If you are interested, here is the link:
https://research.familymed.ubc.ca/files/2012/03/IPA_Smith_Osborne21632.pdf
Dear Megha,
Qualitative research does not aim to make generalizations, but it seeks to explore new knowledge, so there is no fixed rule for determining the sample size, as it focuses on the quality of the sample rather than its quantity. In this case the sample size is governed by and dependable on the principle of “saturation,” which can be achieved when there is no new observed information in the extended sample or when you find answers for your research questions. In opposite, sample size can be extended to reach the answers. Many studies showed that the most frequent number of interviews or samples being studied ranges from 6-15, where 12 is the most common sample size. Moreover, increasing the sample size is not recommended in qualitative research, to facilitate a more deepest qualitative analysis.
Best wishes.
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