Dear all, currently I am planning to conduct a questionnaire based qualitative research to get data retarding willingness to pay from household/individuals of the beneficiaries of a nature reserve and willingness to travel from outsiders.
How much should be the sample size for both target groups?
Would you suggest any reliable and suitable questionnaire design/type?
Qualitative research needs usually small sample size, e.g. 10 or over. But the questionnaire should be
1- long and deep enough to cover the research objectives
2- Includes open questions in addition to closed and subjective questions.
Qualitative research needs usually small sample size, e.g. 10 or over. But the questionnaire should be
1- long and deep enough to cover the research objectives
2- Includes open questions in addition to closed and subjective questions.
Dear Arshad Ali Shedayi,
you should start with the design of your study and based on that you will determine the sample size and the questionnaire. By reading methodological books on qualitative research you will discover that design can be changed and adapted to the circumstances in th research. This means, that the sample size is usually not known in advance. I would suggest the following books for starting with study design:
[1] Lisa M. Given (Editor), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Sage Publications. 2008. [available for downloading on Internet]
[2] Catherine Marshall and Gretchen B. Rossman. Designing Qualitative Research, Fifth Edition. SAGE Publications. 2011.
[3] Joseph A. Maxwell, Qualitative Research Design, An Interactive Approach, Second Edition, Sage Publications. 2005.
In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods you will find short articles on sampling, sample size, open ended questions - suitable for starting.
You can also read some articles about the sampling in qualitative research, like:
[1] Martin N Marshall, Sampling for qualitative research, Family Practice, Volume 13, No 6, 1996, pp. 522-526, doi:10.1093/fampra/13.6.522.
[2] Glenn A. Bowen. Naturalistic inquiry and the saturation concept: a research note. Qualitative Research, Volume 8, No 1, pp. 137–152, February 2008. doi:10.1177/1468794107085301.
Regards,
Zeljko
Sample size in Qualitative research is determined by the concept of "Saturation". This means when the researcher feels the answers are becoming redundant, and nothing new is added; then sampling is stoped.
Qualitative questionnaires are open ended are therefore not tested for reliability. They should be designed by thinking about your research questions then coming up with appropriate open questions. They can be tested through a pilot study.
More useful reading:
Margarete Sandelowski. Sample size in qualitative research
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nur.4770180211/abstract
And also chase up
Morse, J. M. (2000). Determining Sample Size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1), 3–5. http://doi.org/10.1177/104973200129118183
O'Reilly, M., & Parker, N. (2013). “Unsatisfactory Saturation”: a critical exploration of the notion of saturated sample sizes in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 13(2), 190–197. http://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112446106
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Leech, N. L. (2007). A Call for Qualitative Power Analyses. Quality and Quantity, 41(1), 105–121. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-005-1098-1
Small, M. L. (2009). `How many cases do I need?': On science and the logic of case selection in field-based research. Ethnography, 10(1), 5–38. http://doi.org/10.1177/1466138108099586
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