How to Improve the Quality of Qualitative Research? A Descriptive Study on Theses in the Field of Communication in Turkey

Authors : Sezen Garip

Pages : 84-106

Doi:10.30622/tarr.1637178

View : 75 | Download : 48

Publication Date : 2025-03-20

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The field of communication, which has been shaped in the light of social sciences, is considered a science with its own boundaries, although it has an interdisciplinary transition. Historically, communication science has developed around different topics and continues to be structured with different researches depending on technological developments today. The use of varied research methods in these studies has caused researchers to be at different poles. While researchers who argue that the objective is valid in researches conducted in the field of communication prioritize quantitative research, researchers who address communication as the basis of human nature have started to use qualitative research method. In addition to this polarization, there are researchers who advocate that both methods should be integrated in the specific research subject. The reason why qualitative research is used in the conducted studies is the need for detailed explanation of human behaviors and humans in communication processes. The qualitative research method, which is shaped on the axis of post-positivism, goes to the basis of the person\\\'s own reality. Qualitative researches aim to deeply understand, define and explain human behavior and the events that develop around this behavior. It has been observed that the stages of the qualitative research process are not fully understood in researches conducted in the field of communication. In this context, it was aimed to examine the postgraduate theses written in the field of communication. The aim of the research is to identify the methodological problems in the qualitative research process in theses prepared by university students in the field of communication in Turkey. In other words, the research is set to examine how the qualitative research method is applied in the theses prepared by university students and the mistakes made. It was seen that the research in question is included in the case study design. An examination was made on master\\\'s and doctoral theses uploaded to a single website. Therefore, a holistic single case design research was carried out. In this context, 26 theses were selected from the national thesis center in Turkey using criterion sampling, according to the document analysis data collection technique. The selected theses were subjected to descriptive content analysis. Within the scope of the limitation of the research, validity and reliability criterias were tried to be provided. In the results obtained, it was determined that the researchers especially had problems in the research problem, research question, research design and validity-reliability. It was observed that these problems reduced the quality of the qualitative research. These results show students and academics who will study in the field of communication in the future the points they should pay attention to in the qualitative research process. Therefore, in the conclusion section of the article, suggestions were made to researchers to increase the quality of qualitative research. It is thought that these suggestions will contribute methodologically to future studies in the field of communication that are based on qualitative research and also use the mixed method research tradition.
Keywords : İletişim, Sosyal Bilimler, Nitel Araştırma, Geçerlik, Güvenirlik

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