Preface

 

Although there is a growing acceptance of qualitative studies, there is no widely accepted set of ideas in regard to the use of a theoretical framework to guide the inquiry. Lack of available conceptual maps provided by theoretical frameworks, and the qualitative “black box” tradition all contribute to a dearth of methodological guidance in such studies.

 

The first article on: Lecturer, student and patient’s experience toward Simulated Patient programme, uses the Theory of Interpersonal Communication (Dainton and Zelly,2005) as an example to explain the utility of a theoretical framework in conceptualizing a study, making design decisions such as sampling and recruitment, collecting and analyzing data, and data interpretation.

 

According to Chou, Tu and Huang (2013), story makes the implicit explicit, the hidden seen, the unformed formed, and the confusing clear. Our success as researchers, and the legacy of our work, depends not on our ability to analyze and number-crunch but on how we craft stories which resonate with our audience. It is only then that data becomes insight, becomes ideas, and becomes action. Thus, Yee presents a welcoming and timely paper on: The value of stories in qualitative interviews: Using narrative inquiry as a methodology. The paper offers an overview of the method of narrative inquiry and explores competing trends in the use of the approach. It not only examines the theories relating to the method but also advocate capitalizing on the stories participants tell during qualitative interviews. In so doing, this paper demonstrates the value of stories and narratives in facilitating the goal of research using qualitative interviews to gain considerable depths, and a contextual appreciation of the social phenomena under investigation.

 

Thus, Yee presents a welcoming and timely paper on: The value of stories in qualitative interviews: Using narrative inquiry as a methodology. The paper offers an overview of the method of narrative inquiry and explores competing trends in the use of the approach. It not only examines the theories relating to the method but also advocate capitalizing on the stories participants tell during qualitative interviews. In so doing, this paper demonstrates the value of stories and narratives in facilitating the goal of research using qualitative interviews to gain considerable depths, and a contextual appreciation, of the social phenomena under investigation.

 

In the third article by Low, I ask you to consider the entire research process as a reflexive exercise which provides answers to the question: 'What is going on in the methods?' I believe that if the research process is well sign-posted, the readers will be able to travel easily through the worlds of the participants and will find this paper a useful reference, particularly those interested in deploying the grounded theory approach in healthcare research.

 

The final article by Nooriha adopts a qualitative research approach on the issue of car lease swap among the car lease dealers, car owners and third parties (buyers) in Malaysian context. This qualitative research enables the questions of how and why people used car leased swap mechanism to obtain their desired car. From the findings the author recommended further research should be conducted with relevant government agencies as well as other appropriate parties involved in investigating the issues of this car lease swap

 

We hope that these articles will provide you with further insight into the various qualitative research designs, its practices and outcome. More importantly we hope that MJQR is able to provide readings that can serve as useful reference and platform for sharing and discussing qualitative research.

 

 

Khatijah Lim Abdullah

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EDITOR IN CHIEF

2019

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Chou, M.J., Tu,Y.C. &  Huang, K.P. (2013). Confucianism and character education: a Chinese view. J Soc Sci, 9 (2)  pp. 59-66

Dainton, M. & Zelly, E.D. (2005). Applying communication theory for professional life: a practical introduction.  USA: SAGE.