Academic Writing Webinar: Session 5
On February 24, 2021, the fifth session in a series of webinars on academic writing was organized by the Women's Scientific Research Committee of the Bachelor of Arts in English program. Hosted by Dr. Nada Alqarni, this session focused on the task of reporting qualitative results in scientific research papers.
Dr. Alqarni initiated the session by highlighting the objective of qualitative reports. "The purpose is to provide an in-depth, vibrant description that allows the reader to experience the research participants' situation," Dr. Alqarni explained. She went on to discuss the characteristics of qualitative reports, including their flexibility, diversity, and room for disagreement. Moreover, she noted that there's no standard format for these reports.
Dr. Alqarni proceeded to describe the structure of a qualitative report. Such reports are characterized by a seamless flow of text and quotes, backed by relevant contextual information concerning the social situation and the communicative context. "This type of report deals with data that isn't easily quantifiable but is rather related to concepts, opinions, values, and behaviors of individuals in social contexts," she stated. Examples of such data include transcripts of interviews and focus groups, field notes from observation of activities, copies of documents, or audio/video recordings.
Further defining qualitative analysis, she described it as the range of processes used to interpret qualitative data, leading to a form of explanation, understanding, or interpretation of the people and situations under investigation. The approach typically relies on an interpretive philosophy, aiming to scrutinize the meaningful and symbolic content of qualitative data.
The analysis can employ either a deductive or inductive approach. The "deductive approach" is typically used when resources are limited and qualitative research forms a smaller part of a larger quantitative study. Conversely, the "inductive approach" is employed when qualitative research forms the main part of the inquiry. This approach uses an emergent framework to categorize data and identify relationships.
In the session, Dr. Alqarni also detailed the steps for writing a qualitative report, tools for aiding the analytical process, and the variations in format and language usage.
The webinar, designed primarily for MA and Ph.D. students, saw an enthusiastic response from staff members and postgraduate students from various faculties across the university. It's worth mentioning that attendees participating in at least five out of the seven webinars on academic writing will receive a certificate of attendance after the conclusion of the series.
