Elaine Browne.pdf - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

2008, 14; Bless, Higson‐Smith & Kagee 2006, 44; Leedy 1993, 139). Thus the researcher
becomes the instrument in qualitative research, whereas in the quantitative research, existing
instrumentation is employed.
One of the hallmarks of a qualitative design is its flexibility, compared to the more rigid nature
of a quantitative design (Bloomberg & Volpe 2008, 14; Babbie 2004, 26; De Vos, 1998, 89).
Bloomberg and Volpe (2008, 13) point out that this type of research “delves into the essence”
of the problem situation and seeks to understand the meaning of the participants’ experiences.
Johnson (1995, 4) thus believes that the qualitative design is more suitable for educational
research, as it allows for a deeper understanding of the problem situation. In the context of this
study, namely to understand how non‐specialist Arts and Culture teachers experience their
teaching of this learning area to Intermediate Phase learners, the qualitative design was thus
chosen, due to its personal, situational and succinct approach.
A qualitative design furthermore exemplifies inductive forms of reasoning. This implies that
concepts, insights and the understanding of certain patterns are being generated from the data
gathered. The inductive approach seeks to identify a central theme and then move to more
general statements or ideas based on the specifics found in the data. Researchers begin with
data and use the data to gain an understanding of phenomena and interactions. In other
words, general principles develop from specific observations (Lichtman 2010, 15; Babbie 2004,
G5; De Vos 1998, 243). Deductive forms of reasoning on the other hand move from general to
specific, or from “the abstract to the concrete” (Lichtman 2010, 243). This type of reasoning
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