Qualitative Approach To Study Friendship

It is accepted amongst researchers that friendship between children and teenagers is achieved when every member in the relation checks the three following conditions: gaining equal benefits from the relation, liking each other and having fun (Bukowski et al., 1996, cited in Brownlow, 2012, p. 239). A qualitative approach implies that the data studied is not of numerical form (McAvoy, 2012, p. 37). To evaluate the contribution of a qualitative approach to research on friendship, this essay will first evaluate the contribution of questionnaires. Then it will evaluate the interview form of the qualitative approach and finally this essay will focus on ethnography.

First, considering the contribution of questionnaires. In the 1970s, Brian Bigelow

William Corsaro, in the 1980s, argued that studying how children respond to a questionnaire, or how they respond to questions within an interview setup, is very different from the way they talk to each other (Brownlow, 2012, p. 250). Ethnography is the approach where research participants are observed rather than interviewed or requested to perform a set tasks. The researcher instead becomes involved in the group activities (Brownlow, 2012, p. 250). Using an ethnographic approach to studying friendship, Corsaro was able to demonstrate that children were able to talk about friendship in a more abstract and complicated way than previous research suggested (Brownlow, 2012, p. 253). This discrepancy can be explained with the limitations overserved with the use questionnaires or interviews where younger children would struggle to verbalise or write down complex idea. For instance, Bigalow and La Gaipa 's research with questionnaires, considering that "children, especially younger ones, may lack the verbal and written skills necessary to effectively discuss expectations" (Brownlow, 2012, p. 245). Or the issue with Damon 's research, where language of younger children is limited in the context of an interview and may not be able to translate their thoughts and feelings (Brownlow, 2012, p. 248). By directly interacting with young children, then analysing the data collected, Corsaro aims to preserve the individual perspective (Brownlow, 2012, p. 254), adding to the importance of the contribution of a qualitative approach to research on