Essential Questions:

1. What is the purpose and primary features of a qualitative descriptive design?
2. What are the commonly used terms for qualitative descriptive research?
3. What are the primary features of the qualitative descriptive design?
4. What verbs are used as objectives in qualitative descriptive studies?

Objectives:

1. Describe the purpose and features of the descriptive design.
2. Identify interchangeable terms used for descriptive qualitative designs.
3. Analyze verbs used in the design. 

Purpose and Features of the Qualitative Descriptive Design 

Qualitative, descriptive research has become more common in recent years, particularly in the social and health sciences (Kim, Sefcik, & Bradway, 2017). In a broad sense, a qualitative descriptive design is pertinent where data are needed directly from the individuals experiencing the phenomenon under study (Kim et al., 2017). The design is also useful when time and resources are under investigation and where time and resources are restricted (Bradshaw, Atkinson and Doody, 2017). The list below highlights some of the key characteristics of the design. 

1. Inductive process that describes or portrays a picture and understanding of the phenomenon being studied. 
2. Pursues understanding of how people interpret, build, or make meaning from their world and experiences (Merriam, 2009; Willis, Sullivan-Bolyai, Khafl, & Cohen, 2016)
3. Used when other qualitative approaches may not be appropriate for the issue requiring exploration or investigation. It does not fit neatly into other qualitative designs. Does not necessarily follow an establish set of philosophic suppositions. The researcher may draw on a single methodology, but can deviate from its structure, processes or guidelines as appropriate for the study (Kahlke, 2014).
4. Participants use their own words describe their experiences at a surface, or “apparent” (Sandelowski, 2000; 2010; Willis et al., 2016) 
5. The design is subjective; each participant and the researcher have their own perspective of the phenomenon. 
6. The researcher actively engages with the participants, speaking directly with them and observing their behaviors. 
7. Naturalistic in nature; Data are collected in the data collected in the or ordinary setting of the participants who are or have experienced the phenomenon. 
8. Data may allow the researcher the ability to provide clear information on how to improve practice or interventions.
9. Data can add to existing knowledge on the topic and can be used to develop a conceptual or theoretical framework.
10.  Results and findings of studies can serve as a foundation for more extensive and focused research on the topic
11.  Data are typically semi structured interviews and focus groups with guides.
12.  Use of purposeful sampling to obtain broad insights and rich information. 
13.  Content analysis is a primary data analysis strategy.
14.  Sample is described demographically.
15.  Stay close to the data; interpretation is of low inference.
16.  Presentation of findings is very straightforward, comprehensive descriptive summaries.

Other names used for this design are:

• Basic, interpretive, generic (Kahlke, 2014)
• Interpretive description, non-categorical (Thorne, Kirkham & MacDonald-Emes, 1997)
• Generic, fundamental qualitative description, exploratory or pragmatic. 
• Basic or fundamental qualitative description
• Exploratory 
• Pragmatic (used when all else fails) (Savin-Baden & Major, 2013). 

In an analysis of healthcare studies using the qualitative descriptive design, Kim et al. (2017) found the most frequently used verbs used in the design included: “explore” “describe” “identify” and “understand.” Two studies used the term “investigate.” Additionally, the authors found that most of the descriptive qualitative studies they reviewed focused the following goal, listed below in order of frequency:

• Participants’ experiences related to a certain phenomenon, 
• focus on facilitators/challenges/factors/reasons, 
• perceptions about specific care/nursing practice/interventions, 
• knowledge/attitudes/beliefs. 

With respect to doctoral learners enrolled in the GCU College of Doctoral Studies, the following table shows information relative to the descriptive design. 

In sum, descriptive qualitative studies are good options for novice researchers; when:

• the phenomenon does not clearly fit into one of the other designs. 
• when the researcher wants to engage in an inductive process that describes or portrays a picture and understanding of the phenomenon being studied
• wants to study a phenomenon in terms of how people interpret, build, or make meaning from their world and experiences (Merriam, 2016; Willis et al., 2016).

Additional modules outline the philosophical assumptions, data collection instruments and analysis procedures for this design.

References 

Bradshaw, C., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description approach in health care research. Global Qualitative Nursing Research. 4(1), 1-3.

 Kim, Sefcik, & Bradway (2017, November). Characteristics of qualitative descriptive studies: A systematic review. Res Nursing Health. 40(1): 23–42. doi:10.1002/nur.21768.

 Khalke R. (2014).  Generic Qualitative Approaches: Pitfalls and Benefits of Methodological Mixology. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. P. 37-52.

 Merriam, S. and Tisdell, E. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation, 4th Edition, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.

 Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 334–340. 

 Sandelowski, M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in Nursing and Health, 33, 77–84. doi:10.1002/nur.20362

 Savin-Baden, M. and Major, C. (2013) Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge, London.

 Thorne, S., Kirkham, S. R. and MacDonald-Emes, J. (1997). Focus on qualitative methods interpretive description: A non-categorical qualitative alternative for developing nursing knowledge. Research in Nursing and Health, 20, 169-177.

 Willis, D. G., Sullivan-Bolyai, S., Khafl, K. and Cohen, M. (2016). Distinguishing features and similarities between descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 38(9), 1185–1204