“Roots of Reluctance”: Exploring the Reasons Behind the Management Undergraduates’ Less Preference for Qualitative Research Approaches. - A Case of Sri Lankan State University

Abstract

The study was contextually undertaken in the Faculty of Management (FOM) at a State University of Sri Lanka with two objectives: to explore the reasons for the less preference for qualitative approaches and to classify such contextual reasons for a proper understanding that is necessary for practical implications of diverse parties. The key study areas of undergraduates’ perspectives on qualitative research and influences on them when selecting the research approach were majorly subjective. Thus, the philosophical paradigm is qualitative interpretivism. Thematic Analysis was conducted on the data collected through semi-structured interviews with 27 students who belong to a final year from different genders and ethnicities. Purposive sampling was undertaken by the researchers to narrow down the population into samples. The study found four major themes, the impact of the learning environment, the role of supervisors, the impact of the mindset of undergraduates, and the perception of the qualitative research process being the areas of reasons for less preference. This study is one of the initial qualitative explorations on the reasons influencing the choice of undergraduates about their final year research.