| Course | ORR-5100 Qualitative Methods for Organizational Research |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: foundations of qualitative inquiry |
| Length | About 647 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Master of Science in Healthcare Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ORR 5100 Module 1
Counting Who Leaves Is Not Knowing Why: Choosing Qualitative Inquiry for a Turnover Problem
Student Name
Master of Science in Healthcare Management, Thomas Edison State University
ORR-5100: Qualitative Methods for Organizational Research
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Counting Who Leaves Is Not Knowing Why: Choosing Qualitative Inquiry for a Turnover Problem
The Problem
Our patient access department registers patients, verifies insurance and collects copayments at three hospital entrances and an emergency department. Of 52 representatives hired in the last two years, 20 left within twelve months, a first-year turnover rate of 38 percent. Each departure costs about $9,000 in recruiting and training, and short staffing lengthens wait times in the emergency department.
The hospital's exit survey asks leavers to rate pay, schedule, supervision and workload on a five-point scale. The averages are unremarkable: pay rated 2.9, schedule 3.1, supervision 3.4. The survey tells us that people leave but not why, and the most common free-text answer, "personal reasons," explains nothing.
Two Ways of Knowing
Creswell and Poth (2018) describe research paradigms as sets of beliefs about the nature of reality, how knowledge is gained and the role of values. A positivist or postpositivist paradigm assumes a single reality that can be measured and explained by variables and their relationships, and it favors surveys, experiments and statistical analysis. A constructivist or interpretivist paradigm assumes that people construct meaning from their experiences, that reality is understood through those meanings and that the researcher learns by engaging with participants, usually through interviews and observation.
The exit survey is a positivist instrument. It assumes we already know the reasons for leaving, pay, schedule, supervision and workload, and asks leavers to rate them. If the real reasons lie elsewhere, the survey cannot find them.
| Assumption | Positivist approach | Constructivist approach |
|---|---|---|
| Reality | Single, measurable | Multiple, constructed by people |
| How knowledge is gained | Measuring variables | Understanding participants' meanings |
| Researcher's role | Detached observer | Engaged interpreter |
| Typical methods | Surveys, experiments | Interviews, observation, documents |
| Typical question | How much? How many? | How? Why? What is it like? |
Why Qualitative Inquiry Fits
Three features of our problem point to qualitative inquiry. First, the question is "why" and "how": how do new representatives experience their first year, and why do so many decide to leave? Merriam and Tisdell (2016) describe qualitative research as concerned with how people interpret their experiences and what meaning they attribute to them, which is exactly what our question asks. Second, we do not know the important variables. Informal conversations suggest causes the survey never asked about, such as abuse from patients in the emergency department, the stress of asking sick people for money and isolation on night shifts. Third, the context matters: registration work in a busy urban emergency department differs from registration elsewhere, and a qualitative study can describe that context. Lincoln and Guba (1985) argued that naturalistic inquiry suits questions whose meaning depends on the setting in which they arise, which is the case here.
What a Qualitative Study Can and Cannot Do
A qualitative study of perhaps twelve to fifteen current and former representatives will not tell us what percentage of leavers left for each reason, and its findings will not generalize statistically to other hospitals. Its value lies in depth: it can identify reasons we have not considered, describe how they unfold over the first year and suggest changes. A later survey could then measure how common those reasons are, combining both paradigms in sequence.
My Position as Researcher
Because I manage the department, representatives may hesitate to speak openly with me. Creswell and Poth stress that qualitative researchers should reflect on how their position shapes the data. I would ask a colleague from human resources to conduct the interviews with current staff, and I would keep a reflective journal to record my own assumptions, including my belief that pay is not the main reason.
Conclusion
Our turnover problem has been counted but not understood. Its why and how questions, unknown variables and important context make it a problem for qualitative inquiry, grounded in a constructivist view that we learn by understanding new hires' experience in their own words.
References
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
What the ORR 5100 Module 1 instructions ask for
ORR-5100 has no required textbook and builds toward a final research proposal through three written assignments worth 30 percent, two application exercises worth 15 percent, a data collection protocol worth 15 percent, four discussions worth 20 percent and the final proposal worth 20 percent. This first written assignment covers the foundations of qualitative inquiry. Expect to explain research paradigms, contrast qualitative and quantitative approaches and argue whether a qualitative design fits a problem in your workplace. Choose the problem you will carry through the course, since every later assignment builds on it. Describe the problem with whatever numbers already exist, then show what they leave unexplained. Keep your discussion of paradigms tied to the problem, since the assignment rewards fit more than definitions.
How this ORR 5100 Module 1 example is built
The paper starts with the turnover figures and what the exit survey cannot reveal. A section defines research paradigms and a table contrasts positivist and constructivist assumptions. A section gives three reasons qualitative inquiry fits, with support from methods texts, and another explains what a qualitative study can and cannot do. A section on the researcher's position addresses power and bias. The conclusion restates the case for a qualitative design. The paper also explains what the qualitative study will not provide, statistical generalization, and how a later survey could build on it, which shows that the choice of method is deliberate rather than a preference. A short section addresses the manager's own position.
Where the marks sit in the ORR 5100 Module 1 rubric
Written assignments are marked on accurate explanation of paradigms and methods, a convincing argument for the design's fit, use of methodological sources and clear writing. Papers that show why existing quantitative data cannot answer the question make the strongest case for qualitative inquiry. Discussing what the study cannot do shows methodological honesty. Reflecting on the researcher's own position demonstrates awareness of a core concern in qualitative research. Recognizing how qualitative and quantitative studies can work in sequence shows mature methodological thinking. Specific details about the workplace, such as exit survey ratings, make the argument concrete. Plain explanations of each paradigm, tied to the example, read better than abstract definitions.
ORR 5100 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students lose points by describing qualitative research in general without a problem, by treating qualitative and quantitative methods as better or worse rather than suited to different questions or by ignoring their own role as researcher. Choose a real problem. Show what existing data leave unexplained. Match the paradigm to the question. Address your position and possible bias. Explain what your study will not be able to show as well as what it will, and consider whether a later survey could build on its findings. A free first sample on your own ORR-5100 written assignment is available on request.
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More ORR 5100 and Master of Science in Healthcare Management sample papers
- ORR 5100 Module 2: Application Exercise: Problem Statement, Questions and a Short Literature Review
- ORR 5100 Module 3: Data Collection Protocol: Interviews With New and Former Registration Staff
- ORR 5100 Module 4: Final Research Proposal: First-Year Experience of Hospital Registration Staff
- HCM 5030 Module 3: Error Reduction and Survey Paper
- HCM 5020 Module 4: Planning for Growth Paper
- HCM 5000 Module 2: Healthcare Resources Paper
- HCM 5010 Module 4: Providers Written Assignment
ORR 5100 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free ORR 5100 Module 1 sample paper?
A patient access manager's case for a qualitative study of first-year turnover is the assignment above.
What is a research paradigm?
A set of beliefs about the nature of reality, how knowledge is gained and the role of values in research.
When does a qualitative design fit a workplace problem?
When the question asks how or why, the important variables are unknown and context matters.
What is the constructivist paradigm?
The view that people construct meaning from experience and that researchers learn by understanding those meanings.
Does ORR-5100 require a textbook?
No; the course uses open and assigned readings instead of a required textbook.