Conducting Pilot Study In A Qualitative Inquiry: Learning Some Useful Lessons

Abstract

Pilot studies play a vital role in any research, but are often underrepresented. A well executed pilot study assures methodological rigour, which may result in high quality research and scientifically sound work that may be published and may benefit the relevant community. In addition to giving researchers the chance to build and/or improve the skills required before beginning the larger investigation, the lessons learnt from a pilot study can help researchers in the design and conduct of their main study. Given the significance and contribution of pilot study to the main study, this article, based on the researchers MA and PhD research, presents an overview of pilot studies, which includes; why they are conducted, what to consider when conducting it and the authors' experiences and lessons learnt from piloting, to the benefit of the main study. Such information is expected to be helpful for the researchers not quite familiar with the pilot study and its usefulness for the main study.