Qualitative Research

Original Editors - Scott Buxton

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Definition

It can be hard to give just one clear definition of what qualitative research is because its broad and in-depth nature and what it is trying to achieve. It would be hard to give it justice with  a fleeting glance but here are a couple.

Qualitative researchers are interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world.

Qualitative research is ressearch using methods such as participant observation or case studies which result in a narrative, descriptive accont of a setting or practice. Sociologists using these methods typically reject positivism and adopt a form of interpretive sociology.

Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that makes the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.

“Qualitative research involves any research that uses data that do not indicate ordinal values.

For some qualitative research can be seen as a simple data collection method but for others can be a complex, deep and meaningful insight into the world.

Basic Approaches 

Quaitative research can appear to be a complex topic which may push many prospective researchers towards the comforts of a quantitative approach, however, the outcomes of performing qualitative research can have equally important ramifications.   

Research Approaches and Implications for Data Collection

Types of Approach	Defining Features	Data Collection Implications
Phenomenology	Focuses on individual experiences, beliefs and perceptions Test used as a proxy for human experience	Questions and observations are aimed at drawing out individual experiences and perceptions In focus groups, group exeriences and normative perceptions are typically soght out In-depth interviews and focus groups are ideal methods for collecting phenomenological data.
Ethnography	Oriented toward studying shared meanings and practices Emphasizes the emic perspective  Can have a historical or contemporary focus	Questions and observations are generally related to social and cultural processes and shared meanings within a given group Traditionally associated with long-term fieldwork Participation observation is well suited to ethnographic inquiry
Inductive Thematic Analysis	Draws on inductive analytic methods  Involves identifying and coding emergent themes within data Most common analytic approach used in qualitative inquiry	ITA requires free-flowing data In-depth interviews and focus groups are the most common data collection techniques associated with ITA Notes from participant observation activites can be analysed using ITA but interview/group data is better
Grounded Theory	Inductive data collection and analytic methods Uses systematic and exhaustive comparison of text-segments to build thematic structure and theory from a body of text Common analytic approach in qualitative studies	In-depth interviews and focus groups are the most common data collection techniques Sample sizes for grounded theory are more limited than for ITA because analytic process is more intensive and time consuming ITA and grounded theory are not the same
Case Study	Analysis of one to several cases that are unique with respect to the research topic Analysis primarily focused on exploring the unique quality	Case studies are selected based on a unique and sometimes rare quality Questions and observations should focus on the unique feature
Discourse/Conversation Analysis	Study of naturally occuring discoure - can range from conversation, public events, documents.	These linguistically focused methods often use existing documentation  Conversations between individuals that spontaneously emerge within group interviews or focus groups may be studies Participant observation is conductive to discourse analysis if narratives from public events can be recorded
Narrative Analysis	Narratives used as data source Can be from several sources i.e interviews, literature, letters	If generating narratives, then questions need to be aimed at eliciting stories and the importance those stories hold for participants as well as the larger culture
Mixed Methods	Defined as integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods in a single study Two most common methods are concurrent and sequential	Collection of qualitative data in a mixed methods study can be informed from a wide range of theoretical perspectives and analytic approaches Researches must specify upfront and in details how, when and why qualitative and quantitative data will be integrated.