What Is qualitative research—and why might you consider doing such research?

What is qualitative research?

For those more familiar with quantitative research techniques, the methods used in qualitative research
may, at first look, seem ineffective. However, it is important to realise that qualitative research is not
trying to answer the same questions that are asked in quantitative research.

In short, in comparison to quantitative, qualitative research focuses on words rather than numbers,
depth rather than breadth. Its methods are exploratory; they seek to unearth the opinions, thoughts
and feelings of respondents. It is most commonly used to help inform new concepts, theories and
products. First developed within the social sciences, qualitative research is now widely used to inform
market research, by gaining unique consumer insight from a wealth of data.

One particular difference between qualitative and quantitative research is that the former requires
much more in-depth involvement from the researcher. It is their interpretation which shapes the
outcome.

https://www.slideshare.net/abhimanyunusrl/qualitative-research-27965596

Strengths and limitations

Quantitative method
Quantitive data are pieces of information that can be counted and which are usually gathered by
surveys from large numbers of respondents randomly selected for inclusion. Secondary data such
as census data, government statistics, health system metrics, etc. are often included in
quantitative research. Quantitative data is analysed using statistical methods. Quantitative
approaches are best used to answer what, when and who questions and are not well suited to how
and why questions.

Strengths Limitations

Findings can be generalised if selection Related secondary data is sometimes not

process is well-designed and sample is available or accessing available data is
representative of study population difficult/impossible

Difficult to understand context of a

Relatively easy to analyse
phenomenon

Data can be very consistent, precise and Data may not be robust enough to explain
reliable complex issues

 
Qualitative method
Qualitative data are usually gathered by observation, interviews or focus groups, but may also be
gathered from written documents and through case studies.  In qualitative research there is less
emphasis on counting numbers of people who think or behave in certain ways and more
emphasis on explaining why people think and behave in certain ways.  Participants in qualitative
studies often involve smaller numbers of tools include and utilizes open-ended questionnaires
interview guides.  This type of research is best used to answer how and why questions and is not
well suited to generalisable what, when and who questions.

Strengths Limitations

Findings usually cannot be generalised to the

Complement and refine quantitative data
study population or community

Provide more detailed information to More difficult to analyse; don’t fit neatly in
explain complex issues standard categories

Multiple methods for gathering data on

Data collection is usually time consuming
sensitive subjects

Data collection is usually cost efficient

10 DISTINCTIVE QUALITIES OF
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Researchers conduct qualitative research because they acknowledge the human condition and want to
learn more, and think differently, about a research issue than what is usual from mostly numerical
quantitative survey research data.  Not surprisingly, the unique nature of qualitative inquiry is
characterized by a distinctive set of attributes, all of which impact the design of qualitative research one
way or the other.  The 10 unique attributes of qualitative research* are the:

1. Absence of “truth” With all the emphasis in qualitative research on reality and the human
condition, it might be expected that qualitative inquiry is in the business of garnering “the truth”
from participants.  Instead of “truth,” the qualitative researcher collects information from which
some level of knowledge can be gained.  The researcher does not acquire this information and
knowledge in a vacuum but rather in a context and, in this way, the research data are a product of
various situational factors.  For this reason, qualitative researchers do not talk about the “truth” of
their findings but rather the “plausibility” of their interpretations.
2. Importance of context A relevant factor in the elusiveness of “truth” is the central and significant
role context plays in qualitative research.  Whether it be the physical environment or mode by
 which an in-depth interview (IDI), group discussion, or observation is conducted the outcomes in
qualitative research hinge greatly on the contexts from which we obtain this data.
3. Importance of meaning Although the goal of all research is to draw meaning from the data,
qualitative research is unique in the dimensionality of this effort.  Qualitative researchers derive
meaning from the data by way of multiple sources, evaluating any number of variables such as:
the context, the language, the impact of the participant-researcher relationship, the potential for
participant bias, and the potential for researcher bias.
4. Researcher-as-instrument Along with the emphases on context, meaning, and the potential for
researcher subjectivity, qualitative research is distinguished by the fact it places the researcher at
the center of the data-gathering phase and, indeed, the researcher is the instrument by which
information is collected.  The closeness of the researcher to the research participants and subject
matter instills an in-depth understanding which can prove beneficial to a thorough analysis and
interpretation of the outcomes; however, this intimacy heightens concerns regarding the
researcher’s ability to collect (and interpret) data in an objective, unbiased manner.
5. Participant-researcher relationship Closely associated with the idea that the researcher is the
tool by which data are gathered is the important function of the participant-researcher relationship
in qualitative research and its impact on research outcomes.  This relationship is at the core of
IDIs, group discussions, and participant observation, where participants and researchers share
the “research space” within which certain conventions for communicating (knowingly or not) may
be formed and which, in turn, shapes the reality the researcher is capturing in the data.
6. Skill set required of the researcher Qualitative research requires a unique set of skills from the
researcher, skills that go beyond the usual qualities of organization, attention to detail, and
analytical abilities that are necessary for all researchers.  Techniques to build rapport with
participants and active listening skills are only two examples.  Qualitative researchers also need a
special class of analytical skills that can meet the demands of “messy analysis” (see below) in
qualitative inquiry where context, social interaction, and numerous other inter-connected variables
contribute to the realities researchers take away from the field.
7. Flexibility of the research design A defining characteristic of qualitative research is the
flexibility built into the research design.  For instance, it is not until a focus group moderator is
actually in a group discussion that he or she understands which topical areas to pursue more
than others or the specific follow-up (probing) questions to interject.  And, a participant observer
has little control over the activities of the observed and, indeed, the goal of the observer is to be
as unobtrusive and flexible as possible in order to capture the reality of the observed events.
8. Types of issues or questions effectively addressed by qualitative research Qualitative
research is uniquely suited to address research issues or questions that might be difficult, if not
impossible, to investigate under more structured, less flexible research designs.  Qualitative
inquiry effectively tackles: sensitive or personal issues such as domestic violence and sexual
dysfunction; intricate topics such as personal life histories; nebulous questions such as “Is the
current school leadership as effective as it could be?”; and contextual issues such as in-the-
moment decision-making.  Similarly, qualitative research is useful at gaining meaningful
information from hard-to-reach or underserved populations such as children of all ages,
subcultures, and deviant groups.
9. Contextual analysis and the inductive approach Without a doubt, the analysis of qualitative
data does not follow a straight line, where point ‘A’ leads to point ‘B’, but rather is a multi-layered,
involved process that continually builds upon itself until a meaningful, contextually-derived, and
verifiable interpretation is achieved.  The interconnections, possible inconsistencies, and
interwoven contextual input reaped in qualitative research demand that researchers embrace the
tangles of their data from many sources.  A large contributor to the complexity of the analytical
process is the inductive method.  Qualitative researchers analyze their outcomes from the inside
out, deriving their interpretations from the themes they see in the data gathered.
10. Unique capabilities of online and mobile qualitative research Online and mobile technology
offer unique enhancements to qualitative research design.  In large part, this technology has
shifted the balance of power from the researcher to the online or mobile participant who is given
greater control of the research process by way of more flexibility, convenience, and ways to
respond in greater detail and depth to the researcher’s questions.
Equipping Yourself to Do Qualitative Research
https://www.slideshare.net/highness85/collecting-qualitative-data

Setting and Maintaining Ethical Standards of Conduct

https://www.slideshare.net/irinabobeica1/ethics-in-qualitative-research-28012107

https://www.slideshare.net/gayudhan/ethical-committeerole-principal-investigator?
qid=a754a65b-5c10-419f-bba0-ba56839d981f&v=&b=&from_search=2

https://www.slideshare.net/TSDP/institutional-review-boardindependent-ethics-committee-
irbiec

Starting a Qualitative Study by Considering Three Features

https://www.slideshare.net/kontorphilip/writing-the-methodology-chapter-of-a-qualitative-study?
qid=d6af8eb5-2866-4c06-bcc6-4215b07a7718&v=&b=&from_search=2

Reviewing Research Literature

https://www.slideshare.net/BabakFarshchian/it3010-lecture3reviewing-the-literature?qid=00baf2d2-
63c3-47fd-a834-43eb8f5ccee3&v=&b=&from_search=3

Choices in Designing Qualitative Research Studies

https://www.slideshare.net/adfigueiredo/qualitative-research-methods?qid=9e3599ad-bcfc-4604-a89e-
be2d9e21365e&v=&b=&from_search=8