Research
Research
Research
Published on June 19, 2020 by Pritha Bhandari. Revised on January 30, 2023.
Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to
understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in-depth insights into a problem or
generate new ideas for research.
Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research, which involves collecting and analyzing
numerical data for statistical analysis.
Qualitative research is commonly used in the humanities and social sciences, in subjects such as
anthropology, sociology, education, health sciences, history, etc.
Qualitative research question examples
How does social media shape body image in teenagers?
How do children and adults interpret healthy eating in the UK?
What factors influence employee retention in a large organization?
How is anxiety experienced around the world?
How can teachers integrate social issues into science curriculums?
Table of contents
1. Approaches to qualitative research
2. Qualitative research methods
3. Qualitative data analysis
4. Advantages of qualitative research
5. Disadvantages of qualitative research
6. Frequently asked questions about qualitative research
Approaches to qualitative research
Qualitative research is used to understand how people experience the world. While there are many
approaches to qualitative research, they tend to be flexible and focus on retaining rich meaning when
interpreting data.
Common approaches include grounded theory, ethnography, action research, phenomenological research,
and narrative research. They share some similarities, but emphasize different aims and perspectives.
Qualitative research approaches
To study communication and how A political scientist could use discourse analysis to
Discourse
language is used to achieve effects in study how politicians generate trust in election
analysis
specific contexts. campaigns.
Advantages of qualitative research
Qualitative research often tries to preserve the voice and perspective of participants and can be adjusted
as new research questions arise. Qualitative research is good for:
Flexibility
The data collection and analysis process can be adapted as new ideas or patterns emerge. They are not
rigidly decided beforehand.
Natural settings
Data collection occurs in real-world contexts or in naturalistic ways.
Meaningful insights
Detailed descriptions of people’s experiences, feelings and perceptions can be used in designing, testing or
improving systems or products.
Generation of new ideas
Open-ended responses mean that researchers can uncover novel problems or opportunities that they
wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Disadvantages of qualitative research
Researchers must consider practical and theoretical limitations in analyzing and interpreting their data.
Qualitative research suffers from:
Unreliability
The real-world setting often makes qualitative research unreliable because of uncontrolled factors that
affect the data.
Subjectivity
Due to the researcher’s primary role in analyzing and interpreting data, qualitative research cannot be
replicated. The researcher decides what is important and what is irrelevant in data analysis, so
interpretations of the same data can vary greatly.
Limited generalizability
Small samples are often used to gather detailed data about specific contexts. Despite rigorous analysis
procedures, it is difficult to draw generalizable conclusions because the data may be biased and
unrepresentative of the wider population.
Labor-intensive
Although software can be used to manage and record large amounts of text, data analysis often has to be
checked or performed manually.
Frequently asked questions about qualitative research
What are the main qualitative research approaches?
There are five common approaches to qualitative research:
Grounded theory involves collecting data in order to develop new theories.
Ethnography involves immersing yourself in a group or organization to understand its culture.
Narrative research involves interpreting stories to understand how people make sense of their
experiences and perceptions.
Phenomenological research involves investigating phenomena through people’s lived experiences.
Action research links theory and practice in several cycles to drive innovative changes.
What is data collection?
Data collection is the systematic process by which observations or measurements are gathered in
research. It is used in many different contexts by academics, governments, businesses, and other
organizations.
Reference:
Bhandari, P. (2023, January 30). What Is Qualitative Research? | Methods & Examples. Scribbr.
https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-research/