Qualitative
Research
Qualitative Research: Definition
Qualitative research is defined as
a market research method that focuses on obtaining data through open-ended and
conversational communication. This method is not only about “what” people think
but also “why” they think so. For example, consider a convenience store looking
to improve its patronage. A systematic observation concludes that the number of
men visiting this store are more. One
good method to determine why women were not visiting the store is to conduct an
in-depth interview of potential customers in the category. On successfully
interviewing female customers, visiting the nearby stores and malls, and
selecting them through random sampling, it was known that the store doesn’t
have enough items for women and so there were fewer women visiting the store,
which was understood only by personally interacting with them and understanding
why they didn’t visit the store, because there were more male products than
female ones.
Therefore, the
qualitative research methods allow for in-depth and further probing and
questioning of respondents based on their responses, where the
interviewer/researcher also tries to understand their motivation and feelings(“qualitative
research—Google Search,” n.d.).
Qualitative Research Methods with Examples
Qualitative research methods are
designed in a manner that they help reveal the behavior and perception of a
target audience with reference to a particular topic. There are different types
of qualitative research methods like an in-depth interview, focus groups,
ethnographic research, content analysis, case study research that are usually
used. The results of qualitative methods are more descriptive and the
inferences can be drawn quite easily from the data that is obtained Qualitative
research methods originated in the social and behavioral sciences. Today our
world is more complicated and it is difficult to understand what people think
and perceive. Qualitative research methods make it easier to understand that as
it is more communicative and descriptive.
The following are the qualitative research methods
that are frequently used:
v One-on-One
Interview:
Conducting in-depth interviews is
one of the most common qualitative research methods. It is a personal interview
that is carried out with one respondent at a time. This is purely a
conversational method and invites opportunities to get details in depth from
the respondent. One of the advantages of this method provides a great
opportunity to gather precise data about what people believe and what their
motivations are. If the researcher is well experienced asking the right
questions can help him/her collect meaningful data. If they should need more
information the researchers should ask such follow up questions that will help
them collect more information. These interviews can be performed face-to-face
or on phone and usually can last between half an hour to two hours or even
more. When the in-depth interview is conducted face to face it gives a better
opportunity to read the body language of the respondents and match the
responses
v Focus
groups:
A focus group is also one of the
commonly used qualitative research methods, used in data collection. A focus
group usually includes a limited number of respondents (6-10) from within your
target market. The main aim of the focus group is to find answers to the why
what and how questions. One advantage of focus groups is, you don’t necessarily
need to interact with the group in person. Nowadays focus groups can be sent an
online survey on various devices and responses can be collected at the click of
a button. Focus groups are an expensive method as compared to the other
qualitative research methods. Typically they are used to explain complex
processes. This method is very useful when it comes to market research on new
products and testing new concepts.
v .
Ethnographic research:
Ethnographic research is the most
in-depth observational method that studies people in their naturally occurring
environment. This method requires the researchers to adapt to the target
audiences’ environments which could be anywhere from an organization to a city
or any remote location. Here geographical constraints can be an issue while
collecting data. This research design aims to understand the cultures,
challenges, motivations, and settings that occur. Instead of relying on
interviews and discussions, you experience the natural settings first hand. This
type of research method can last from a few days to a few years, as it involves
in-depth observation and collecting data on those grounds. It’s a challenging
and a time-consuming method and solely depends on the expertise of the
researcher to be able to analyze, observe and infer the data.
v Case
study research:
The case study method has evolved
over the past few years and developed as into a valuable qualitative research
method. As the name suggests it is used for explaining an organization or an
entity. This type of research method is used within a number of areas like
education, social sciences and similar. This method may look difficult to
operate , however, it is one of the simplest ways of conducting research as it
involves a deep dive and thorough understanding of the data collection methods
and inferring the data.
v Record
keeping:
This method makes use of the
already existing reliable documents and similar sources of information as the
data source. This data can be used in a new research. This is similar to going
to a library. There one can go over books and other reference material to
collect relevant data that can likely be used in the research.
v Process
of observation:
Qualitative Observation is a process of
research that uses subjective methodologies to gather systematic information or
data. Since, the focus on qualitative observation is the research process of
using subjective methodologies to gather information or data. The qualitative
observation is primarily used to equate quality differences. Qualitative
observation deals with the 5 major sensory organs and their functioning –
sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. This doesn’t involve measurements numbers
but instead characteristics.
Qualitative Research: Data Collection and Analysis
A. Qualitative Data Collection
Qualitative data collection allows collecting data
that is non-numeric and helps us to explore how decisions are made and provide
us with detailed insight. For reaching such conclusions the data that is collected
should be holistic, rich and nuanced and findings to emerge through careful
analysis.
v Whatever
method a researcher chooses for collecting qualitative data, one aspect is very
clear the process will generate a large amount of data. In addition to the
variety of methods available, there are also different methods of collecting
and recording the data.
For example, if the qualitative data is collected
through focus group or one-to-one discussion,
there will be handwritten notes or video recorded tapes. If there are recording
they should be transcribed and before the process of data analysis can begin.
v As
a rough guide, it can take a seasoned researcher 8-10 hours to transcribe the
recordings of an interview, which can generate roughly 20-30 pages of
dialogues. Many researchers also like to maintain separate folders to maintain
the recording collected from the different focus group. This helps them
compartmentalize the data collected.
v In
case there are running notes taken, which are also known as field notes, they
are helpful in maintaining comments, environmental contexts, nonverbal cues
etc. These filed notes are helpful and can be compared while transcribing audio
recorded data. Such notes are usually informal but should be secured in a
similar manner as the video recordings or the audio tapes.
B. Qualitative Data Analysis
Qualitative data analysis such as notes , videos, audio
recordings images, and text documents. One of the most used methods for qualitative
data analysis is text analysis. Text analysis is a data analysis method that is
distinctly different from all other qualitative research methods, where
researchers analyze the social life of the participants in the research study
and decode the words, actions etc. There are images also that are used in this
research study and the researchers analyze the context in which the images are
used and draw inferences from them. In the last decade, text analysis through
what is shared on social media platform has gained supreme popularity.
Characteristics
of Qualitative Research Methods
v Qualitative
research methods usually collect data at the sight, where the participants are
experiencing issues or problems. These are real-time data and rarely bring the
participants out of the geographic locations to collect information.
v Qualitative
researchers typically gather multiple forms of data, such as interviews,
observations, and documents, rather than rely on a single data source.
v This
type of research method works towards solving complex issues by breaking down
into meaningful inferences, that is easily readable and understood by all.
v Since
its a more communicative method, people can build their trust on the researcher
and the information thus obtained is raw and unadulterated.
Qualitative
Research Method Case Study Example
Let’s take the example of a bookstore owner who is
looking for ways to improve their sales and customer outreach. An online
community of members who were the loyal patrons of the bookstore were
interviewed and related questions were asked and the questions were answered by
them. At the end of the interview, it was realized that most of the books in
the stores were suitable for adults and there were not enough options for
children or teenagers. By conducting this qualitative research the bookstore
owner realized what the shortcomings were and what were the feelings of the readers. Through this research now the
bookstore owner can now keep books for different age categories and can improve
his sales and customer outreach. Such qualitative research method example can
serve as the basis to indulge in further quantitative research, which provides
remedies.
Qualitative Research Methods Vs Quantitative Research
Methods
REFERENCE
. https://www.questiopro.com/blog/qualitative-
research-methods/
- (“Difference
Between Probability and Non-Probability Sampling (With Comparison
Chart)—Key Differences,” n.d.)
- (“What Is
Qualitative Research? - | University of Utah,” n.d.)
- (“Qualitative
Research: Definition, Types, Methods and Examples,” n.d.)
- (“Qualitative research
methods: When to use them and how to judge them | Human Reproduction |
Oxford Academic,” n.d.)
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