qualitative methods

(noun)

Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, and when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed than large samples.

Related Terms

Examples of qualitative methods in the following topics:

  • Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

    • Quantitative research is generally conducted using scientific methods, which can include:
    • For example, in the social sciences, qualitative research methods are often used to gain better understanding of such things as intentionality (from the speech response of the researchee) and meaning (why did this person/group say something and what did it mean to them?).
    • Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses.
    • Unlike quantitative methods which are used to identify patterns and make predictions, qualitative research aims to explain behavior.
    • The qualitative method investigates the why and how of consumer behavior, not just what, where, when.

  • Determining the Research Design

    • One of the most intensive forms of qualitative research is participant observation.
    • Another distinction can be made between quantitative methods and qualitative methods.
    • Quantitative methods are generally useful when a researcher seeks to study large-scale patterns of behavior, while qualitative methods are often more effective when dealing with interactions and relationships in detail .
    • Qualitative methods are often used to develop a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon.
    • These two researchers are debating the relative merits of using qualitative or quantitative methods to study social phenomena such as the learning processes of children.

  • Quantitative and Qualitative

    • Like the distinction drawn between positivist sociology and Verstehen sociology, there is - as noted above in the elaboration of general scientific methods - often a distinction drawn between two types of sociological investigation: quantitative and qualitative.
    • Qualitative methods of sociological research tend to approach social phenomena from the Verstehen perspective.
    • While qualitative methods may be used to propose or explore relationships between variables, these studies typically focus on explicating the realities people experience that lie at the heart or foundation of such relationships rather than focusing on the relationships themselves.
    • Qualitatively oriented sociologists tend to employ different methods of data collection and analysis, including: participant observation, interviews, focus groups, content analysis, visual sociology, and historical comparison.
    • For example, quantitative methods could describe large or general patterns in society while qualitative approaches could help to explain how individuals understand those patterns.

  • Forecasting

    • One of the simplest points of differentiation between methods is the reliance on numbers for accuracy.
    • The inherent problem with the qualitative approach is simple: subjectivity.
    • Another method of forecasting, which is likely to be both quantitative and qualitative, is the causal/econometric approach.
    • Keeping these methods in mind, it is important to understand how management uses these forecasts to draw conclusions.
    • This flow chart compares quantitative and qualitative forecasting methods.

  • Describing Qualitative Data

    • One method of this is through cross-case analysis, which is analysis that involves an examination of more than one case.
    • A component of the Grounded Theory Method is the constant comparative method, in which observations are compared with one another and with the evolving inductive theory.
    • Other methods of discovering patterns include semiotics and conversation analysis.
    • It is more sophisticated in qualitative data analysis.
    • A frequent criticism of coding method is that it seeks to transform qualitative data into empirically valid data that contain actual value range, structural proportion, contrast ratios, and scientific objective properties.

  • Solubility Product Principle and Qualitative Analysis

    • Classical qualitative inorganic analysis is a method of analytical chemistry that seeks to find the elemental composition of inorganic compounds.
    • Solubility-product constants can be used to devise methods for separating ions in a solution by selective precipitation.
    • You can continue this method to effectively separate all of the ions in a solution.
    • Precipitation is used in qualitative chemical analysis.
    • Describe the application of the solubility product principle in the qualitative analysis of a solution.

  • Qualitative Variable Models

    • Dummy variables are "proxy" variables, or numeric stand-ins for qualitative facts in a regression model.
    • One type of ANOVA model, applicable when dealing with qualitative variables, is a regression model in which the dependent variable is quantitative in nature but all the explanatory variables are dummies (qualitative in nature).
    • This type of ANOVA modelcan have differing numbers of qualitative variables.
    • An example with two qualitative variables might be if hourly wages were explained in terms of the qualitative variables marital status (married / unmarried) and geographical region (North / non-North).
    • Break down the method of inserting a dummy variable into a regression analysis in order to compensate for the effects of a qualitative variable.

  • Defining the Sample and Collecting Data

    • Defining the sample and collecting data are key parts of all empirical research, both qualitative and quantitative.
    • Social scientists employ a range of methods in order to analyze a vast breadth of social phenomena.
    • Many empirical forms of sociological research follow the scientific method .
    • The choice of method often depends largely on what the researcher intends to investigate.
    • Sampling can be used in both quantitative and qualitative research.

  • Intorduction to qualitative analysis

    • In cases like this, the scaling methods discussed above can be applied, but one should be very cautious about the results.
    • This is because the various dimensional methods operate on similarity/distance matrices, and measures like correlations (as used in two-mode factor analysis) can be misleading with binary data.

  • Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis