Page 40 - DMGT404 RESEARCH_METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology

Notes 3.2.5 Qualitative Research

Qualitative research seeks out the 'why', not the 'how' of its topic through the analysis of
unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, e-mails, notes, feedback forms,
photos and videos. It doesn't just rely on statistics or numbers, which are the domain of
quantitative researchers.

Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviours, value systems,
concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or life-styles. It's used to inform business decisions,
policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content
analysis and semiotics are among the many formal approaches that are used, but qualitative
research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material, including customer feedback
forms, reports or media clips.
Qualitative research is used to help us understand how people feel and why they feel as they do.
It is concerned with collecting in-depth information asking questions such as why do you say
that?. Samples tend to be smaller compared with quantitative projects that include much larger
samples. Depth interviews or group discussions are two common methods used for collecting
qualitative information.

Thus we can say that Qualitative research is a type of scientific research. In general terms,
scientific research consists of an investigation that:
1. seeks answers to a question

2. systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question
3. collects evidence
4. produces findings that were not determined in advance
5. produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study
Qualitative research shares these characteristics. Additionally, it seeks to understand a given
research problem or topic from the perspectives of the local population it involves. Qualitative
research is especially effective in obtaining culturally specific information about the values,
opinions, behaviors, and social contexts of particular populations.
The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how
people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the "human" side of an
issue - that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships
of individuals. Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such as
social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion, whose role in the
research issue may not be readily apparent. When used along with quantitative methods,
qualitative research can help us to interpret and better understand the complex reality of a given
situation and the implications of quantitative data. Although findings from qualitative data can
often be extended to people with characteristics similar to those in the study population, gaining
a rich and complex understanding of a specific social context or phenomenon typically takes
precedence over eliciting data that can be generalized to other geographical areas or populations.
In this sense, qualitative research differs slightly from scientific research in general.
The three most common qualitative methods, explained in detail in their respective modules,
are participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Each method is particularly
suited for obtaining a specific type of data.
1. Participant observation is appropriate for collecting data on naturally occurring behaviors
in their usual contexts.

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