Qualitative research is a research approach that studies subjective aspects of social phenomena and human behavior. The objects of qualitative research are phenomena that occur in a given time, place and culture.
Qualitative research addresses topics that cannot be quantified in equations and statistics. On the contrary, the symbols, beliefs, values and human relations of a given social group are studied.
The qualitative approach requires a broad study of the research object, considering the context in which it is inserted and the characteristics of the society to which it belongs.
Due to the subjective nature of a qualitative research, it is necessary to carry out fieldwork. The field is the moment when the researcher inserts himself in the place where the social phenomenon takes place.
For example, if the object of research is an association of residents, the researcher will attend the meetings and meet the individuals who are involved with the organization.
There are different types of qualitative research and data collection instruments. The choice of paths to be followed in a research depends on the study objectives and methodological possibilities.
Difference between qualitative research and quantitative research
While qualitative research seeks explanations for the phenomena in understanding human relationships, beliefs and values, quantitative research seeks numerical and statistical results.
The difference between the two approaches can be explained by the objectivism at quantitative research and by subjectivism at qualitative research.
This means that quantitative research seeks objective and tangible results, based on experiments, and possible to be quantified. This approach is widely used in the exact and natural sciences.
Qualitative research, on the other hand, does not get objective answers for its objects of study.
The research results are based on the perceptions of the individuals involved, the conflicts observed in the field and the subjective aspects identified. Qualitative research is mostly used in the social and human areas.
An important difference between the two models of scientific investigation lies in the researcher's point of view about the object of study: in the quantitative one, the researcher's opinion must be excluded; in qualitative terms, the researcher's opinion can be integrated into the research.
Understand more about the difference between qualitative and quantitative research.
Types of Qualitative Research
There are different methodologies for carrying out qualitative research. To identify which is the best option for each object of study, it is important to know the characteristics of each one of them.
ethnographic
Ethnographic research is a methodology generally used by anthropologists to study a society or social group.
An ethnographic research seeks to understand the traditions, customs, beliefs, habits and values of that collectivity. Furthermore, it is common for studies to seek to understand the changes in these characteristics over generations.
For this type of research, it is necessary for the researcher to have a very close relationship with the group, so that they can understand the relationships and perception of the world of these individuals.
Data collection in an ethnographic research, in addition to participant observation itself, can be done through in-depth interviews and focus groups.
Focus group is a research technique in which data collection is based on group discussion of predetermined topics.
After collecting data, the researcher reports the characteristics of that group, such as the way in which relationships, customs, rituals and traditions are built.
See also the meaning of ethnography.
Case study
The case study is a type of research that seeks to analyze a specific situation, in depth and completely. The object of a case study can be a social group, an organization or a social phenomenon.
In a case study, the researcher seeks to understand the object completely, interpreting the context in which it is inserted and the variables that influence it.
The sources of research in a case study can be varied, such as documentary research, participant observation, interviews, focus groups and so on.
Generally, the researcher analyzes different opinions and points of view of the individuals who participate in the research, which allows him to understand the complexity of the phenomenon studied.
know more about case study.
action research
An action research is a type of qualitative research that aims to solve a problem or, at least, identify it.
The identification of problems is carried out by researchers and research participants, who together also propose and elaborate possible solutions.
There is a great interaction between researchers and participants, but different from others qualitative methodologies, the object of study is not individuals, but the problems that arise from social interaction.
How to do qualitative research?
There are different ways to carry out qualitative research, but in general, the step-by-step can be organized as follows:
- Definition of the research object: define the problem to be studied;
- Bibliographic research: search the literature for other studies that have already studied similar cases;
- Definition of methodology and data collection instrument: define which type of qualitative research is most suitable for the object and how data will be collected, for example, interviews, participant observation, etc;
- Research roadmap and schedule: organize all stages of the research and define deadlines for the completion of each stage;
- Data collect: collect the data with the defined instruments and organize them systematically to facilitate the analysis;
- Data analysis: with the collected data, part for the analysis and interpretation of the information. From the data, the researcher elaborates the answers and possible theories for the research problem.
understand more about bibliographic research, methodology and types of research.
Qualitative research example
Let's assume that a school performs in educational assessments higher than the rest of the municipality's schools. In other words, students at this school have higher grades compared to other students in the city.
A researcher wants to understand the reasons that make this school stand out and defines this issue as its research problem.
At first, the researcher conducts a bibliographic research in order to search for studies that have already have addressed this topic at this school and also similar studies carried out in other institutions and cities.
Considering that it is a research that seeks to understand a phenomenon in a specific situation, the researcher chooses the case study as a methodology.
For data collection, he foresees the carrying out of interviews with the school's directors, focus groups with the students and also documentary research on the methodologies used in the school.
With the type of research and data collection instruments defined, the researcher prepares the research script and schedule. These steps are very important for organizing the process.
Then, data collection begins and the researcher begins to identify some hypotheses that explain the performance of students at this school.
For example, most students attend classes full-time and in the counter shift of classes, have workshops in music, arts, literature and practice sports.
Another observation made from interviews with teachers is the freedom that professionals at the institution have to perform their work, which they report gives them greater satisfaction.
After all the information collected, the researcher goes for analysis and interpretation. At that moment, the researcher formulates the conclusions that respond to the identified problem.
Qualitative research is usually presented in course completion papers (TCC), monographs, master's theses, doctoral theses, and academic articles.
See also the meaning of scientific research and field research.
