QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION:
 Qualitative variable

• When we measure a qualitative variable, the data we collect is indeed qualitative data.

• Qualitative data represents characteristics, qualities, or categories rather than numerical values.

• It typically comes in the form of descriptions or labels and is often gathered through methods

like interviews, observations, and open-ended surveys.

• Qualitative research gathers participants' experiences, perceptions, and behavior.

• It answers the how's and why’s instead of how many or how much.
For example:
1. - Gender, marital status, and education level are qualitative variables because they describe qualities or
categories.
2. - The responses (like "male/female," "married/single," or "high school/college") are the qualitative data
collected for these variables.

 Gender male or female

(Variable) (data)
• Qualitative research gathers participants' experiences, perceptions, and behavior.
• It answers the how's and why’s instead of how many or how much.

This type of data can be analyzed by identifying patterns or themes, making it especially valuable for
understanding behaviors, opinions, and motivations.
 Patterns: consistent responses, behaviors, or experiences across different participants.
 many students mention feeling stressed due to balancing study and social life, that’s a pattern.
Recognizing this pattern can highlight a common stressor for students.
 Themes are broader, more abstract ideas that capture the underlying meaning of patterns in data.
• In qualitative research, patterns and themes reveal insights into human behavior and experiences. In
therapy research people describe handling life challenges, themes about "emotional resilience" or
"coping strategies" can emerge .
• This analysis allows psychologists to develop better interventions and understand complex emotions,
relationships, or social behaviors more deeply.
• By looking for these elements in your data, you can see beyond individual responses and understand
psychological phenomena on a larger scale.
we’re researching perceptions of climate change among conservative voters aged 50 and up, and we have
collected data through a series of interviews. An extract from one interview looks like this:
 FEATURES:
1. Descriptive:
• Feature: Qualitative data describes experiences, feelings, and behaviors.

• Example: A participant says, “I feel anxious in large groups.” This description provides insight into
social anxiety.

2. Subjective:
• Feature: It reflects personal perspectives and interpretations.

• Example: When studying happiness, one participant might describe it as "feeling peaceful," while
another says, "having lots of friends."
3. Detailed:

Feature: Qualitative data includes rich, in-depth responses.

Example: In a therapy session, a person might share a long story about how a childhood experience
affects their self-esteem.

4. Non-numerical:

Feature: It’s expressed in words rather than numbers.

Example: Responses like “confident” or “insecure” are used instead of a scale from 1 to 10 to describe
self-confidence.

5. Contextual:
• Feature: Data is often gathered in real-life settings or situations.

• Example: Observing how teens interact at school to understand peer pressure dynamics.
 ADVANTAGES:
•In-Depth Understanding:
•Advantage: It provides a deep insight into people’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
•Example: Interviewing someone about their anxiety gives details about specific triggers and coping mechanisms.

•Flexibility:
•Advantage: Allows for open-ended responses, so participants can express themselves fully.
•Example: In a study on motivation, participants can share unique reasons for their drive, which might be missed in a
structured survey.

• Contextual Detail:

• Advantage: It captures the context of behaviors, helping us understand why something happens.

• Example: Observing a child’s behavior in different settings (home vs. school) reveals how environment affects their
behavior.
 ADVANTAGES:
•Rich Data:
•Advantage: Provides detailed and comprehensive data, which can uncover hidden patterns or themes.
•Example: In therapy research, detailed accounts of past trauma can highlight common experiences or
effects.

•Captures Complexity:
•Advantage: Qualitative data captures the complexity of human experiences that numbers alone can’t show.
•Example: Studying identity allows people to describe how they see themselves in ways that evolve over
time and vary
greatly among individuals.
 DISADVANTAGES:
Time-Consuming:
Collecting and analyzing in-depth responses takes more time.
Subjective:
Data interpretation can be influenced by the researcher’s perspective.
Hard to Generalize:
Small, specific samples may not represent larger populations.
Difficult to Analyze:
Analyzing non-numerical data and identifying themes can be challenging.
Less Reliability:
Results may vary between researchers, affecting consistency.
 Mixed Methods:
Mixed methods research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches in a single study, allowing for a
more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. This approach captures both numerical data
(quantitative) and in-depth perspectives (qualitative), giving a fuller picture.
Example:
In psychology, a study on social media’s impact on mental health could use:
Quantitative:
A survey measuring levels of anxiety or self-esteem among social media users, resulting in numerical data.
Qualitative:
Follow-up interviews to explore participants' personal experiences with social media and its effect on their
mental health.
 Mixed Methods:
 Advantages:
In-Depth Insights: Allows for both statistical trends and deeper understanding of individual experiences.
Strengths of Both Methods: Compensates for the limitations of using only qualitative or quantitative
data.
 Disadvantages:
Complex and Time-Consuming: Requires expertise in both methods and often takes longer to design,
collect, and analyze data.
Mixed methods are particularly useful in psychology for gaining a holistic view of complex topics, such
as behavior patterns, mental health, and social influences.
 SAMPLING
Sampling is drawing out a subset from the whole population.

A subset of individuals selected from the population to

represent it in the study.

Example: 200 college students from different universities.

Inference
 Population
•The entire group you aim to study.
•A population is a complete set of persons or objects that
possess some common characteristics that is of interest to
the researcher.
•Example: All college students in a country.
•
Target Population
•Specific group within the population that directly relates to your study’s focus.
•The target population consists of people or things that meet the designated set of
criteria of interest to the researcher.
•The target population narrows down the general population to match the study’s
needs more closely.
•Example: only college students in urban areas of that country .
Accessible Population
•The portion of the target population that is realistically available for sampling.
•It is aggregate of cases that confirm to designated criteria and are also accessible as
subjects for study.
•Example: College students in specific cities that the researcher can reach.

Target
population
Accessible
population

Sample
.

Sampling Frame:
•A list or database identifying the members of the accessible population.
•Example: A list of enrolled college students in selected cities.
.

Representative
•A sample that mirrors the key characteristics of the population, ensuring findings can
generalize.
•Example:
Sampling:
• Ensuring a balance of age, gender, and major fields of study among sampled students.
.

Sampling size:
•The number of participants in the sample, affecting accuracy and reliability.
• A larger sample size increases reliability but requires more resources.
.

Generalizability:
•The extent to which findings from the sample can apply to the entire population.
•Example:
•A representative sample of college students allows the study to generalize to all college
students
THANK YOU