Qualitative research
Qualitative research studies meanings, experiences, and social processes through non-numerical data such as interviews, observations, and texts.
Semi-structured interview: An interview guided by prepared questions while allowing flexible follow-up. Its balance of consistency and open-ended probing makes it a common way to elicit detailed accounts.
Research question: A focused question that guides a study's design, evidence gathering, and analysis. Questions about meaning, process, and experience often call for qualitative approaches.
Quantitative research: Research that uses numerical data and statistical methods to measure patterns and test relationships. It commonly emphasizes measurement and comparison where qualitative research examines meanings and processes.
Ethnography: The systematic study and description of a culture or social group, often through fieldwork. It uses sustained engagement to understand social life in its everyday context.
Research ethics: Principles and practices governing responsible research with people, data, and communities. Interviews and observation require decisions about consent, privacy, risk, and representation.
Participant observation: A method in which researchers observe a setting while taking part in its activities. It reveals practices and interactions that participants may not describe in interviews.
Sampling (statistics): The selection of cases from a population or setting for study. Qualitative sampling often prioritizes information-rich cases rather than statistical representativeness.
Mixed methods research: Research that integrates qualitative and quantitative methods within one study or program of inquiry. It combines interpretive depth with numerical patterns rather than choosing only one approach.
Phenomenology: The philosophical study of structures of experience and consciousness. Phenomenological research examines how people experience a particular phenomenon.
Informed consent: Voluntary agreement to participate after receiving relevant information about a study. It is especially consequential when researchers build relationships through ongoing fieldwork.