Conducting Qualitative Research

The term Qualitative Research encompasses a wide range of goals, audiences and methodologies.  With historic roots reaching deep into the psychoanalytic tradition, this type of research studies human motivation through the understanding of perceptions, opinions, beliefs and/or attitudes.  Researchers can conduct qualitative research alongside quantitative research, or it can stand alone, depending on the study’s goals.

Qualitative research can be used to explore or explain:

  • Explorative research might look at how much information consumers have or how certain segments of the population view ideas and issues. Researchers use explorative qualitative research to generate new ideas and plan for the future.
  • Researchers conduct explanatory research to understand why consumers make certain choices, how different segments’ thoughts and ideas vary, or how well they understand certain concepts.Descriptive qualitative research may follow a quantitative study to dig deeper into trends.
  • The Dynamic Nature of Qualitative Research
  • Qualitative research is dynamic.  The moderator or facilitator, often called the researcher, asks questions and listens attentively while closely observing the respondents’ non-verbal cues. Qualitative research is a process of discovery, requiring flexibility to explore new ideas. A skilled moderator probes deeper into respondents’ thoughts while remaining objective and unbiased despite the subjective nature of the study.

Methods for Collecting Qualitative Data

The traditional formats for research include focus groups, (most often with 6 to 10 respondents), dyads and triads (2 and 3 respondents, respectively), and one-on-one interviews, (IDIs).  The researcher will choose between these formats due to a number of factors, including budget, location, and how narrow a lens he or she is seeking in terms of response.  It also includes ethnographies, studies in which the researcher goes into the home or other environment of the subjects to gain deep insights through this immersive format.

With the advent of social media, a number of new methodologies have come into the mainstream for qualitative research.  These include using on-line bulletin boards (OLBBs), chat rooms, and text messaging to gather data. The practice of gathering information by monitoring public texting forums such as Twitter has also come into vogue.

Segmenting Groups

Qualitative studies often group respondents into segments.  The researcher chooses segments based on the study goals and scope.  Segments can range from general factors like age, gender, or income, to more specific traits such as voting habits, brand preference, or family composition, or even a combination of multiple attributes. While segmentation allows for grouping in order to compare and contrast, it also encourages the building of rapport within the study group, an invaluable tool for allowing study participants to reach a level of comfort that will encourage honest and frank responses.

Significance

Due to its nature, qualitative research should not be considered statistically significant, as the sample size is typically too small to generalize results to a larger population.  Researchers often conduct qualitative research to gather or clarify ideas before or after a larger quantitative study.

Recording Research Methods

Whenever possible, researchers will record qualitative research for later review. Since a good moderator must stay “in the moment” to ask, listen, and probe, they should avoid distractions like note-taking. In formal settings like focus groups, qualitative studies enable multiple observers to watch via one-way mirrors, digital feeds, or recordings. The moderator ensures respondents are informed about recording methods and guarantees anonymity when appropriate.

Conducting Analysis

The final step in qualitative research is analysis. During this phase, the researcher analyzes the collected data to identify trends, themes, concepts, surprises, and ideas for future study. The goal of qualitative analysis is to report the findings with as much depth and insight as possible, noting findings both within the study segments as well as differences and similarities across the various study groups.

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