Intercultural Communication

Qualitative Research Methods

What are qualitative research methods?

Qualitative research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data, such as language. Qualitative research can be used to understand how an individual subjectively perceives and gives meaning to their social reality.

Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative data is defined as non-numerical data, such as text, video, photographs or audio recordings. This type of data can be collected using diary accounts or in-depth interviews, and analyzed using grounded theory or thematic analysis.

Methods

There are different types of qualitative research methods including diary accounts, in-depth interviews, documents, focus groups, case study research, and ethnography.

The results of qualitative methods provide a deep understandings of how people perceive their social realities, and in consequence, how they act within the social world.

Limitations

The problem of adequate validity or reliability is a major criticism. Because of the subjective nature of qualitative data and its origin in single contexts, it is difficult to apply conventional standards of reliability and validity.

Decide on the range of topics you would like to cover before the session

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Pretest questions to ensure they are clear and logical

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Develop open-ended questions to encourage discussion

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Arrange questions in a way that flows naturally

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Hire a skilled moderator to facilitate the discussion

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Plan to spend about two hours with the group

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