Notes Application

🧠 Nature and Methodology of Qualitative Research

📌 Key terms

Term	Definition
Qualitative Research	A method of inquiry that seeks to understand human experiences, meanings, and perspectives through non-numerical data.
Quantitative Research	Research based on numerical data and statistical analysis to identify cause-and-effect relationships.
Credibility	The extent to which research findings reflect the truth of participants’ experiences; equivalent of internal validity.
Reflexivity	The researcher’s awareness of their own influence on the research process, interpretation, and outcomes.
Triangulation	Using multiple methods, data sources, or researchers to cross-check findings and increase credibility.
Transferability	The degree to which qualitative findings can be applied to other contexts; similar to external validity.
Dependability	The stability of data over time and under similar conditions; equivalent to reliability.
Confirmability	The extent to which findings are shaped by participants, not researcher bias or interests.
Thick Description	Detailed contextual information that allows understanding of findings beyond surface-level description.
Researcher Bias	Influence of the researcher’s beliefs or expectations on data collection and interpretation.
Interpretivism	An epistemological view that reality is subjective and constructed through social interaction.

📌 Notes

Nature and Purpose of Qualitative Research

Often uses small, purposive samples rather than random ones.
Focuses on understanding meaning, experience, and behavior rather than measuring variables.
Based on naturalistic inquiry—studying participants in real-world settings.
Data is textual (interviews, observations, documents), not numerical.
Emphasizes depth over breadth, exploring how and why people think and behave in certain ways.

📌 Comparison with Quantitative Research

Aspect	Qualitative Research	Quantitative Research
Goal	Explore meanings, understand experiences	Test hypotheses, measure variables
Data Type	Words, images, narratives	Numbers, statistics
Analysis	Thematic, interpretive	Statistical, inferential
Validity Concept	Credibility, transferability	Internal and external validity
Researcher Role	Active participant, reflexive	Objective observer
Outcome	Theory generation	Theory testing

Credibility and Reflexivity

Credibility achieved through:
- Triangulation (multiple data sources)
- Member checking (participants confirm interpretations)
- Peer debriefing (external researcher reviews analysis)
Reflexivity types:
- Personal: how the researcher’s identity affects research.
- Epistemological: how knowledge and methods shape outcomes.
- Methodological: awareness of how design choices affect data.

Strengths of Qualitative Research

Promotes participant voice and empowerment.
Provides rich, detailed data that capture complexity of human behavior.
Allows flexibility—research evolves with data.
Enables study of sensitive or contextual issues difficult to quantify.

Limitations

Subjectivity—interpretation may be influenced by researcher bias.
Low generalizability due to small samples.
Time-consuming data collection and analysis.
Replication challenges—findings are context-specific

Ethical Considerations
Maintain informed consent, confidentiality, and participant welfare.
Pay attention to power dynamics in interviews or focus groups.
Avoid misrepresentation of participants’ experiences.
Ensure honest reporting—don’t alter data to fit expectations.

🔍Tok link

How do we know when an interpretation of behavior is “true”?
Qualitative research challenges the assumption of objectivity — suggesting that multiple truths can coexist depending on perspective.

🌐 Real-World Connection

Qualitative methods are used in mental health, education, and organizational psychology to understand motivation, cultural adaptation, and trauma — areas where numbers alone cannot capture experience.

❤️ CAS Link

Conducting community interviews or reflective projects about local mental health awareness allows students to explore how qualitative approaches can give voice to marginalized groups.

🧠 IA Guidance

Although the IA requires quantitative methods, qualitative principles such as ethical sensitivity, credibility, and reflexivity help improve internal validity and design quality.

🧠 Examiner Tips

Define credibility, reflexivity, and triangulation clearly — these are frequent Paper 3 questions.
Don’t confuse “validity” (quantitative) with “credibility” (qualitative).
Use examples of real qualitative studies (e.g., Brown & Harris, 1978; Rosenhan, 1973).