Qualitative research

Qualitative research, in contrast to quantitative research, seeks to dig deeper into the reasons for behavior we observe. Generally, researchers doing qualitative research start with a broad idea of what they are looking for. In qualitative studies, researchers often combine informal interviews, in the form of long conversations with people, with systematic observation of their daily activities. Data are derived continuously from what the persons in the group being studied do and say, how they say they feel about things, and the reasons they give the researcher for what they do. The researcher accumulates a large amount of data, generally in the form of long sets of notes and written descriptions of what was observed. As data are recorded, the researcher tries to interpret what the data mean and to develop an explanation for what has been observed. In this sense, analysis of data proceeds with data collection. Qualitative research is generally a much more flexible process, allowing researcher to take advantage of new lines of inquiry as they develop.

The research studies cited earlier by Julia and Ridha (2001) and by Dei (1992) were based on qualitative research methods. Research by ElSayed and Ahmed (2001) on the "Socio-Cultural Aspect of Kala-azar among the Masalit and Hansa Tribes" further illustrates use of qualitative techniques. (Kala-azar is a severe eye disease that frequently results in blindness). The authors used small group discussions with villagers, personal interviews with patients, and direct observation of health and sanitation practices in the villages. They found that lack of knowledge about the disease is the main reason for its spread.

We have just touched on qualitative research in this section. In Chapter 13, we describe some of the more frequently used qualitative research methods.  

Combining quantitative and qualitative techniques

Researchers frequently use both quantitative and qualitative techniques in the same investigation. In this way, researchers benefit from the strengths of each approach and minimize their respective limitations. Altareb (1997), for example, investigated attitudes toward Muslims held by undergraduate students at an American university. He began by conducting focus groups, a qualitative technique, to get an initial understanding of students' attitudes. After this exploratory phase, he developed a quantitative measure of attitudes for the main part of the investigation. Davidson (1992) also combined qualitative and quantitative methods in his investigation of ways families in the Nuba Mountains of the Sudan were adapting to rapidly changing socio-economic conditions in their area. He began by interviewing village elders and then conducted a survey to identify the characteristics of each of the 12 villages in his study area. Following the survey, he carried out in-depth interviews with selected households. This combination of methods provided a rich mix of quantitative data for describing adaptive techniques used by villagers and detailed and qualitative data for understanding how they were adapting to changes.

Unit of analysis

In designing research you also have to decide on what basis you will analyze the data you will collect. This requires a decision about the unit of analysis for the study. Units of analysis may consist of individuals, groups, organizations, geographical places, or other entities. Generally the way you state your research question indicates which unit will be used as the basis of analyzing the data.

It is easy to confuse unit of analysis with the entities you collect data from. Frequently, they are the same. In the Sudan Fertility Survey, for example, the data were collected from women and the data were analyzed in terms of the same women. In this case, the decision was clear. In another study, a researcher might interview factory managers to get information to compare the efficiency of different sized factories. In this case, the unit of analysis is factories, not managers because the purpose of the research is to compare factories and managers happened to be the source of data.   If you have any doubt, think about the question you are trying to answer. How do the data have to be organized to answer the question?