Okuzeka
Sociology vocabulary · Research Methods

Qualitative research

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounCore term

In sociology, qualitative research means: Research that collects non-numerical data, such as interviews, observations and texts, to understand people's experiences, meanings and points of view in depth.

In Turkish: nitel araştırma

How it is used

Common in methods courses, theses and journal articles. Typical methods are in-depth interviews, focus groups, ethnography and document analysis. Researchers describe qualitative data as rich, detailed and sensitive to context, but harder to generalise from.

Example sentences

  1. We chose qualitative research because we wanted to understand how young people talk about their future.

  2. Qualitative research often uses small, purposive samples.

Common collocations

  • qualitative research methods
  • qualitative data
  • conduct qualitative research
  • qualitative interview
  • quantitative researchResearch that collects numerical data, usually from large samples, and uses statistics to measure patterns and test relationships between variables.
  • ethnographyA research approach in which the researcher spends a long time with a group, observing and taking part in its daily life, in order to describe its culture from the inside.
  • semi-structured interviewAn interview based on a prepared list of topics or questions that the researcher can reorder, rephrase or follow up, so that participants can answer in their own words.
  • focus groupA group discussion, usually with six to ten people, led by a researcher to explore their views and experiences and how they talk about a topic together.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Research Methods

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: