When Numbers Can’t Tell the Whole Story
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How do researchers analyze answers to open-ended questions?
What about the information collected from interviews, video recordings andobservations?
This jot down of data is called qualitative data.
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Qualitative data means not using numbers to represent information, which would bequantitative data.
Numbers can tell a good story, but certainly not the whole story.
That’s where qualitative data comes in.
What Is Qualitative Data?
A well-researched article can generate a powerful impact when numbers represent an important fact.
The numbers dont lie, right?
However, it can be hard to contextualize quantitative facts.
Having a focus group discussion withconsumersfor market research is another example of how qualitative data is used.
This applies to both quantitative and qualitative studies.
Once your study is approved, there are several ways qualitative data can be collected.
Qualitative data qualifies and quantitative data quantifies what is being investigated.
Qualitative data is descriptive and does not use numbers.
Quantitative data is measurable and uses numbers.
Qualitative data is used to understand subjective experiences and perceptions by identifying themes and patterns.
Quantitative data is used to determine significant associations based on statistical analysis.
Both types of data can be valuable in answering research questions.
Additionally, there is potential forbiassince the analysis can be influenced by the researchers subjective interpretation.
Lastly, collecting qualitative data typically requires in-depth interviews which can be time-consuming.
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