Qualitative research is the process of inquiry that seeks to understand the nature of its subjects. Qualitative research is designed to elucidate the characteristics of the things it studies, as they are perceived by human beings. Qualitative research thus examines subjective experience, rather than attempting to gather and analyze objective data.

Qualitative research can be thought of as the opposite of quantitative research. While quantitative research attempts to gather numerically-expressed concrete information, qualitative research aims to explore the concepts that people use to organize information.

So, coming upon a field of blue flowers, a quantitative researcher might count the number of flowers, describe the distribution in plant height, or analyze the comparative rate in pollinator activity on flowers according to a variety of numerically-defined variables. A qualitative researcher, on the other hand, might provide a thick description of the scene, including its physical appearance, an analysis of human use of the field over history, perceptions of local residents of the flowers, investigating for cultural and psychological meaning of the field and its plants in comparison to other other areas of land.

It is often said that while quantitative research attempts to measure reality, qualitative research attempts to describe why reality is the way it is. This distinction isn't quite accurate. Quantitative research sometimes does attempt to uncover reasons for patterns in reality, and qualitative research often does attempt to describe reality.

What's more accurate is to say that qualitative and quantitative research use different conceptual techniques for different goals. Whereas quantitative research reduces reality to numerical expression for the sake of clarity, seeking to produce findings that are testable, qualitative research not only accepts the ambiguities inherent in human interpretations of reality, but often even makes the examination of these ambiguities its focus. For this reason, qualitative research is often open-ended, meaning that it begins with broad questions that do not predetermine the kind of answers that can be provided, and then allows the information it finds to direct the research into more particular areas of focus.

Qualitative research is the process of inquiry that seeks to understand the nature of its subjects. Qualitative research is designed to elucidate the characteristics of the things it studies, as they are perceived by human beings. Qualitative research thus examines subjective experience, rather than attempting to gather and analyze objective data.

Qualitative research can be thought of as the opposite of quantitative research. While quantitative research attempts to gather numerically-expressed concrete information, qualitative research aims to explore the concepts that people use to organize information.

So, coming upon a field of blue flowers, a quantitative researcher might count the number of flowers, describe the distribution in plant height, or analyze the comparative rate in pollinator activity on flowers according to a variety of numerically-defined variables. A qualitative researcher, on the other hand, might provide a thick description of the scene, including its physical appearance, an analysis of human use of the field over history, perceptions of local residents of the flowers, investigating for cultural and psychological meaning of the field and its plants in comparison to other other areas of land.

It is often said that while quantitative research attempts to measure reality, qualitative research attempts to describe why reality is the way it is. This distinction isn't quite accurate. Quantitative research sometimes does attempt to uncover reasons for patterns in reality, and qualitative research often does attempt to describe reality.

What's more accurate is to say that qualitative and quantitative research use different conceptual techniques for different goals. Whereas quantitative research reduces reality to numerical expression for the sake of clarity, seeking to produce findings that are testable, qualitative research not only accepts the ambiguities inherent in human interpretations of reality, but often even makes the examination of these ambiguities its focus. For this reason, qualitative research is often open-ended, meaning that it begins with broad questions that do not predetermine the kind of answers that can be provided, and then allows the information it finds to direct the research into more particular areas of focus.

Qualitative research involves asking participants about their experiences of things that happen in their lives. It enables researchers to obtain insights into what it feels like to be another person and to understand the world as another experiences it. With qualitative data one can preserve chronological flow, see precisely which events lead to which consequences, and derive fruitful explanations. Qualitative methods are concerned with how human behavior can be explained, within the framework of the social structures in which that behavior takes place (Austin & Sutton, 2014)

Austin, Z., & Sutton, J. (2014). Qualitative research: getting started. The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy, 67(6), 436.

No , there is enough work going , check nature or Elsevier gastroenterology and hepatology , https://sunnybrook.ca/publication/?c=1&s=0&page=12, http://magazine.hms.harvard.edu

Qualitative and quantitative research are both extremely useful!

I would argue that more quantitative articles are published because more of them are submitted to journals; however, it goes beyond that. For example, some scholars and perhaps journals may favor quantitative research for a variety of reasons.

We should never forget that quality is seldom judged by quantity.

i believe in both qualitative as well as quantitative

Most of the Journal prefer quantitative research and it is why that most of the researcher work on quantitative research. Qualitative research need more time and experience and it is the reason (in my view).

Qualitative and quantitative research address very different kinds of questions and thus serve different purposes. A lot of what affects their popularity in any give field is tradition and past experience. In some fields (such as health research) qualitative research is more common because we need to understand the beliefs and actions of the key participants -- such as patients and providers. So, where ever decision making is important, qualitative research has a role to play.

I agree with Dr. Beemnet Mengesha Kassahun

It is the best research approach to study perceptions of individuals on a phenomenon that cannot be ascertained via purely statistical, quantitative approach.

Qualitative research approaches are employed across many academic disciplines, focusing particularly on the human elements of the social and natural sciences in less academic contexts, areas of application include qualitative market research, business, and service demonstrations by non-profits.

As a field of study, qualitative approaches include research concepts and methods from multiple established academic fields. The aim of a qualitative research project may vary with the disciplinary background, such as a psychologist seeking in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior for example. Qualitative methods are best for researching many of the whyand how questions of human experience[1], in making a decision for example (not just what, where, when, or "who"); and have a strong basis in the field of sociology to understand government and social programs. Qualitative research is widely used by political science, social work, and education researchers.

In the conventional view of statisticians, qualitative methods produce explanations only of the particular cases studied (e.g., as part of an ethnography of a newly implemented government program), any more general conclusions are considered tentative propositions (informed assertions).[citation needed] Quantitative methods can be then used to seek further mathematical support for such research hypotheses.

In contrast, a qualitative researcher might argue that understanding of a phenomenon or situation or event, comes from exploring the totality of the situation (e.g., phenomenology, symbolic interactionism), often with access to large amounts of "hard data" of a nonnumerical form. It may begin as a grounded theory approach with the researcher having no previous understanding of the phenomenon; or the study may commence with propositions and proceed in a 'scientific and empirical way' throughout the research process (e.g., Bogdan & Taylor, 1990).

A popular method of qualitative research is the case study, , which examines in depth 'purposive samples' to better understand a phenomenon (e.g., support to families; the case study method exemplifies the qualitative researchers' preference for depth, detail, and context, often working with smaller and more focused samples, compared with the large samples of primary interest to statistical researchers seeking general laws

Qualitative methods are an integral component of the five angles of analysis fostered by the data percolation methodology[9]. These methods may be used alongside quantitative methods, scholarly or lay reviews of the literature, interviews with experts, and computer simulation, as part of multimethod attitude to data collection and analysis (called Triangulation)

To help navigate the heterogeneous landscape of qualitative research, one can further think of qualitative inquiry in terms of 'means' and 'orientation'

REGARDS

Good question ...... A valuable answers... thanks

Both are important for getting in real picture in any research problem....

Qualitative research gives an in dept insight to the understanding of concepts and contructs in the world of reality.

Qualitative research must be carried out to maintain the academic decorum. But every time it is not possible by every researcher to achieve this standard. So quantitative research approach tends to think a researcher to carry out qualitative one. So in my view quantitative research ultimately helps in carrying out qualitative research.

it depends on the topic

Qualitative research approaches are employed across many academic disciplines, focusing particularly on the human elements of the social and natural sciences; in less academic contexts, areas of application include qualitative market research, business, and service demonstrations by non-profits. As a field of study, qualitative approaches include research concepts and methods from multiple established academic fields. The aim of a qualitative research project may vary with the disciplinary background, such as a psychologist seeking in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior for example. Qualitative methods are best for researching many of the whyand how questions of human experience, in making a decision for example (not just what, where, when, or "who"); and have a strong basis in the field of sociology to understand government and social programs. Qualitative research is widely used by political science, social work, and education researchers.

Qualitative research is the systematic inquiry into social phenomena in natural settings. These phenomena can include, but are not limited to, how people experience aspects of their lives, how individuals and/or groups behave, how organizations function, and how interactions shape relationships .

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Kassahun

The debate on Quantitative/Qualitative divergence and sometimes the dominance of one over the other has a long story; however, the basis which requires the use of one rather the other relies on the essence of the research topic. Clearly, the matter of superiority is illogical. We do not pick a methodology for research; the research purposes determine what methodology would be best fitted for the study. In the simplest of ways, if we are out to scrutinize a phenomenon about which little is realized and you do not realize what to expect, we employ qualitative methods. On the other hand, if we are out to gauge variables utilizing an existing of the self-created questionnaire and then carry out statistical analysis to accept or reject our hypothesis, we may use quantitative methods. We may also want to utilize both in some cases.