Qualitative Analysis: 5 Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative analysis, or qualitative research, is a method of obtaining nonnumerical information or subjective data. In business, qualitative research might involve gathering real-time data so you can better understand employee engagement and organizational culture. Social scientists also analyze qualitative data to learn about a particular demographic after a crisis or event. This analysis process might involve interviewing participants.

Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis are research methods with varying data collection processes. Qualitative analysis involves gathering and understanding stories and experiences and analyzing their connections and implications. Qualitative data sets comprise words, ideas, descriptions, and concepts.

Quantitative analysis relies on hard metrics and measurable data, like numbers and statistics. Quantitative research might involve asking research questions, collecting written accounts, running case studies or focus groups, and observing artifacts or other materials for analysis. For example, a company might use qualitative data to learn about employees’ experience with the onboarding process for new hires and quantitative data to predict sales trends.

In research, there are multiple analysis techniques. The following are examples of qualitative analysis methodologies:

1. 1. Content analysis: This method is one of the most common forms of qualitative research and evaluates patterns across content. For example, a company can gather information about the frequency of keywords on social media platforms and then measure engagement around the topics since certain keywords might bring up interpretive discussions and opinions worth following.
2. 2. Discourse analysis: This refers to debate or written or spoken analysis. Discourse analysis evaluates language in its many forms within the culture or social context. For example, academics might study political speeches to better understand how politicians frame their ideologies and policy shifts.
3. 3. Grounded theory: This methodology creates a new theory through testing or revising existing data. This process might begin with a question about a population and involve interviewing a small sample of that group. Social scientists can repeat this cycle to see how the next group’s answers compare to the former’s. For example, a company might want to investigate why its employees are unhappy with a new policy or with their current workload.
4. 4. Interpretive phenomenological analysis: This methodology interprets the personal experiences of a participant or group of people about a specific event or phenomenon. This could mean a common recurring event, such as experiencing the flu, to a singular event, like a volcanic eruption in a city.
5. 5. Thematic analysis: This form of qualitative analysis looks at patterns of meaning within a data set, grouping them into similarities or themes to help interpret and make sense of the data. For example, you could analyze several letters to the editor of a particular magazine and see how often they mention a specific staff writer.

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