Using open-ended questions and interviews allows researchers and practitioners to understand how individuals are doing, what their experiences are, and recognize important antecedents and outcomes of interest that might not surface when surveyed with pre-determined questions.

Qualitative research can:

• Allow identification of new and untouched phenomena
• Provide a deeper understanding of mechanisms
• Give a one-on-one and anecdotal information
• Reveal information that would not be identified through pre-determined survey questions

Limitations of using a qualitative approach:

While it’s the only way to gain deep insights, qualitative research also has some limitations

• Because of the low number of respondents involved, it cannot be used to generalize to the larger target population
• Subjective and unstructured; focus group discussions can be subject to “groupthink” and unintentional influence by the moderator or interviewer

Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews.

But before we dive deeper into these, let’s do a quick comprehension check.