Qualitative research is an inquiry approach useful for exploring and understanding a central phenomenon. To learn about the phenomenon, the inquirer asks participants broad, open-ended questions, collects detailed participant views in the form of words or images, and analyzes the information for descriptions and themes. From this data, the researcher interprets meaning, drawing on personal reflections and prior research. The final structure of the report is flexible and may reflect the researcher’s perspectives and biases (Creswell, 2008).
For additional information, see the Research Doctoral Handbook.
Reference:
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
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