What is the qualitative approach? Origins, Characteristics and Techniques

In order to satisfy his need to explain the environment that surrounds him, man has developed devices to fully express the phenomena under his observation, resorting par excellence to representation through formulas and numbers, however, not all The phenomena can be described in this way, and not all researchers feel comfortable when synthesizing and expressing themselves in terms of numbers, for this reason the qualitative approach was developed, in order to cover those areas that escaped the mathematical approach, this is a perspective of a humanistic nature, since it considers a factor usually ignored in the mathematical method, which is the perception of the population, which offers a different perspective, which is valuable in a complete study, covering all possible angles.

Qualitative analysis is of a social nature, since its main measurement mechanism is the perception of the individuals of a population under study, or who have witnessed the phenomenon to be evaluated.

Origin of qualitative approaches

The qualitative approach, as the term indicates, seeks to define the qualities of some phenomenon of interest, but, How did you start using this approach? The origins of qualitative research have very remote antecedents in Greco-Roman culture and various aspects of this methodology are known in the works of Herodotus and Aristotle.

In an attempt to bring the social sciences closer to the scientific field, attempts were made by various means to adjust these areas to measurable instruments and methods; For this reason, during this stage, controversies and discussions arise about the epistemological duality of the social sciences, the combination of knowledge and action. With the passage of time, a new approach to research emerges, which has anthropological influence, this generates a new sensitivity and acceptance of new methods.

However, it was between the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise of the social sciences, where the design of research, of this nature, did not lead to mathematical definition, that qualitative methods began to be implemented. The main sciences that incurred in the use of methods of this nature were psychology and sociology, and in this way, gradually, the qualitative approach begins to develop.

Features

• It collects non-standardized data that cannot be subjected to numerical and / or statistical analysis.
• It is based on people's appreciations.
• Through direct observation and analysis of the information provided, the real world is studied to establish a theory.
• They do not work by testing a hypothesis.
• The research process is not always clearly defined after the problem is raised, because its approaches are not as specific as the quantitative approach and the research questions are not always fully defined.
• More flexible investigations are run.
• The researcher enters the experience of the participants and builds knowledge, always aware that it is part of the phenomenon studied.
• They do not seek to opt for generalized results in a probabilistic way, this type of research tends to generate open results.
• There is no manipulation or stimulation of reality, thus evaluating the natural development of events.

Analysis techniques

It should be noted that, although data collection and analysis is usually handled in separate stages, in reality, in such an approach, these two tasks are closely related. In a study of a mathematical nature, on the contrary, obtaining data precedes their analysis, and it would be cumbersome to carry out both processes simultaneously; However, in qualitative research it is considered that these two processes always tend to overlap, or even to be considered as part of the same activity, since the researcher must examine and analyze how he is in contact with the source that provides them, taking for this, field notes about the interpretations that are being formed, which can even open up new aspects to study or explore. As a result, running a data collection tool opens up new opportunities, unexpected results, or emerging issues.

Among the instruments available to the researcher conducting qualitative research, there are:

Interviews 

They consist of the dialogue between two or more people, in which the participants assume two well-defined roles, one of them wants to obtain information from his interlocutor, so he asks a series of questions and starts a dialogue.

The interview is not considered a normal conversation, but a formal character is attributed to it, with an intentionality, which carries implicit objectives included in an investigation. Considering their structure and design, we can say that they are classified as follows:

• Structured: It requires planning the way in which the interview will develop, the questions to be asked are planned, and during its execution the interviewer acts as a moderator, preventing the development from deviating from what is stipulated in the planning. It is characterized by the handling of closed questions (yes, no or a predetermined answer).  
• Semi-structured: It is determined in advance what is the relevant information that you want to get. Open questions are asked opening the interviewee to delve into the answer, it allows to interweave themes, but requires great attention on the part of the researcher to be able to channel the topics of interest.
• Unstructured: Without a previous script, and despite having prior information on the subject, the objective of this interview is to obtain as much information as possible. The interview builds as it progresses, and the responses and attitude of the interviewee play an important role in the process. It requires great preparation on the part of the researcher, previously documenting everything that concerns the topics that are discussed.

Preparing for an interview

The success of the execution of this qualitative approach tool is based on planning, so it is vital to be clear about its objective, and define what we want to obtain through it. The steps to follow in preparing an interview are defined below:

1. Define objectives: What do we need to know? To define this aspect, documentation on the aspects to be treated is important
2. Identify the interviewees: define the characteristics of the population that we need to carry out the study, and choose the one whose profile fits within the context of the study.
3. Ask the questions: use of a language that is managed by the interlocutor, contextualizing the questions to avoid ambiguities. The way in which the questions are formulated is decisive in the success of the application of the instrument.
4. Place where the interview will take place: Consider the appropriate characteristics to favor the development of the interview. Avoid distracting elements that hinder their development.
5. Type of questions: Which ones best fit the proposed objective? Will you ask open questions, closed questions, or a combination of both?

Comment

Direct observation of the phenomenon under study is a valuable tool in this field, since it offers us information on its characteristics and factors that affect it. Has the ability to describe and explain behavior, having obtained adequate and reliable data corresponding to behaviors, events and / or situations perfectly identified and inserted in a theoretical context.

Features

• It is an empirical procedure par excellence, traditional and at the same time the most used.
• A concrete and intensive relationship is established between the researcher and the social fact or social actors, from which data is obtained that is then synthesized to develop the research.
• It is based on the use of the sense of sight, and requires the development of intuitive skills.

Classification of the questions to ask

The questions can also be classified according to their content, highlighting:

• Identification questions: They are those who wish to inquire about the individual characteristics of the interviewee. For example: age, sex, profession, nationality, etc.
• Specific questions: Referring to specific events, they are a kind of closed questions.
• Action questions: Referring to activities of the respondents.
• Information questions: They constitute a survey on the knowledge of the respondents.
• Intent questions: To know the intention of the respondents regarding the subject in question.
• Opinion Questions: It allows the respondent to express what they think about the topic.
• Collection of documents: Data are collected from secondary sources, which are defined as books, newsletters, magazines, brochures, and newspapers, being considered as sources to collect data on the variables of interest.

Levels of understanding

In order to guarantee the reliability of the research, in this type of approach three levels of study are handled, in which the analysis of the elements, factors and subjects that constituted the source of the information is carried out following three criteria, in order to get a peripheral view of it:

• Subjective understanding: Daily meanings of social actors or research participants. It is based on the individual characteristics of each participating entity, since the understanding and perception of every human being is based on the conditioning exercised by their relationship with the environment, antecedents and other conditioning factors.
• Interpretive understanding: Meaning that the researcher gives to the subjective understandings of the participants, through an in-depth study, in which a global analysis is made of the results obtained, of the factors that determined the obtaining of the information, and of the behavior of the subjects when supplying the same, etc.
• Positive understanding: Meaning that the researcher gives to the objective facts of the situation. It is based on the interpretation of the previous conclusions, developed in the interpretive understanding.