Qualitative methods : a research approach worth considering : guest editorial

Abstract

65 Qualitative research forms part of the classical cycle of research. A researcher notices a phenomenon that he/she has no explanation for. He/she observes the phenomenon and collects data about it to describe it-this is qualitative research. With enough information about the phenomenon the researcher can now formulate a hypothesis or hypotheses that can be tested through quantitative research. Qualitative research developed in the 1940’s in Chicago (when anthropology students were requested to observe a certain street for a week to ascertain if any repeating patterns of behaviour took place) and since then it has become an established research approach in both the human as well as the natural sciences. The purpose of qualitative research is to obtain understanding and knowledge about a specific phenomenon. Usually there is little or no knowledge available about this phenomenon. A researcher then explores and describes the phenomenon. Qualitative research is both theory and hypothesis generating.