Qualitative Research

Qualitative research (or inquiry) refers to a set of methods that are used to ascertain the meanings and experiences of issues related to human beings and societies, rather than natural objects in the world. These methods are well suited for the study of subjective, individual, and complex social phenomena because they are designed to study the content of holistic experiences as well as highly contextualized processes of developing understanding. Qualitative research methods have long been considered LGBTQIA+ methods because they offer an approach to science that centralizes the subjectivities of individuals from minority or marginalized groups (rather than the average experiences). This entry on qualitative research methods will describe what is meant by this term, its aims, and how these methods can improve our understandings ...