Applied Qualitative Research

Applied qualitative research usually denotes qualitative studies undertaken explicitly to inform policymaking, especially in government but also in commerce. The term was possibly first coined in 1985 in Britain as part of a venture to encourage the use of qualitative research methods in government (Walker, 1985). At the time, public officials were inclined to equate evidence with OFFICIAL STATISTICS (Weiss, 1977), although qualitative methodologies had already successfully penetrated marketing and advertising research. Such studies are often commissioned by companies or government agencies and undertaken to a closely specified contract.

Applied qualitative research is an activity rather than a movement or coherent philosophy (Ritchie & Lewis, 2003). The objective is frequently to develop, monitor, or evaluate a policy or practice, using qualitative techniques as an alternative to, or to complement, other approaches. The rationale for using qualitative methods is that they are better suited to the task, either in specific circumstances or inherently. This may be because the topic is ill-defined or not well theorized, thereby precluding the development of structured questionnaires. It might be sensitive, intangible, or ephemeral, or it could appertain to distressing or emotional events or deep feelings. It could be inherently complex or an institution. Earlier research may have produced conflicting results.

Practitioners of applied qualitative research are therefore apt to align themselves with pragmatism, matching method to specific research questions. Their ontological position is likely to correspond to “subtle realism” (Hammersley, 1992), accepting that a diverse and multifaceted world exists independently of subjective understanding but believing it to be accessible via respondents' interpretations. They will probably strive to be neutral and objective at each stage in the research process and thereby generate findings that are valid and reliable, ones that are true to the beliefs and understandings of their respondents and potentially generalizable to other settings. They will seek detailed descriptions of the realities, as understood by their respondents, but clearly delineate between these interpretations and their own in analysis, making sense of complexity by simplification and structuring.

Applied qualitative research is eclectic in its use of qualitative methods although heavily reliant on IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS and FOCUS GROUPS. There is currently a trend toward repeat interviews with the same respondents to investigate the links between intention, behavior, and outcomes. PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES are commonly used, typically to stimulate respondents' reflections on the process and outcome of projective exercises rather than to elicit scores on personality traits; occasionally, ETHNOGRAPHIC and ACTION RESEARCH techniques are also used. Different methods, including quantitative ones, are frequently used within the same project. When used with surveys, qualitative techniques are variously employed to refine concepts and develop questionnaires; to help interpret, illuminate, illustrate, and qualify survey findings; to triangulate between methods; and to provide complementary insight.