For social workers involved in research, qualitative methods have distinct uses. They are most useful for helping social workers to gain a deeper understanding of certain issues, particularly those that are complex or sensitive. Since many issues within the realm of social work fall into this category, qualitative research may be used to investigate an individual's experiences related to, for example, sexuality or mental health issues. In-depth understanding of such topics can be helpful to social workers looking for the best way to help people with these types of problems.
Qualitative research methods are also good for generating new theories or hypotheses. Social workers interested in figuring out why something is happening, may use qualitative research as a stepping stone, particularly when investigating a topic about which little is known.
There are a variety of ways in which social workers can find and collect data for qualitative research. The type of data collections methods used in qualitative research depends upon what is most appropriate for the given study. For instance, some techniques may be best suited for certain types of research questions, while some may work better for a research project due to time or financial constraints.
In-depth interviews are ways of collecting data by asking the subject questions and recording the answers. Direct observation involves collecting data by observing the respondents in specific situations. Written documents may also be used and analyzed for qualitative data; these may include books, magazines, newspapers, transcripts or other forms of written communication.
Qualitative data analysis is a methodological process of identifying, examining and interpreting the patterns found in the data. By analyzing the data, the social worker is able to discover whether or not the research question was answered. The process of analysis includes data reduction (organizing the data so that it is easy to refer to) and data display (arranging the organized data into visual form, for easy referral).
Once data are analyzed, social workers look at the overall meaning of the data and compare these to the original research question in order to draw conclusions about the research. The meanings made and the conclusions drawn should also be subject to verification. Social workers verify their conclusions by having colleagues help to analyze the data, and by comparing analyzing their data in different organizational groups; this can increase the validity of a qualitative study.