A qualitative survey is more flexible than a quantitative one because they include open-ended answers. Instead of being used to develop statistics, they help the researcher to identify issues that may need to be looked at in greater depth. They also give the researcher a sense of the study population and the context of their lives.
In this method, the researcher interviews a respondent. The researcher often starts the interview with a set of questions as a guide. However it is also possible to have completely unstructured interviews. Interviews can be completed over the phone. The content of the interview is transcribed and the transcript is used for analysis.
Focus groups are similar to interviews but involve groups of people. The researcher may use a similar set of questions to guide a focus group as they would an interview. In addition, the researcher can observe the group dynamics. Sometimes, focus groups are used to clarify or confirm data that has been gathered through other qualitative research methods.
Both participant and direct observation fall into this category. In participant observation, the researcher immerses himself in what he is observing, such as in a culture or particular environment. This method is also called ethnography. In direct observation, the researcher watches but does not participate in the situation under study. In both types of observation, the researcher collects extensive field notes, which are used later in analysis. The researcher may also use photography and video to hep with observation.