Introduction: Qualitative research is more concerned with description and the subjective nature of lived experiences than with the quantification of experience for the purpose of applying statistical procedures. Their methods differ, but both qualitative and quantitative approaches attempt to understand social and behavioral phenomena by systematically collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data. As forms of disciplined inquiry, adherence to standards of rigor in the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods reduces the likelihood of unwanted bias, thereby increasing the overall validity or credibility of findings from any given study. Sampling procedures in qualitative studies are designed to bring the researcher in contact with the participants who are most likely to provide rich data. Qualitative studies do not sample in order to provide generalizations to a larger population, so securing a sample that is representative of the larger population is not a relevant concern. Qualitative research, in contrast to quantitative, is more emergent in that research questions are likely to evolve over the course of the study as the researcher gains insight into the nature of the phenomena being observed through several phases of data collection (Creswell, 2014, p. 4). The investigator may begin by formulating a general research question from professional experiences or observations, and as the study progresses, refine these questions. In contrast to most quantitative studies, where the bulk of the relevant literature is reviewed prior to conducting the study, a qualitative researcher may not begin reading the literature until after the first round of data collection. Qualitative research aims for a holistic view of the participant's experiences by using observation and open-ended questions in in-depth interviews. Qualitative research methodology uses an inductive reasoning process. It is based on philosophical assumptions that are very different from those that support quantitative research. Epistemologically, knowledge comes from understanding what meanings have been given to experiences and processes from first-hand accounts of people. The nature of reality, which falls under the branch of philosophy called ontology, is socially constructed by individuals and groups of people, and thus multiple realities exist due to the different interpretative lenses people bring to their experiences. Unlike quantitative research, which some view as being value-free, the role of values (the axiological assumptions), intuition, bias, and subjective experience are an important component of what the researcher consciously and purposefully examines. More recent philosophic traditions that have informed qualitative approaches to research include those that address the perspective of people from socially or politically marginalized populations, such as feminist, critical theory, hermeneutic, and multicultural perspectives. From these per ...

1. Introduction:
Qualitative research is more concerned with description and the
subjective nature of lived experiences than with the
quantification of experience for the purpose of applying
statistical procedures. Their methods differ, but both qualitative
and quantitative approaches attempt to understand social and
behavioral phenomena by systematically collecting, organizing,
analyzing, and interpreting data. As forms of disciplined
inquiry, adherence to standards of rigor in the use of both
qualitative and quantitative research methods reduces the
likelihood of unwanted bias, thereby increasing the overall
validity or credibility of findings from any given study.
Sampling procedures in qualitative studies are designed to bring
the researcher in contact with the participants who are most
likely to provide rich data. Qualitative studies do not sample in
order to provide generalizations to a larger population, so
securing a sample that is representative of the larger population
is not a relevant concern.
Qualitative research, in contrast to quantitative, is more
emergent in that research questions are likely to evolve over the
course of the study as the researcher gains insight into the
nature of the phenomena being observed through several phases
of data collection (Creswell, 2014, p. 4). The investigator may
begin by formulating a general research question from
professional experiences or observations, and as the study
progresses, refine these questions. In contrast to most
quantitative studies, where the bulk of the relevant literature is
reviewed prior to conducting the study, a qualitative researcher
may not begin reading the literature until after the first round of
data collection. Qualitative research aims for a holistic view of
the participant's experiences by using observation and open-
ended questions in in-depth interviews.

2. Qualitative research methodology uses an inductive reasoning
process. It is based on philosophical assumptions that are very
different from those that support quantitative research.
Epistemologically, knowledge comes from understanding what
meanings have been given to experiences and processes from
first-hand accounts of people. The nature of reality, which falls
under the branch of philosophy called ontology, is socially
constructed by individuals and groups of people, and thus
multiple realities exist due to the different interpretative lenses
people bring to their experiences. Unlike quantitative research,
which some view as being value-free, the role of values (the
axiological assumptions), intuition, bias, and subjective
experience are an important component of what the researcher
consciously and purposefully examines.
More recent philosophic traditions that have informed
qualitative approaches to research include those that address the
perspective of people from socially or politically marginalized
populations, such as feminist, critical theory, hermeneutic, and
multicultural perspectives. From these perspectives, one
embraces the role of disciplined inquiry as a means of advocacy
for people whose voice and worldviews tend to be less
prominent. An approach to research from these perspectives,
called action research, was first developed by the social
psychologist Kurt Lewin in examining the perspective of
minority status individuals in resolving community conflict.
Action research is a macro-level framework for conducting
applied research focused on solving problems in a local setting,
that can utilize either qualitative or quantitative methods.
Qualitative Designs
There are many specific qualitative designs. Some of the major
qualitative designs are:

3. Case study.
Ethnography.
Phenomenology.
Grounded theory.
Narrative analysis.
Content analysis.
Your
Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed
Methods
text describes several of the major qualitative designs. There
are several commercially-available software packages for
helping researchers analyze qualitative data. In general, these
tools help the researcher organize large amounts of text so that
they can immerse into the data, determining what themes are
present. Qualitative researchers can analyze their data without
qualitative data analysis software, but it would require keeping
track of many bits of paper, such as individual lines of narrative
from interviews, which is unwieldy.
Case Study
Case study focuses on one or a few cases in their natural
setting. The purpose is to understand the one person, situation,
or organization in great depth. It involves data collection by
observation, interview, and written documents. Data is analyzed
by organization into themes or stories to portray the case.
Ethnography

4. Ethnography is used to understand the culture of a group or
organization, such as a prison population, school campus, or
management team. Ethnography methods are borrowed from the
field of anthropology and involve participant observation and
interviews, while the researcher is immersed in the culture
being studied. Culture or climate surveys used within a survey-
feedback process are commonly used in organizational settings
and are frequently part of a mixed-methods approach.
Phenomenology
Phenomenology seeks to understand the subjective, internal
lived experience of another human being. There are several
distinct traditions within phenomenology which are sometimes
covered in advanced qualitative research courses. Data are
collected by in-depth, semi-structured, or unstructured
interviews.
Grounded Theory
Grounded theory seeks to build a theory to explain something,
starting with the data gathered from interviews, observations
and analysis of documents. The theory comes from the data, in
contrast to quantitative designs in which researchers start with
theory and examine how well the data support the theory.
Content Analysis
Content analysis, which is both a type of research design and a
method for data analysis, is conducted to identify a specific
characteristic from information using any form of
communication (such as verbal or written) to obtain the data.
Three Research Traditions
Qualitative research historically was viewed as the starting

5. point for observing phenomena in the social sciences, serving as
the spawning ground for building theory. Quantitative research,
with its sophisticated kinds of statistical procedures, was
viewed as the best strategy for testing theories, many of which
originally emerged through direct observation in field settings.
Today, qualitative research is enjoying resurgence in the social
and behavioral sciences, not only because of more sophisticated
strategies and software for data collection and analysis, but also
due to an expanded appreciation for how knowledge is created
and the need to understand human experience holistically as it
occurs within complex systems. This is one reason why mixed
methods studies, which benefit from the strengths of both
quantitative and qualitative approaches, are increasing in
popularity. Mixed methods research is the topic of the next unit.
Reference
Creswell, J. W. (2014).
Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches
(4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Question
Qualitative Research Article Summary
After studying the introduction to this unit and completing the
study activities, briefly compare the use of the research design
employed in the study you selected to that of another qualitative
design. In other words, what type of questions is each research
design used to explore (for example, questions about the lived
experience of a person experiencing a phenomenon, how to
build a theory that is grounded in the data)? Summarize how the
sampling, data collection, and data analysis procedures worked
together to address the study's research question or questions.

6. The post should be written in your own words, not direct quotes
from the articles. Incorporate material from the course text in a
meaningful way.
The suggested length for this post is 350–450 words.
Research Topic: "The Effects Of Exercise on Cognitive
Functioning"