Discernment of qualitative research methods and the space

300 words

At the heart of our first week of learning is a discernment of qualitative research methods and the space they occupy in social science apart from quantitative methods. In particular, we addressed the role of qualitative research methods as understanding human experience from the “inside” rather than at a distance from an objective “outside.”

Describe your understanding of qualitative research prior to your learning this week. How has it changed? Of the three stances described in Brinkmann (2014) (making the obvious obvious, making the hidden obvious and making the obvious dubious), which are you most drawn to? Finally, provide your overall reaction to this week’s material in the lessons and in Brinkmann (2014) and Watson and Vaidya (2013) given your initial assumptions about qualitative research.