Tonight I watched a Delve video on Qualitative Data. The title of the video is “Qualitative Data Explained | Comparison to Quantitative Data | Data Examples | How to Analyze.” Qualitative data can provide information that quantitative data can’t. The video described qualitative data as “descriptive: depicts qualities, characteristics, etc.” while quantitative data is “numerical: depicts numbers, counts, frequencies, etc.” The combination of qualitative and quantitative data can provide insights. Interviews or focus groups can be recorded and transcribed. During observations, photos/videos and notes of participants can be taken. Qualitative data can be collected from participants through diary accounts, videos, text messages, emails, written accounts, and open ended survey responses. Qualitative data can be collected from existing documents, including handbooks, videos, events, case studies, and research archives. Social media and online content can be another source of rich qualitative data. The video noted that quantitative data can be analyzed through mathematical analyses. Qualitative data can be analyzed through qualitative coding: a process to structure and make meaning of qualitative data.
