Qualitative Research

Covert Observation

Participants are unaware that they are being observed

Strengths of Covert observation

• Mundane realism (participants acting naturally, not knowing they are observed)

• High validity

Limitations of Covert observation

Ethical considerations, especially with informed consent and debriefing

Overt Observation

Participants are aware that they are being observed

Strengths of Overt Observation

• More clear/direct data collection

• Ethical/consensual

Limitations of Overt Observation

• Potential for participant expectancy effect

• Lower ecological validity

Participant Observation

Observer becomes part of the group of participants being observed, directly interacting with others

Strengths of Participant Observation

Provides in-depth insights and understanding of context, enhances rapport between researcher and participants.

Limitations of Participant Observation

Potential for researcher bias, less objective

Researcher Observation

Researchers observe participants’ behavior while remaining separated

Strengths of Researcher Observation

More objective (less potential for researcher bias)

Limitations of Researcher Observation

Results lack depth/nuance of the context of the experiment

Structured Interview

The researcher asks set questions in a set order, with little deviation from the topic.

Strengths of Structured Interview

More objective/standardized, easier to analyze and compare results across participants

Limitations of Structured Interview

Results lack depth/nuance of the context of the experiment

Semi-structured Interview

The researcher asks open-ended and closed questions, allowing for some flexibility in responses and follow-up questions.

Strengths of semi-structured interview

Gathers more nuanced/in-depth results about the participants’ experiences while also staying on-topic

Limitations of semi-structured interview

May introduce interviewer bias and lack consistency across interviews

Focus Group

A discussion with a group of participants guided by a researcher to gather opinions and insights on a specific topic.

Strengths of Focus Group

Allows participants to share perspectives, leading to a more in-depth/nuanced understanding of the topic

Limitations of Focus Group

• Unequal speaking of participants

• More difficult to analyze

Case Studies

An in-depth investigation of a specific person/group/situation to explore a certain phenomenon

Strengths of Case Studies

Provide rich, detailed information and insights, useful for theory development and exploring complex issues.

Limitations of Case Studies

Extremely low population validity due to studying a specific case/scenario