Beyond Numbers: Getting to Know Qualitative Research Methods

This workshop is for researchers, students, and staff who want to better understand how qualitative approaches can help answer questions that numbers alone cannot. The session introduces qualitative research as a way to explore meaning, lived experience, social processes, and context. Participants will learn how qualitative research differs from quantitative research, when it is appropriate to use, and how it can complement quantitative and mixed methods projects. The workshop will also provide an overview of common qualitative methodologies, data collection approaches, and the basics of thematic analysis, including coding, codebooks, reflexivity, and trustworthiness.

By the end of this session, you will:

• describe what qualitative research is and how it differs from quantitative research
• identify research situations where qualitative methods are especially useful
• recognize several common qualitative methodologies, such as ethnography, phenomenology, case study, textual analysis, and applied research
• name common sources of qualitative data, including interviews, focus groups, observations, documents, media, and archival materials
• explain the basic steps of thematic analysis, from familiarization and coding to theme development and reporting
• understand key concepts in qualitative rigor, including trustworthiness and reflexivity
• recognize how qualitative methods can strengthen mixed methods and data-informed research projects