Research with an emphasis on the understanding of processes and meanings using textual rather than quantitative data; often these are considered not to be open to experimental and/or psychometric examination, and not to be measurable in terms of quantity, amount, etc. Examples of qualitative research are case studies and ethnography. The findings from such research are typically not considered to be generalizable, but instead transferable (i.e., they have internal validity).
See Content analysis, Discourse analysis, Generalization, Ethnography, Focus groups, Hermeneutics (and phenomenology), Internal validity, Méthode clinique, Mutuality, Narrative, Participant observation, Personal literacies, Quantitative research, Reflexivity