Introduction to qualitative research methodology

Who this article is for

This article is for students, researchers, instructors, evaluators, and qualitative analysts who want an introduction to qualitative research methodology and how qualitative workflows can be supported in ATLAS.ti.

What is qualitative research methodology?

Qualitative research methodology refers to the approaches researchers use to explore and understand human experiences, behaviors, meanings, perspectives, and social processes.

Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on numerical measurement and statistical analysis, qualitative research focuses on interpretation, context, and understanding how people make sense of their experiences.

Qualitative research often involves:

• interviews
• focus groups
• observations
• field notes
• open-ended survey responses
• documents
• social media content
• audio and video recordings
• images and visual materials

Researchers use qualitative methodologies to:

• explore complex social phenomena
• understand experiences and perspectives
• identify patterns and themes
• build theories from data
• interpret meanings and contexts
• investigate processes and relationships

Qualitative analysis involves much more than coding alone. Coding is one part of a broader analytic process that may also include memo writing, comparison, categorization, interpretation, visualization, and theory development.

Common qualitative research methodologies

Different qualitative methodologies use different research goals, analytic strategies, and interpretations.

Grounded theory

Grounded theory focuses on developing theory directly from the data.

Researchers often:

• use open coding
• compare quotations continuously
• create categories and subcodes
• write memos
• build conceptual relationships

Grounded theory is often used when researchers want to generate new theoretical explanations from qualitative data.

Thematic analysis

Thematic analysis focuses on identifying and interpreting recurring themes or patterns across the data.

Researchers often:

• create codes
• group related concepts
• identify themes
• compare participant experiences
• interpret patterns across cases

Thematic analysis is one of the most flexible and widely used qualitative methodologies.

Phenomenology

Phenomenology focuses on understanding how people experience a particular phenomenon or event.

Researchers often examine:

• lived experiences
• perceptions
• emotions
• meanings
• interpretations

This methodology is commonly used in psychology, healthcare, education, and social sciences.

Ethnography

Ethnography focuses on understanding cultures, communities, or social groups through observation and immersion.

Researchers often:

• conduct fieldwork
• observe behaviors and interactions
• write field notes
• analyze cultural practices and meanings

Ethnographic studies often involve long-term engagement with participants or communities.

Narrative research

Narrative research focuses on stories, personal accounts, and how individuals describe experiences over time.

Researchers often analyze:

• interviews
• life histories
• autobiographies
• testimonies
• personal narratives

This approach helps researchers understand how people construct meaning through storytelling.

Case study research

Case study research investigates a specific case, setting, organization, group, or event in detail.

Researchers often combine:

• interviews
• observations
• documents
• reports
• multimedia materials

Case studies are useful for exploring complex situations in real-world contexts.

How to design a qualitative research project

Qualitative research projects usually begin with a research question and a methodological approach.

Step 1: Define the research question

Start by identifying:

• what you want to understand
• who or what you want to study
• why the topic is important

Examples:

How can people change their lifestyle to be more sustainable?

Step 2: Choose a qualitative methodology

Select a methodology that fits:

• your research goals
• disciplinary background
• theoretical perspective
• type of data
• intended analysis

For example:

• grounded theory may fit exploratory theory-building research
• phenomenology may fit studies about lived experiences
• thematic analysis may fit flexible pattern-based analysis

Step 3: Collect qualitative data

Qualitative data may include:

• interview transcripts
• focus group discussions
• observation notes
• open-ended surveys
• PDFs and documents
• images
• videos
• audio recordings
• social media or online content

ATLAS.ti supports multiple qualitative data types in a single project.

How to analyze qualitative data in ATLAS.ti

ATLAS.ti helps researchers organize, code, compare, visualize, and interpret qualitative data throughout the research process.

Step 1: Import data into a project

1. Create a new ATLAS.ti project.
2. Add your qualitative data.
3. Organize the documents if needed.

Researchers can work with:

• text documents
• PDFs
• survey responses
• images
• audio
• video

Step 2: Code the data

Coding involves labeling meaningful segments of data.

Researchers may:

• create predefined deductive codes
• create inductive codes during analysis
• revise and merge codes
• organize codes into categories and subcodes

Codes can represent:

• ideas
• concepts
• actions
• emotions
• behaviors
• themes
• processes

Step 3: Organize and compare codes

Researchers often:

• review quotations connected to codes
• compare participants or cases
• organize codes into categories
• identify patterns or themes
• refine interpretations

ATLAS.ti tools such as the Code Manager and Quotation Manager help organize and retrieve coded data.

Step 4: Write memos and comments

Memos help researchers document:

• analytic reflections
• emerging ideas
• methodological decisions
• interpretations
• theoretical insights

Code comments can also be used to define codes and explain coding decisions.

Step 5: Explore relationships and patterns

Researchers can use:

• networks
• code co-occurrence analysis
• code-document analysis
• visualizations
• reports

These tools help researchers:

• compare themes
• identify relationships
• visualize concepts
• support interpretation

Step 6: Generate reports and conclusions

Researchers can export:

• quotations
• codebooks
• reports
• networks
• tables
• visualizations

Use reports to:

• review findings
• support writing
• document methodology
• prepare publications or presentations

Choosing between qualitative and quantitative research

Qualitative and quantitative research answer different types of questions.

Qualitative research is often used when researchers want to:

• explore meanings or experiences
• understand context
• investigate processes
• interpret perspectives
• generate theory

Quantitative research is often used when researchers want to:

• measure variables
• test hypotheses
• analyze numerical relationships
• generalize findings statistically

Some studies combine both approaches using mixed methods research.

Common issues and mistakes

• Choosing a methodology without a clear research question
  • Your methodology should support the goals and focus of your research project.
• Treating coding as the entire analysis process
  • Coding is only one part of qualitative analysis. Researchers also compare, interpret, organize, visualize, and reflect on the data.
• Using too many disconnected codes
  • Large unorganized code lists can become difficult to interpret. Review, merge, and organize codes throughout the project.
• Skipping memo writing
  • Memos help document interpretations, analytic decisions, and theoretical development during the research process.
• Choosing a methodology that does not fit the data
  • Different methodologies work better for different research goals, data types, and research questions.

When to contact support

Contact ATLAS.ti Support if:

• you cannot import qualitative data
• coding features are not working as expected
• reports or exports fail
• projects do not open correctly
• networks or analysis tools are missing
• your project behaves differently from the documentation

When contacting support, include:

• your platform: Web, Windows, or Mac
• your ATLAS.ti version if using Desktop
• screenshots or error messages
• a short description of your workflow
• the type of data you are working with