Is qualitative research frowned upon?

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PhDToBe

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I was wondering how everyone feels about qualitative research.

In my undergrad institution, I helped with an international study on trauma that included a qualitative portion on the unhelpful and helpful aspects of DID treatment. I really liked this aspect of the survery, which also included 200 or so "regular"/ (non open-ended) questions. This study is the first of its kind and is very highly regarded in the trauma field.

I recently mentioned to one of my advisors that I am interested in doing qualitative research, and he basically said it was looked down upon and "not good". I realize he is probably biased, but I wanted to know what everyone else thinks.

Do other professors feel this way, at both grad and undergrad programs?


Thank you, and good luck to everyone applying!

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Unfortunately this is true. Many out there do not understand qualitative research and therefore do not understand that a good qualitative research has much rigor. You may need to educate others about qualitative research methodology and to find a good adviser to guide you through the process. Many of the qualitative psych lit have methodological flaws unfortunately and many due to the lack of immersion in the field (guess they have little time to stay in the field). Also remember that qualitative research will take approximately twice the time to do a quantitative research.

You also have to think about what you are studying. For example, if you are studying a phenomenon that is really not known or well researched, you may want to do a qualitative study to capture a complex picture of the phenomenon. There's always a good rationale for using quantitative and qualitative research...

Another option is to do a mixed method research, which really takes a lot of time but very strong.

May I ask what your research is about?
 
It's unfortunate that qualitative research is frowned upon. I understand that quantitative research is more preferable. But, people's opinions matter greatly, especially in terms of treatment progress, etc. Ex: placebo effect
 
thank you for your responses.

flow2pattern, i just PMed you!
 
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