Qualitative methods
Research methods producing word-based data emphasising meanings and understandings: unstructured interviews, participant observation, case studies, life histories, focus groups.
Real World
Paul Willis's Learning to Labour used participant observation and group discussions with working-class 'lads' in a Midlands school, uncovering how they actively constructed a counter-school culture — insights no questionnaire could have captured.
Exam Focus
Use the term 'verstehen' when explaining why interpretivists prefer qualitative methods — it signals precise conceptual understanding to examiners.
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