Dictionary · Introduction

(Qualitative) (1) a way of learning about social reality [...][that uses] approaches [...] to explore, describe, or explain social phenomen[a]; unpack the meaning people ascribe to activities, situations, events, or [artifacts]; build a depth of understanding about some aspect of social life; build "thick descriptions" (see Clifford Geertz, 1973) of people in naturalistic settings; explore new or underresearched areas; or make micro-macro links (illuminate connections between individuals-groups and institutional and/or cultural contexts). (2) [approaches that] can make visible and unpick the mechanisms which link particular variables, by looking at the explanations, or accounts, provided by those involved.