Which method is commonly used in qualitative research?

In qualitative research, one of the most commonly used methods is conducting interviews. This approach allows researchers to gather in-depth and nuanced information directly from individuals, enabling them to explore participants' thoughts, feelings, and experiences in their own words. Interviews can provide rich, contextual data that quantitative methods may overlook, capturing the complexity of social phenomena.

Through open-ended questions, researchers can probe deeper into a subject, encouraging participants to elaborate on their responses and share personal anecdotes. This method is particularly useful in exploring topics where understanding individual perspectives and contexts is crucial, such as in criminal justice, where factors like personal background, culture, and systemic influences play significant roles.

While surveys and experiments are valuable in other research contexts, they typically gather data in a more structured format that may limit depth and context. Statistical analysis, on the other hand, is more closely associated with quantitative research and focuses on numerical data to identify patterns and relationships. Overall, interviews stand out as a primary method in qualitative research for their ability to generate detailed insights.