Qualitative data is best described as information not in numerical form; typical methods include interviews and observations.

• A. It relies on qualitative observations and words
• B. It uses statistics and measurements
• C. It is entirely experimental
• D. It is always numerical

Answer: (A)

Qualitative data is information that isn’t in numerical form, capturing meanings, experiences and social processes through words and descriptions. The description that best fits this is that it relies on qualitative observations and words, since interviews provide people’s spoken or written responses and observations give descriptive notes about behavior and context. Together these produce rich, non-numerical data that researchers analyze for themes and insights rather than numbers.

In contrast, quantitative data uses statistics and measurements, which is about numbers and quantities. It isn’t defined as entirely experimental, and it isn’t always numerical in the sense of being limited to numbers, since qualitative work centers on words and meanings rather than counts.