Qualitative data usage: which describes methods like interviews and observations?

• A. It provides numerical statistics
• B. It relies on interviews, observations, and texts
• C. It uses experimental measurements
• D. It requires large data sets

Answer: (B)

Qualitative data focuses on descriptive, non-numeric information collected to explore meanings, experiences, and social processes. Methods like interviews, observations, and analysis of texts are used because they capture people’s perspectives, interactions, and the contexts in which they live, in depth rather than as numbers. Interviews let people express thoughts in their own words, observations record behaviour as it occurs in real settings, and texts such as diaries or media content provide material for interpretation and theme development. This emphasis on depth and meaning distinguishes qualitative data from quantitative approaches that rely on numerical statistics, measurements, or large data sets.