setptoc 404 College & Research Libraries September 1998 Editorial Let Us Stop Apologizing for Qualitative Research For too long, qualitative research on aca­ demic libraries has been marked with a negative definition—for example, nonquantitative handling of unstructured data. These terms carry a tone of apology and often mean impressionistic analysis of messy data. When compared to quan­ titative research, qualitative research is perceived as being less rigorous, prima­ rily because it may not include statistics and all the mumbo jumbo that goes with extensive statistical analysis. Qualitative and quantitative research methods in li­ brarianship and information science are not simply different ways of doing the same thing. Myths and Observations Unfortunately, there are mixed feelings about qualitative research. Contributors to professional/research journals, review­ ers of journal manuscripts, and some jour­ nal editors do not have an appreciation for, or understanding of, qualitative re­ search. Why is this the case? One obvi­ ous reason is that scholarly research has long had a primary focus on quantifica­ tion (how many? how much?), empiri­ cism, prediction, control, inanimate in­ struments (tests, surveys, questionnaires), and precision in its findings. Many of the scholars contributing to research journals were trained principally to perform quan­ titative research. And many of the re­ search journals have a readership prima­ rily composed of quantitative researchers. It is difficult for this readership to find meaning in a research process that in­ volves evolvement and flexibility. An in­ ductive mode of analysis may be confus­ ing to researchers who depend on deductive analysis (e.g., sta­ tistical analysis). Specific myths exist regarding the goals of qualitative research. For example, contrary to the belief of some, qualitative research seeks depth rather than breadth. In lieu of drawing from a large represen­ tative sample of an entire population of interest, qualitative researchers seek in- depth information about a smaller group. Also, there is the myth that qualitative researchers cannot obtain sufficient data by focusing on how and why people be­ have and think; such beliefs are held by people who do not understand—or care not to understand—the goals/purposes of qualitative research. In my role as C&RL editor, it is com­ mon to witness reviewers failing to un­ derstand how and why qualitative re­ search operates in the context of discov­ ery rather than verification. The socializa­ tion and change processes drive new practices, new ways of thinking, and re­ direction or modification of new ideas. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research is not propelled by traditional perspectives, literature-driven questions, and hypotheses. Qualitative research takes many forms in terms of methods. For example, natu­ ralistic qualitative methods include in- depth interviews, case studies, open- ended questionnaires, ethnographic stud­ ies, participant observation, and focus groups. It is common to see an emphasis on words in qualitative research (e.g., spoken words, written words, recorded field notes, visual observation—including 404 live, videotaped, and multimedia—and narrative stories in either written or oral form). We should not underemphasize the importance of meanings in qualitative re­ search. How do people make sense of their world and the experience they have in it? Qualitative research “implies a direct con­ cern with experience as it is ‘lived’ or ‘felt’ or ‘undergone.’”1 Unlike journal articles resulting from quantitative research whereby the content displays or implies examining specific component parts, the content of articles produced via qualita­ tive research tends to reflect how all the parts work together to form a whole. It is assumed that meaning is embedded in a person’s experience and that such mean­ ing is mediated through the researcher’s own perceptions. Strengths of qualitative research derive primarily from its emphasis on words rather than on numbers. And the under­ standing of the words is a must. Affect, cognition, and intentions also require a comprehension not commonly found in quantitative research. The “interpretive” approach to the understanding of words and meanings is central to the goals of qualitative research. Due to the special emphasis on understanding, qualitative researchers get better results from study­ ing a small group or individuals or envi­ ronments that preserve the individuality of the study’s participants. They cannot obtain the same understanding/results from collecting data from large samples and aggregating the data across individu­ als or situations. By working with smaller groups/situations, qualitative researchers are able to understand how actions, events, and meanings are shaped by the unique circumstances in which they take place. Evaluating Qualitative Research Even though qualitative research is dif­ ferent from quantitative research, both must be evaluated on the same basis; that is, does it make a significant contribution to the knowledge base and/or advance Editorial 405 theory? Qualitative research is capable of achieving these criteria in several ways. For example, it can provide data from groups not heard from before, replicate previous studies during a different time and space frame, and by studying new li­ brary services for the first time. It can be argued that qualitative research is so much different than quantitative research that it deserves its own evaluation guidelines. Much more work with, and understand­ ing of, qualitative research must occur before we can establish distinct evalua­ tion systems for this type of research. Conclusion Qualitative research remains underutilized in the study of library issues and practices. A new mind-set for accepting qualitative re­ search in formal studies of libraries and their activities has to be established and sus­ tained. Performing qualitative research should not be perceived as easy. More­ over, improvements in qualitative meth­ ods should and must occur, and they have to come from experts in the field. Sea­ soned qualitative researchers have to ex­ plore strategies for pushing the tradi­ tional methodological boundaries back. Authors, editors, and reviewers have to gain a better understanding of qualitative research methods. There is much to be realized in the li­ brary world by understanding, accepting, and using qualitative research. We must embrace and support qualitative research while making mistakes during its appli­ cation, refining procedures and processes, and reaping its many short- and long- term benefits. This exciting research phe­ nomenon is offering much more than ever anticipated by its critics. DONALD E. RIGGS Note 1. Robert R. Sherman and Rodman B. Webb, “Qualitative Research in Education: A Focus,” in Qualitative Research in Education: Focus and Methods, eds. Robert R. Sherman and Rodman B. 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