adjective · academic
qualitative
UK/ˈkwɒl.ɪ.tə.tɪv/US/ˈkwɑː.ləˌteɪ.t̬ɪv/QUAL·i·ta·tive
relating to descriptions or qualities rather than numbers; research that focuses on meanings and experiences
Examples
“The study used qualitative interviews to explore people's experiences.”
“Qualitative data can reveal why participants behave a certain way.”
“A qualitative approach is suitable for small, in-depth studies.”
Band 8 sentence
“In mixed-methods studies, qualitative interviews often explain the patterns that quantitative surveys reveal.”
Collocations
- qualitative research
- qualitative data
- qualitative analysis
Word family
Common mistakes
qualitative data are numbers→qualitative data are descriptions
qualitative study uses statistics→qualitative study uses interviews or observations
Say it for a higher band
5descriptive→6detailed→7+qualitative
Synonyms
descriptive
Easily confused
quantitative
“The researchers collected quantitative data on income levels.”
Related words
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In Science & Research
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