Which of the following are characteristics of qualitative research? A. It…

Concept

Qualitative research studies how people interpret experiences, practices, and meanings in their social or cultural setting.

Its evidence is commonly narrative or textual, and its analysis is interpretative rather than centred on statistical testing or controlled laboratory conditions.

Application

1. Liberal use of statistical tests quantifies patterns and tests hypotheses, so it reflects quantitative analysis rather than meaning-centred inquiry.

2. Narrative evidence records lived accounts and experiences for contextual interpretation.

3. A laboratory-oriented design isolates variables under controlled conditions, a hallmark of experimental research.

4. Interpretative analysis examines how participants understand experiences and practices.

5. A focus on cultural construction asks how social context shapes meaning.

Cross-check and contrast

• The combination containing statistical testing, narrative evidence, and laboratory control mixes one contextual form with two measurement-and-control features.

• The combination containing narrative evidence, laboratory control, and interpretation mixes contextual analysis with experimental control.

• The combination containing laboratory control, interpretation, and cultural construction again includes an experimental-control feature.

• The combination containing narrative evidence, interpretation, and cultural construction contains only meaning- and context-centred features.

Therefore, the correct combination is “B, D and E only”: narrative, interpretative, and cultural-construction characteristics.