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Open research questions in Qualitative Research Methods and Applications

38 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,468 Qualitative Research Methods and Applications papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • This study introduces a conceptualization of data journeys, addressing a prevailing gap in research that has emphasized downstream dynamics of data use while overlooking the processes through which data are mobilized and how their own meaning is constructed, shaping their later economic value in use.

    Reconstructing Data Journeys: A Meta-Synthesis Of Qualitative Case Studies · 2026

  • A limitation of this study is the transferability of the results to other GenAI platforms or across time, as GenAI continues to learn and evolve. We chose to use Microsoft Copilot because it is the institutionally licensed version available at our institution. However, other GenAI platforms may produce different analyses and may have different capabilities and challenges. Additionally, it is important to understand that many GenAI platforms offer personalization (e.g., customized settings and variations in prompt styles), which can impact the outputs generated. Future research could address these limitations by systematically exploring multiple GenAI platforms in order to understand variability across platforms. Additionally, since the same researchers conducted both the human-led analysis and the GenAI-led analysis, there is potential for bias in the comparison of the findings. Finally, each qualitative research design and methodology has its own steps and approaches, including the role of the research team, reflexivity, and analytic approach. Therefore, future research could explore the role of GenAI in supporting analysis across multiple designs.

    The Role of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Analysis of Qualitative Data Compared With Human-Led Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Using reflective response data collected from participants of a beginner qualitative coding workshop, this paper adds to the limited literature on student experiences using QDAS by examining gender differences in how participants critically reflected on their first experience using QDAS and examines the likelihood that participants would use QDAS in their future work.

    “Why was I not taught to use this software earlier?” A gendered exploration of university students’ beliefs towards their future use of CAQDAS · 2019 · DOI

  • Consequently, few studies have examined the student experience and decision-making process regarding the use of QDAS in the university setting (Paulus, Woods, Atkins, & Mackin, 2015).

    “Why was I not taught to use this software earlier?” A gendered exploration of university students’ beliefs towards their future use of CAQDAS · 2019 · DOI

  • , see Clark, 1970; Whiting, 1963; Whiting & Whiting, 1975), multisite qualitative research arose primarily in response to pressures from the federal government in the 1970s for studies that could overcome some of the weaknesses of large quantitative evaluations without being limited by the particularism of the single-site case study.

    Multisite Qualitative Policy Research: Optimizing Description and Generalizability · 1983 · DOI

  • It would also seem that, since her feelings about aggression were not explored, she was saying, "you do not understand. Although her feelings were not fully explored, it was felt that she was expressing both her dislike of the clinic and her desire to be accepted, wanted, and assured that even though her child would soon be beyond the clinic age, the worker would not reject her as her mother had done.

    The use of advice in casework<sup>1</sup> · 1953 · DOI

  • First, we demonstrate why this overview is needed, in part because of an increasing emphasis on finding sound ways of appraising qualitative studies, the lack of agreement on quality markers, and the variety of qualitative research methodologies available.

    Quality Criteria: General and Specific Guidelines for Qualitative Approaches in Psychology Research. A Concise Guide for Novice Researchers and Reviewers · 2024 · DOI

  • To demonstrate the inherently mixed data collection within Q methodology (Q-technique), we start by generating a concourse of subjective statements with ChatGPT.

    Integrated Data Collection in Q Methodology: Using ChatGPT From Concourse to Q-sample to Q-sort · 2024 · DOI

  • Analytic triangulation is a well known strategy to enhance rigor in qualitative research, but little is known about the process to develop and maintain an intellectually vital analytic dyad.

    Collaboration in grounded theory analysis: Reflections and practical suggestions · 2011 · DOI

  • A number of quantitative studies of pair programming (the practice of two programmers working together using just one computer) have partially conflicting results.

    A Coding Scheme Development Methodology Using Grounded Theory for Qualitative Analysis of Pair Programming · 2008 · DOI

  • However, as the methods themselves have not yet been described in any detail, the placement of this chapter seems premature and might lead to confusion for the novice researcher.

    Qualitative research for the information professional: A practical handbook · 2006 · DOI

  • It is the task of psychologists to describe and explain psychological phenomena, though the meaning of both description and explanation varies widely.

    A psychological analysis of a psychological phenomenon: the dialogical construction of meaning · 2000 · DOI

  • Methods that would provide explicit evidence are scarce and techniques to control such processes in the real world are almost completely unreliable.

    On Generating Data in Communication Research1 · 1970 · DOI

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38 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,468 Qualitative Research Methods and Applications papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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