Abstract
AbstractThe tension between qualitative and quantitative methods is at the heart of much discourse about the state and direction of the discipline of sociology. Qualitative methodology refers to ways of conducting sociological inquiry using empirical practices such as observation and interview. Qualitative researchers typically use in‐depth interviews or participant observation in order to get a detailed picture of the populations they are investigating. This entry provides a definition and explanation of qualitative methods; elucidates its contrast with quantitative methods; explains underlying epistemological considerations that are at the heart of methodological disputes; suggests that the fundamentally different pursuits of these methodologies nullify conflict; and concludes by suggesting some future challenges that qualitative methodologists should attempt to address.
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