1.2: Qualitative Method
The Qualitative Method is an anthropological research method designed to map out detailed descriptions of social activities within a culture. A specialist such as an anthropologist enters a foreign/home culture and observe whatever he or she wants to investigate with tools that arrange from taking notes to interviews. The observation(s) may include social norms, activities, religious rituals, cultural ideology and etc. This method doesn’t require any statistical or mathematical measurements (which is the Quantitative Method), but only the written observation of culture within a certain ethnic group.
The reasons behind the observation can vary depending on the intention of the anthropologist. For example, if there’s a social problem within a culture, anthropologists may launch an investigation to figure out the source of the problem. Anthropologists might also apply the qualitative method to create improvements in a social environment. This can take a variety of forms; such as fighting poverty, improving medical care, building new estates and so on. Curious anthropologists often take advantage of the qualitative method. While some might actually use the method to resolve social issues, others might use to learn more about a certain society or group. If someone wanted to learn more about a culture, he or she can observe the lifestyle and find out the opinions of the people to retrieve more information.