ABSTRACT
This chapter states that qualitative evidence is narrative, non-numeric data that can provide a richness and greater depth of understanding of a particular setting, context or culture if analyzed purposefully. Qualitative research has grown in popularity during the past couple of decades, particularly in classroom research. Relying on memory of an observation will likely not yield the depth of detail needed for later analysis. The chapter explains that videotaping identifies distracting behaviors or speech issues or other patterns of behavior that may be useful or problematic. The video recording alone is insufficient for analysis. Notes of the observations from the video are necessary and useful for analysis. A survey may be as simple as a note card or scrap piece of paper where a student is asked to write down their reactions to a particular activity or assignment or discussion. The chapter concludes that qualitative research can be a useful starting place for classroom research.
