ABSTRACT
Qualitative research entails seeking understandings of human experiences and situations, primarily through using words and text. This chapter focuses on qualitative research and how it applies to nursing and midwifery. One of the challenges in qualitative research is that there are many approaches and positions taken by researchers. Qualitative research is popular in nursing and midwifery as it involves close interaction with the people being studied, reflecting the levels of communication and personal interaction involved in professional nursing and midwifery work. It seeks to understand varied human realities and contexts. The language of qualitative research is different from that of quantitative research and at times can seem overwhelming for a new reader. First, the person is seen as central to the whole process of qualitative research. There are many ways to go about qualitative research. The approach chosen is dependent on the research aim and question to be answered and upon the philosophical perspectives of the researcher.
