ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author considers the ways in which questions about how to explore human experience have changed. They also discuss the alternatives that exist for doing social research that are associated with a qualitative perspective and consider the questions of ‘what are the origins of qualitative research?’, ‘what is qualitative research?’ and ‘what are the key characteristics of qualitative research?’ Qualitative researchers seek the perspective provided by the whole picture and assert that values, passion and politics are important in this research. Such research requires patience, honesty, courage, persistence, imagination, sympathy and self-discipline, as well as a view of researchers as people who conduct research amongst other people and learn with them, rather than conduct research on them. Qualitative research, also called naturalistic inquiry, developed within the social and human sciences and refers to theories on interpretation and human experience.
