Qualitative and descriptive research: Data type versus data analysis

Qualitative and descriptive research methods have been very common procedures for conducting research in many disciplines, including education, psychology, and social sciences. These types of research have also begun to be increasingly used in the field of second language teaching and learning. The interest in such methods, particularly in qualitative research, is motivated in part by the recognition that L2 teaching and learning is complex. To uncover this complexity, we need to not only examine how learning takes place in general or what factors affect it, but also provide more in-depth examination and understanding of individual learners and their behaviors and experiences. Qualitative and descriptive research is well suited to the study of L2 classroom teaching, where conducting tightly controlled experimental research is hardly possible, and even if controlled experimental research is conducted in such settings, the generalizability of its findings to real classroom contexts are questionable. Therefore, Language Teaching Research receives many manuscripts that report qualitative or descriptive research. The terms qualitative research and descriptive research are sometimes used interchangeably. However, a distinction can be made between the two. One fundamental characteristic of both types of research is that they involve naturalistic data. That is, they attempt to study language learning and teaching in their naturally occurring settings without any intervention or manipulation of variables. Nonetheless, these two types of research may differ in terms of their goal, degree of control, and the way the data are analyzed. The goal of descriptive research is to describe a phenomenon and its characteristics. This research is more concerned with what rather than how or why something has happened. Therefore, observation and survey tools are often used to gather data (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2007). In such research, the data may be collected qualitatively, but it is often analyzed quantitatively, using frequencies, percentages, averages, or other statistical analyses to determine relationships. Qualitative research, however, is more holistic and often involves a rich collection of data from various sources to gain a deeper understanding of individual participants, including their opinions, perspectives, and attitudes. Qualitative research collects data qualitatively, and the method of analysis is 572747 LTR0010.1177/1362168815572747Language Teaching ResearchEditorial editorial2015