Abstract:

Qualitative research is one of the most effective ways of understanding the major issues facing society. However, in the race to generate instant insight and technological solutions, researchers are at risk of overlooking the fundamental strengths of qualitative approaches – depth of insight and understanding of social context. Without these, the explanatory power of qualitative research will be weakened and the method will lose credibility. This presentation examines how this risk can be addressed through discussion of a best practice case study from recent work informing the UK’s prevent counter-terrorism strategy, demonstrating why ditching depth is dangerous.