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Numbers do count but not all the time. When a text reads, “3 out of 10 pregnant women do not go to health facilities for delivery”, though it shows the situation that women generally do not go to the health facilities for delivering their babies, the “why” aspect is not explained enough. This very curiosity of going deeper and understanding the reason behind a problem/situation is answered through qualitative research.

The Social Diagnosis

Qualitative research is largely an observation the behaviour and perception of the study participants. In a broader sense, it allows the researchers to get a ‘sense of the context’ or the environment that has triggered/influenced a certain type of behaviour. As for instance, when a particular community is found to be less keen on using modern family planning methods such as contraceptives, through an ethnographic research we could understand how societal tradition of considering children as ‘gift of God’ has established such a notion even for younger generations. So, actually a qualitative research helps in social diagnosis – understanding the core of a problem/situation by analyzing various social dynamics, the interplay between them and how they shape and influence in the resultant situation/occurrence of problem.

Multiple methods and approaches

Qualitative studies use multiple methods and approaches such as ethnographies, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory group discussions, shadowing, document reviews among others. Though there are different means of obtaining the information, theessence of analysis lies in exploring the societal symmetry/asymmetry towards a problem/situation. The scope of analysis depends upon the nature of study we are conducting. A 3-year ethnographic study provides much space for a rigorous participatory observation of the study component while a 6-month formative research using some focus group discussions could only give a ‘glimpse’ or ‘mirror-image’ of the situation/problem.

Analysis as an evolutionary process

Another pivotal aspect is the theoretical perspective or ‘lens’ we apply in our analysis based on the research questions we have set. Grounded theory approach is one such beauty of qualitative research we speak as the data says. The codes and the themes are generated from the data transcripts. Therefore, analysis becomes an evolutionary process where we figure out the symmetry between what we had hypothesized about the society and the study participant and how it was reflected by the data.

Researcher as the instrument

Unlike other studies, researchers in qualitative studies play an important role in shaping the study. There is an entire discourse around researcher bias and self-reflexivity which explains that the manner in which a social diagnosis is done or the way the societal conditions of a particular problem/situation is analyzed is based upon the researcher’s own biasness as well as his/her capacity to be able to understand/comprehend the information and interpret accordingly. A conscious effort has also been made by the qualitative research community by introducing various ethical protocols to ensure that the issues of confidentiality and anonymity of the study participants are maintained.

With all these various dimensions in qualitative research, the notion of social diagnosis has become even important and interesting. Therefore, there is greater attention paid these days in the world of research and evidence generation to explore the arrays of perennial issues of physical, socio-economic and mental well-being through qualitative research.