A diary can be used as a tool in qualitative research.
A qualitative experiment is an experiment that uses a qualitative technique to determine the truth of the hypothesis being tested. A number of different qualitative research methods can be used, including case studies, interviews, or diaries, and they are all linked by the fact that they are not objectively structured methods of collecting information. Researchers usually conduct a qualitative experiment as a way to find a better hypothesis for a large-scale quantitative experiment that can provide more effective evidence for or against the idea.
Understanding the difference between quantitative and qualitative research methods is the first step in understanding what a qualitative experiment is. Quantitative research is the most scientific in design and is generally concerned with having larger sample sizes and using objective methods to record results. For example, a quantitative experiment can be performed to determine the efficacy of a diabetes drug given to diabetics and their insulin levels measured to assess the efficacy of the treatment. A qualitative experience, on the other hand, would be something like a case study, where an individual person is observed to learn about a condition or the effects of a treatment. The use of quantitative methods is preferable to scientific ones because it offers more opportunities to generalize to the entire population.
Most of the time, a qualitative experiment will be used to get a general idea of a particular area of research before formulating a hypothesis that can be tested on a larger scale in a quantitative study. Qualitative research is inherently flawed because it only looks at a small population and the results cannot be recorded numerically, meaning unreliable human interpretation is at the heart of the findings. This causes a problem if a researcher wants to generalize a finding to the entire population, because there are many different factors that can influence the results that are not adequately controlled for. A researcher may note in a case study that the patient has shown increased anger when taking a medication, but may be confusing the two and missing something relevant, such as increased stress at work.
Many different methods can be used in a qualitative experiment, but the most common are case studies and interviews. These methods are characteristic of qualitative research because it is difficult to study large numbers of people through these methods, and the researcher’s observations are central to the findings, even if they disagree with the truth. On the other hand, qualitative experiments provide a deeper understanding of the specific topic and get their name from the “quality” of their findings. Therefore, the joint use of qualitative and quantitative research methods can be used to gain a deep understanding of a topic and then test it objectively.