Research methodology and qualitative research (HL Paper 3)
Research methodology and qualitative research (HL Paper 3)
Paper 3 is HL-only and tests how research is designed, conducted and interpreted, with a particular focus on qualitative methods. Section A asks short-answer questions; Section B requires an extended response on qualitative research.
Core rules and concepts
- Sampling: random, opportunity, volunteer and snowball; each affects generalisability and bias.
- Qualitative methods: structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews; focus groups; observations; case studies; content and thematic analysis.
- Quality criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability replace reliability and validity in qualitative work.
- Ethics: informed consent, confidentiality, protection from harm, right to withdraw, and debriefing.
- Triangulation and reflexivity strengthen interpretations; researcher bias must be acknowledged.
Worked example
Design a qualitative study of student stress. Reasoning: a semi-structured interview matches the aim of exploring experience while allowing follow-up. Use purposive or volunteer sampling of students, record and transcribe, then apply thematic analysis: code extracts, group codes into themes, and support each theme with quotes. Justify credibility through triangulation with a second coder, and include a reflexivity statement. Ethics require consent, anonymity and access to support. Each design choice should be tied explicitly to the research aim; describing the method without justification earns limited marks.
Traps that cost marks
- Judging qualitative research with quantitative criteria such as statistical generalisability.
- Calling an interview an experiment.
- Omitting ethics or treating consent as a formality.
- Describing thematic analysis without explaining coding.
- Ignoring researcher bias and reflexivity.