"Big Qual": Methodological strategies for large-sample qualitative research during COVID-19

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the practice of qualitative research, it has also catalyzed interdisciplinary growth and methodological transformation. The COVID-19 Coping Study launched in April 2020 to investigate changes in physical, mental, cognitive, and social health among 6,938 aging Americans since the pandemic onset. We adapted traditional qualitative approaches to develop “big qual” data collection and analysis strategies in response to thousands of participants providing detailed and nuanced open-ended responses. This included purposeful and thoughtful data collection (e.g., sequencing with quantitative ‘warm-up’ questions), population-representative sample sub-sets to analyze manageable volumes of data, a range of longitudinal mixed-methods approaches, rigorous collaborative team coding practices, and careful selection of information-rich participants for in-depth follow-up. The development of “big qual” methodologies responds to challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. These methodological advancements may provide long-term strategies to creatively engage participants and researchers in meaningful and impactful qualitative research during times of crisis and when researchers and participants are geographically dispersed.