Why is qualitative data difficult to compare in interviews?

Qualitative data gathered from interviews is often challenging to compare because the answers may not adhere to a fixed format. In qualitative research, participants provide open-ended responses that reflect their personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This variability means that even when participants are asked the same question, they may respond in vastly different ways, offering unique perspectives that do not fit neatly into predefined categories. This richness of data is valuable for understanding complex social phenomena but complicates direct comparison across responses.

Standardization, fixed formats, and uniform questions might facilitate easier comparison in quantitative studies, but qualitative research thrives on the diversity of responses. This diversity can lead to richer insights into participants' experiences but also makes systematic comparison more difficult and requires careful qualitative data analysis techniques to extract themes and patterns from the nuanced narratives provided by participants.