What is a common limitation associated with qualitative research?

Qualitative research often utilizes smaller sample sizes compared to quantitative studies, which can limit the ability to generalize findings to larger populations. This stems from the nature of qualitative research, which focuses on depth of understanding, context, and subjective experiences rather than seeking broad applicability or numerical data. The insights gained from qualitative studies are invaluable for exploring complex phenomena and generating rich narratives, but the resulting conclusions may not be easily extrapolated beyond the specific group studied. This limitation is fundamental to qualitative research as it prioritizes context and individual perspectives over statistical representations of larger populations. Hence, small sample sizes pose challenges regarding the extent to which the findings can be applied more widely.