Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Practice Exam

Qualitative analysis is the type of analysis that emphasizes understanding non-numeric data, such as words, themes, and concepts. This form of analysis seeks to interpret and make sense of information that cannot be quantified easily using numbers. It often involves collecting data through interviews, focus groups, open-ended surveys, and observations, allowing researchers to explore participants' thoughts, feelings, and motivations in depth.

In contrast, quantitative analysis deals primarily with numeric data and statistical methods to measure and analyze trends or patterns. Statistical analysis is a subset of quantitative analysis that specifically utilizes mathematical techniques to evaluate numerical data. Descriptive analysis, while it can include qualitative elements, mainly summarizes datasets, presenting characteristics but not typically focusing on interpretative insights from non-numeric data.

By focusing on the rich, subjective experiences that qualitative analysis captures, it provides a complementary perspective to quantitative methods, helping to round out the understanding of complex social phenomena.