The epistemological foundations of the qualitative methods in media and communication research

Abstract

This paper aims to show the epistemological foundations of qualitative research methods in media and communication research by defining qualitative research and presenting its basic features in addition to clarifying the elements of the difference between quantitative research and qualitative research and reviewing the differences between the quantitative and qualitative approach at the intellectual and epistemological levels based on the comparison between the two visions for a set of elements (objectivity, aim of research, The role of the researcher, measurement tools, research procedures).