Challenges of Conducting Qualitative Social Work Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by researchers conducting social work research using qualitative research methods during the pandemic period. As part of the qualitative descriptive research methodology employed in this study, in-depth interviews were undertaken with 15 participants who utilized qualitative research methods in the field of social work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data, and MAXQDA 22 software was used for that process. As a result of the analysis, the following two main themes were identified: the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic reflected in the planning phase of social work research, and the challenges reflected in the data collection process. The research findings revealed that the characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic that prioritizes the physical distance between people, and the structure of qualitative social work research prioritizing mutual interaction, trust-based relationships, observation, and making the experiences of disadvantaged groups visible do not align, which brings many challenges to the process of conducting online or face-to-face qualitative social work research during the pandemic.