All you need now is some data to back up your theory, and you have a study topic and questionnaire ready to go. However, you may wonder how many persons to interview or what constitutes an ideal sample size for your study.

Since you're already here, let's talk about it on the blog.

Qualitative research is designed to provide nuance to a problem and is not quantitative in nature. This is more of a statement being arrived at via qualitative analysis.

There are a few elements to take into account before deciding on the optimal sample size. Whatever it is you're looking into, that's what you'll be researching.

What sort of qualitative research will be undertaken, for example: 

-To construct a theory, in which case the organizer will stop collecting data for sampling once theoretical or conceptual saturation has been achieved. It's trying to open up a new possibility.

 - To supplement an existing hypothesis with more in-depth knowledge or to investigate the theory. Saturation, the point at which no more knowledge can be gleaned by the researcher, must also be reached.

-Identifying the degree of diversity within the sample.

-Participant selection criteria, study duration, funding availability, and design logistics.

First, however, can we define saturation?

Saturation occurs when there is sufficient information to either form or confirm a hypothesis.

In what ways might saturation be gauged?

If you find that your interviews are starting to repeat themselves or aren't providing you with any novel information, you may have reached a point of saturation.

Now that we've covered everything that has to be taken into account, the issue still stands:

 "WHAT'S THE IDEAL SAMPLE SIZE FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?"

There is no set size, thus that's the solution. The number of responses might be anything between 5 and 50. Start with a smaller group, say 5 people, then scale up if necessary.

It all depends on the paradigm of the issue and the level of rigor the researcher is looking for.

It is recommended that the sample size of qualitative research be kept modest in order to foster a sense of closeness with the respondents.

Sample size placement is also highly dependent on the saturation threshold.

It depends greatly on the specifics of each study and the individuality of the researchers involved.

For instance, a researcher may sample around 50 individuals to learn about the outcomes of the covid-vaccine, but only 30 people to learn about the outcomes of dairy products for those with lactose intolerance.

Due to the lack of a standard sample size, qualitative research does have certain restrictions.

There is no magic formula that can be followed to ensure success. This might lead to doubts on the part of the researchers.

There is a possibility of data repetition when the sample size is large.

Finally, we are not limited to a single figure. The researcher and the people they study make all the difference. To determine the optimal size of your study's sample, you must engineer a "hit and run" scenario.