This issue of the Journal MedienPädagogik mainly comprises contributions written from the perspective of qualitative research. This was not necessarily the editor's intention. However, all contributions that reached us due to our "call for paper" related to topics within the framework of the justification and discussion of qualitative research methods.
We see this as an expression of the fact that the methods of a qualitative research methodology have become increasingly acceptable in recent years. Especially when media events are considered from the point of view of active recipients who are not simply victims of external stimuli, then it makes sense to investigate this interactivity with qualitative means. Possible methods include participant observation, in-depth or group interviews. What all these methods have in common is that the researchers enter into an intensive relationship with their subject, which is hardly possible via the objectifying methods of classical empiricism.
A second characteristic of qualitative research is that such studies are often less concerned with testing theories than with developing them. Small groups are particularly suitable for theory-generating work in contact with the data. The concept of "grounded theory", for example, explicitly emphasises that this is a way to develop theories from the cases studied.
Thirdly, what is particularly appropriate for a media education journal is the fact that this issue also discusses the possibilities of including visual methods in qualitative research activities. This signals that media are not only the subject of this journal, but - as in the context of video analyses - can also be an instrument in the hands of researchers to represent the "object of investigation" not only through written texts (interviews, questionnaires).
Finally, a comment on my own behalf: The following contributions are to be understood as contributions to the discussion. Especially in an online journal it is better to include comments, reactions and discussion contributions from readers. For this reason, there is also a forum in this journal in which the theses and statements of the authors can be discussed further. We would be pleased if you would use this opportunity and publish your comments and statements there.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)