Qualitative Research Methods in Software Engineering: Past, Present, and Future

TL;DR

This paper reviews the evolution and impact of qualitative research methods in software engineering, highlighting past developments, current practices, and future directions for the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive retrospective analysis of qualitative methods in software engineering research and discusses future challenges and opportunities.

Findings

Qualitative methods have significantly shaped software engineering research.

The use of qualitative methods has evolved over three decades.

Future research should focus on integrating qualitative approaches more deeply.

Abstract

The paper entitled "Qualitative Methods in Empirical Studies of Software Engineering" by Carolyn Seaman was published in TSE in 1999. It has been chosen as one of the most influential papers from the third decade of TSE's 50 years history. In this retrospective, the authors discuss the evolution of the use of qualitative methods in software engineering research, the impact it's had on research and practice, and reflections on what is coming and deserves attention.