10). Therefore, qualitative research is an interactive process in which the participants being studied teach the researcher about their lives. This type of research focuses on why and how to understand and interpret interactions. Usually, small selected groups, as opposed to randomly selected groups, are studied using qualitative research. As Tomal states, qualitative research is naturalistic, emergent, and case-based. For example, a researcher studying monkey behavior might study monkeys in their natural environment (2010, p..