Qualitative Experiments for Social Sciences

This paper presents the qualitative experiment as an alternative methodological
solution that combines an open qualitative approach, and a structured and controlled
experiment. Using three studies, including both a qualitative experiment and a traditional in depth interviews approach, we compare the findings of both approaches to identify the benefits and risks of qualitative experiments. Our findings contribute by presenting a methodological framework and technical recommendations based on three validity criteria (internal, external, and interpretivist validity). The results thereby contribute methodologically by empirically investigating the usefulness of qualitative experiments based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative validity criteria identified in the literature.