Qualitative data is often collected through various methods, including community meetings. Which of the following is another method?

Qualitative data collection is fundamentally about understanding people's experiences, opinions, and attitudes, which can provide deeper insights into a community's needs and behaviors. Focus groups are a method of qualitative data collection where a small group of individuals is engaged in a guided discussion about specific topics. This method allows for in-depth exploration of participants' thoughts and feelings, encouraging interaction that can reveal underlying motivations and social dynamics that quantitative methods may not capture.

Focus groups are particularly useful because they can facilitate a conversation that generates rich, nuanced insights about complex issues and helps identify trends or common themes within a particular population. The group dynamic can also stimulate discussion and elicit responses that might not surface in one-on-one interviews.

In contrast, the other options mentioned—newspaper articles, hospital records, and arrest reports—primarily rely on quantitative data or are archival in nature. While they may provide valuable information about trends or statistics, they do not involve direct interaction with individuals to gather subjective experiences or viewpoints. Therefore, focus groups stand out as a method that specifically aligns with qualitative data collection.