Qualitative data

Qualitative data is descriptive information about qualities or characteristics. During a fitness test, an observer might record that a performer’s running posture was upright or that they wobbled during the Stork Stand Test. These observations describe how the performer moved rather than measuring the performance numerically.

An observer's description of technique is qualitative data. For example, a press-up count gives a numerical score, while noting that the performer did not fully extend their arms describes the quality of the movement and helps explain why repetitions were not counted.