From its first adoption in the late 80s, qualitative research has slowly but steadily made a name for itself in what was, and perhaps still is, the predominantly quantitative software engineering (SE) research landscape. As part of our regular column on empirical software engineering (ACM SIGSOFT SEN-ESE), we reflect on the state of qualitative SE research with a focus group of experts. Among other things, we discuss why qualitative SE research is important, how it evolved over time, common impediments faced while practicing it today, and what the future of qualitative SE research might look like. Joining the conversation are Rashina Hoda (Monash University, Australia), Carolyn Seaman (University of Maryland, United States), and Klaas Stol (University College Cork, Ireland). The content of this paper is a faithful account of our conversation from October 25, 2025, which we moderated and edited for our column.

翻译：自20世纪80年代末首次采用以来，定性研究已在软件工程（SE）这一长期（或许至今仍）以定量研究为主导的领域中稳步确立其地位。作为我们关于实证软件工程（ACM SIGSOFT SEN-ESE）的常规专栏的一部分，我们通过一个专家焦点小组对定性SE研究的现状进行反思。我们讨论了定性SE研究的重要性、其随时间的发展历程、当前实践中的常见障碍，以及定性SE研究的未来前景。参与本次对话的专家包括Rashina Hoda（澳大利亚莫纳什大学）、Carolyn Seaman（美国马里兰大学）和Klaas Stol（爱尔兰科克大学学院）。本文内容忠实记录了2025年10月25日的对话，经我们主持并编辑后形成专栏文章。