This document discusses five qualitative research approaches: narrative research, phenomenological research, grounded theory research, ethnographic research, and case study research. It provides definitions, origins, key features, types, procedures, challenges, and emerging directions for each approach. Some similarities and differences among the approaches are also examined, such as how they differ in their focus, goals, data collection and analysis processes. The document aims to help researchers decide which qualitative approach may be most suitable for their study.

1. Chapter 4
Five Qualitative
Approaches to
Inquiry

2. Questions for Discussion
• What is the focus and definition for each approach (narrative
research, phenomenological research, ground theory
research, ethnographic research, and case study research)?
• What are the origin and background influences for each
approach?
• What are the defining features of each approach?
• What various forms can a study take within each approach?
• What are the procedures for using the approach?
• What challenges and emerging directions are associated with
each approach?
• What are some similarities and differences among the five
approaches?
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3. Deciding Among the Five Approaches
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4. Narrative Research:
Definition & Origins
• Phenomenon or method
• Chronologically connected
– Life course stages
• Postmodern orientation (Czarniawska (2004)
• Human development (Daiute & Lightfoot, 2004)
• Psychology (Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber,
1998)
• Sociology (Cortazzi, 1993; Riessman, 1998, 2008)
• Quantitative (statistical stories, event history)
• Qualitative (Elliott, 2005)
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5. Narrative Research: Defining
Features
• Collect stories (may be collaborative)
• Tell individual experiences and identities
• Stories occur within specific places or situation
• Many different forms of data
• Analyze: thematically, dialogically, structurally, or
using visual analysis of images
• Shape into a chronology (need not be participant’s
sequence)
• Turning points: tensions or interruptions
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6. Narrative Research: Types
• Biographical study
• Autoethnography
– Larger cultural meaning
• Life history
• Oral history
– From one or several people
– Testimonies
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7. Narrative Research: Procedures
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1. Determine suitability of design
2. Select one or more participants
3. Consider shape of data collection /
recording
4. Collect information about context e.g.
Historical
5. Analyze participants’ stories e.g. Restory
6. Collaborate with participants
Negotiate
relationships
& transitions
Epiphanies
(turning
points)
7. Present narrative in written form
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8. Narrative Research: Challenges
• Clearly understand participant’s life context
within social, familial, linguistic, institutional
dimensions
• Look for “figure under carpet”
• Reflect on own personal / political
background
• Consider: Who owns the story?
• Visual narrative inquiry is a promising
approach
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9. Phenomenology:
Definition & Origins
• Describes common meaning of lived experience
• Reduce experiences to a phenomenon
• Phenomenon: ‘object’ of human experience
• What & how experienced
• Strong philosophical component
– Role of philosophy as search for wisdom
– Suspend judgments about what is real until founded
– Intentionality of consciousness, directed at an object
– Refuse subject-object dichotomy
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10. Phenomenology: Defining Features
• Single concept or idea, e.g., “grief”
• Heterogeneous group of participants
• Philosophical discussion
• Researcher brackets self
• Data collection: typically interviews
• Data analysis
– Narrow units to broader meaning units
• Essence of what & how experienced
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11. Phenomenology: Types
Hermeneutical phenomenology
• van Manen (1990, 2014)
• Lived experience interpreting ‘texts’ of life
• Researcher’s abiding concern
Transcendental or psychological phenomenology
• Moustakas (1994)
• Epoche or bracketing for fresh perspective
• Transcendental: significance statements or quotes into themes
• Textural description: what experienced
• Structural description: how experienced
• Essence: textural & structural descriptions combined
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12. Phenomenology:
Procedures
• Determine suitability of design
• Identify phenomenon of interest
• Specify broad philosophical assumptions
• Called data from participants who experienced
phenomenon
• Ask what experienced? What context?
• Analyze data – significant statements and themes
• Textural and structural descriptions
• Report the essence of the phenomenon
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13. Phenomenology: Challenges
• Understanding broader philosophical
assumptions
• Carefully selecting participants
– With experience of phenomenon
• Bracketing personal experiences
– Interpretations include assumptions
• Defining epoche or bracketing
– Reflectively suspending understanding
– Deciding how to introduce personal
understanding
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14. Grounded Theory:
Definition and Origins
• Generate or discover a theory “Unified theoretical
explanation”” general explanation of a process or
action
• Theory grounded in data from participants (Glaser
& Strauss, 1968)
• Structured data analysis (Strauss & Corbin, 1998)
• Constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006)
• Situational perspective (Clarke, 2005)
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15. Grounded Theory: Defining
Features
• Focuses on process or action with distinct
steps or phases that occur over time
• Seeks to develop a theory of this process or
action
• Memo ideas during data collection or analysis
• Simultaneous and iterative data collection
(often interviews) and analysis
• Data analysis can be structured (open, axial,
or selective coding) or less structured
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16. Grounded Theory: Systematic Type
• Category: unit of information
– Events, happenings, and instances
• Theoretical sampling
– Multiple passes to the field until categories
saturated
• Constant comparative method of analysis
– Compare new to existing categories
• Conditional matrix
– Connects macro- and micro- conditions
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17. Grounded Theory: Systematic Coding
Open coding: main categories
Axial coding: Identify ‘core’ phenomenon from open coding
Causal conditions: factors causing core phenomenon
Strategies: actions in response to core phenomenon
Intervening conditions: broad situational factors
Consequences: outcomes of strategies
Axial coding: visually model core & surrounding categories
Selective coding: develop propositions or hypotheses
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18. Grounded Theory: Constructivist Type
• Diverse local worlds, multiple realities
• Interpretive approach: flexible guidelines
• Makes visible hierarchies of power
• Beliefs, feelings, and ideologies of
participants
– Rather than methods of research
• View complex terms as attempt to gain power
• Active codes: gerund-based phrases
• Conclusions: incomplete and inconclusive
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19. Grounded Theory: Procedures
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• Determine suitability of grounded theory
• Focus the interview on how individuals experience the process
• Theory building through iterative data collection, analysis, memoing
Process
• Categories
• Properties
Open
coding
• Logic diagram
• Central phenomenon
• Causal & intervening conditions
• Consequences
Axial coding
• Presented as a discussion or a model
Substantive
-level theory
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20. Grounded Theory: Challenges
• Set aside (pre-existing) theoretical ideas
• Allow substantive theory to emerge
• Follow specific steps (if Corbin & Strauss,
2007)
• Determine when categories saturated
– E.g. Discriminant sampling
• Produce theory with specific components
• Use Charmaz (2006) for more flexibility
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21. Ethnography:
Definition & Origins
• Focus on culture-sharing group
• Describes values / behaviors / beliefs /
language
• Participant observation
• Researcher immersed in group
• Adapted from anthropological field
methods to study cultural groups
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22. Ethnography:
Defining Features
• Complex descriptionCulture
• Look for patternsIdeas & beliefs
• Long enough to develop patternsGroup intact
• Interviews, observations, symbols, artifactsExtensive fieldwork
• Participant, insider viewsEmic perspective
• Develop new, novel understandingCultural interpretation
• Essence of function, way of life
How culture-sharing
group works
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23. Ethnography Types
Realist
Ethnography
Traditional
Objective account
3rd person
Dispassionate report of facts
Standard categories
Ethnographer interprets
Critical
Ethnography
Advocates for emancipation
Serves marginalized groups
Against inequality / domination
Value-laden
Empowers people
Challenges status quo
Addresses power & control
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24. Ethnography: Procedures
• Determine suitability of ethnography
• Locate culture-sharing group: identify gatekeeper
• Select cultural themes
• Determine type of ethnography
• Conduct fieldwork: multiple types of data
• Description of culture-sharing group
• Cultural portrait: emic & etic
• Present the patterns in written or performance
format
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25. Ethnography:
Definition of Culture
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Attributed to a group
when looking for patterns of social world
Inferred from words & actions of group members
Attributed by the researcher
Consists of behaviors, language, and potential
tension
between what group does & what ought to do
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26. Ethnography: Challenges
• Understanding of
– Cultural anthropology
– Meaning of a social-cultural system
– Concepts explored by students of culture
• Extensive time to collect data
• Literary narratives may limit audience
• Researcher may ‘go native’
• Sensitivity to participants
• Access & report impact
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27. Case Study:
Definition & Origins
• Study of real-life case in contemporary setting or
context (Yin, 2014)
• A bounded system
• Defined what to study more than methods
• Creswell & others: strategy
• Multiple sources of information
– Case description or themes
• Multisite study: multiple cases
• Within-site study: single case
• Long tradition in many disciplines
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28. Case Study:
Defining Features
• Identification of a specific case that is bounded
• Intent: intrinsic or instrumental
• In-depth understanding of case
• Approach to analysis: multiple cases or entire
case
• Description of case and case themes
• Organization: chronological, cross-case,
theoretical
• Conclusions: assertions
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29. Case Study: 3 Intents
Single instrumental case
• Focus on one issue or concern
• Select one bounded case
Collective or multiple case
• Focus on one issue or concern
• Select multiple cases (maybe within one site)
Intrinsic case
• Focus on case itself for unusual situation
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30. Case Study: Procedures
• Determine suitability of a case study
approach
• Identify case(s): purposeful/maximal
sampling
• Collect extensive data drawing on multiple
sources
• Analysis: holistic, embedded, thematic
• Multiple case: within, cross-case, assertions
• Report the case study and lessons learned
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31. Case Study: Challenges
• Must identify case
– Broad (Boy Scouts)
– Narrow (decision-making process of a college)
• Consider single or multiple case(s)
– More than one dilutes analysis
– No more than 4 or 5
– Multiple allow generalizability
• Rationale for sampling strategy
– Data collection matrix
• Decide boundaries or constraints of case
– Time, events, and processes
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32. 5 Approaches: Common Process
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Research
Problem
Research
Questions
Data
Collection
Data
Analysis
Research
Report
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33. 5
Approaches
Foundations
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34. 5 Approaches Data Procedures
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35. 5 Approaches Reporting
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