LEAD 901 Chapter 5

1. Chapter 5
Five Different
Qualitative Studies

2. Discussion Questions
• What is the focus in the sample narrative study?
• What experience is examined in the sample
phenomenological study?
• What theory emerges in the grounded theory study?
• What culture-sharing group is studied in the sample
ethnographic study?
• What is the “case” being examined in the case study?
• How do the central features of the five approaches
differ?
• How does a researcher choose among the five
approaches for a particular study?
2Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

3. A Narrative Study
Chan, 2010: Summary
• 7th-8th grade Chinese immigrant student
• Bay Street School, Toronto, Canada
• Interviews with Ai Mei & other students
• Researcher participation in
– School activities, family dinner, classroom conversations
• Explored conflicting stories
– Ai Mei hid home language at school
– Pressure to use maternal language at home
– Conflicts between family needs (business & homework)
• Life-based literary narrative
3Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
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4. Narrative
Chan 2010: Features
• Stories from a Chinese immigrant student
• Collaborative collection: relationship over time
• Experience of individual: cultural identity
• Different forms of data
– Personal observations, interviews, field notes, event
attendance
• Themes not reported chronologically
• Thematic analysis
• Omitted turning point
• Discussed place
4Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

5. Phenomenology
Anderson & Spencer, 2002: Summary
• Purpose: explore experience of AIDS
• Introduced study: millions infected with HIV
• Advanced framework:
– Self-Regulation Model of Illness Representations
• Turned to lit: AIDS & qualitative research
• Design: 58 men & women with AIDS, 18 months
– Experience with AIDS
– Mental image of AIDS
– Meaning of AIDS in life
5Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

6. Phenomenology
Anderson & Spencer, 2002: Analysis
• Read transcripts several times
• Identified 175 significant phrases
• Formulated meanings
– Clustered into 11 common themes
• Integrated results into exhaustive description
• Validated findings
– Participant remarks in final description
• Discussion of essence
– Coping strategies
• Compared themes with other literature
6Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

7. Phenomenology
Anderson & Spencer, 2002: Features
• Phenomenon: ‘cognitive representations of
images’
• Rigorous data collection: group of individuals
• Brief mention of philosophy
• Bracketing: acknowledging experiences
• Data collection: 58 interviews, 18 months, 3 sites
• Data analysis: significant statements, meanings,
themes
• Tables of statements, exhaustive description
• Describing essence and context of AIDS
7Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

8. Grounded Theory
Harley et al., 2009: Summary
• Theory:
– Process explaining integration of physical activity
among African American women
• Lack of knowledge re factors & relationships
• Criterion sampling:
– 15 women age 25-45, some college
– Committed to physical activity
– 2 African American sorority alumni associations
• Data collection: face-to-face in-depth interviews
– Focus groups
8Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

9. Grounded Theory
Harley et al., 2009: Strauss & Corbin
9
Coding
Concept development
• Data & emerging conceptsConstant comparison
Theoretical model
• Initiation
• Transition
• Integration
Figure (phases)
• Ideal # sessions per week
• Maximum # sessions per week
Taxonomy of condition
Categories per phase
Context
Conditions
Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

10. Grounded Theory
Harley et al., 2009: Defining Features
Behavioral
process
• Theoretical
model
• Three
major
phases
Theory
emerged
• Physical
activity
• African
American
women
Memoing
• Writing
ideas as
interviewed
& analyzed
Data
collection
• Face-to-
face
interviews
• Focus
groups
Data
analysis
• Not strict
Strauss &
Corbin
(1998)
• Theoretical
model
10Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

11. Ethnography
Mac an Ghaill and Haywood: Summary
• Changing cultural conditions of a group of British
born, working-class Pakistani and Bangladeshi
young men over three years (n = 25)
• Cultural reductive representations of Islam
• Group and life history interviews, observations,
informal interviews over 3 years
• Thematic analysis
• How group made sense of social and cultural
exclusions
11Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

12. Ethnography
Mac an Ghaill and Haywood: Features
• Intact culture-sharing group
• Members ideas of their experiences and patterns
• Materialist and post-colonial theoretical frameworks
• Participant observer
– 3 years of fieldwork: in-depth group and life history
interviews
• Cultural interpretation from thematic analysis
– Emic and etic data
– Racialization of ethnicities, meaning attached to being
Muslim
• No call for social transformation
12Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

13. Case Study
Frelin, 2015: Summary
• Practices of a teacher with students who have a history of
school failure
• Unstructured interviews and contextual observation of 11
teachers
• Cross-case analysis and constant comparisons, used
software
• Case description of teaching context
• Three themes
– Trusting relationship, humane relationships, and students’ own
self-images
• Importance of connecting to students who experience school
failure
13Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.

14. Case Study
Frelin, 2015: Features
• Identified case: bounded as one teacher’s practices,
during time of data collection, at single institution
• Intent: single, instrumental case study
• In-depth understanding of teacher practices
– Could have been more extensive
• Data analysis: constant comparison, few details
• Description, three themes, and chronology
• Assertions
– Cross-case about importance of connecting to students
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15. Differences Among the Approaches
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16. Selecting Approach
Audience • What do gatekeepers
use?
Background • Training
Scholarly
literature
• Needed in field
Personal
approach
• Structure vs.
storytelling
• Firmer vs.
flexible
16
Start with desired
outcome of approach
Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design 4e.
SAGE Publishing, 2018.