RD

• Qualitative Research Designs


  • Ethnography
  • Grounded Theory
  • Narrative Inquiry
  • Phenomenology
  • Case Study
• Phenomenology


  An approach that focuses on the subjective experience of the individual and seeks to understand the essence or structure of a phenomenon from the perspective of those who have experienced them
• Phenomenology


  • Purpose, goal: to describe experiences as they are lived, investigates uniqueness of individual's lived situations, each person has own reality; reality is subjective
  • Method: no clearly defined steps to avoid limiting creativity of researcher
  • Sampling & data collection: seek persons who understand study & are willing to express inner feelings & experiences, describe experiences of phenomenon, write experiences of phenomenon, direct observation, audio or videotape
  • Data analysis: classify & rank data, sense of wholeness, examine experiences beyond human awareness/ or cannot be communicated
  • Outcomes: findings described from subject's point-of-view, researcher identifies themes, structural explanation of findings is developed
• Case study


  • Purpose: describe in-depth the experience of one person, family, group, community, or institution
  • Method: Direct observation and interaction with subject
  • Analysis: synthesis of experience
  • Outcomes: in-depth description of the experience
• Case study


  • Methods of collecting data: interview, observation and questionnaire
• Grounded theory


  • Purpose: theory development, used in discovering what problems exist in a social scene &how persons handle them, involves formulation, testing, & redevelopment of propositions until a theory is developed
  • Method: steps occur simultaneously; a constant comparative process
  • Data collection: interview, observation, record review, or combination
  • Analysis: Concept formation, Concept development - reduction; selective sampling of literature; selective sampling of subjects; emergence of core concepts, concept modification & integration
  • Outcomes: theory supported by examples from data
• Grounded theory


  • Data are usually are collected through non-standardized interviews and participant observation
• Historical


  • Purpose: describe and examine events of the past to understand the present and anticipate potential future effects
  • Method: Formulate idea - select topic after reading related literature, develop research questions, develop an inventory of sources - archives, private libraries, papers, clarify validity & reliability of data - primary sources, authenticity, biases, develop research outline to organize investigative process collect data
  • Analysis: synthesis of all data; accept & reject data; reconcile conflicting evidence
  • Outcomes: select means of presentation - biography, chronology, issue paper
• Ethnography


  • Refers to the direct description of the group, culture or community
  • A special kind of case study that involves a study of a certain cultural group in which you obtain knowledge about the characteristics, organizational set-up and relationships of the members; requires your actual participation in the group's activities
• Ethnography


  • Data collection method is observation