Qualitative Research Approaches

Qualitative Research Approaches

1. Viable ways to conduct qualitative studies:

   • Phenomenological Research
     • It is a strategy of inquiry, the researcher identifies the essence of human experiences about a phenomenon as described by participants.
       • The researcher brackets aside his/her own experiences in order to understand those of the participants in the study.
   • Grounded Theory
     • It is a strategy of inquiry in which the researcher derives a general, abstract theory of a process, action or interaction grounded in the views of participants.
       • Constant comparison of data with emerging categories.
         • Theoretical sampling of different groups to maximize the similarities and the differences of information.
   • Case studies
     • Strategy of inquiry in which the researcher explores in depth a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals.
       • Researchers collect detailed information using a variety of data collection procedures over a sustained period of time.
   • Narrative research
     • The researcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals to provide stories about their lives.
       • Combines views from the participant's life with those of the researcher's life in a collaborative narrative.
   • Ethnography
     • The researcher studies an intact cultural group in a natural setting over a prolonged period of time by collecting observational and interview data.
       • Flexible and typically evolves contextually in response to the lived realities encountered in the field setting.
   • Mixed Methods Approaches
     • The qualitative and quantitative data can be merged into one large database or the results used side by side to reinforce each other.
       • Three types: sequential mixed methods, concurrent mixed methods, and transformative mixed methods.

2. Stella Lissette Gutiérrez Amaro, i62