Chapter 1 -- Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: choosing Among the Five Traditions
How does the type of tradition of qualitative inquiry shape the design of a study?
Five different traditions of qualitative inquiry:
| Biography |
| Phenomenology |
| Grounded theory |
| Ethnography |
| Case Studies |
Six phases of research design:
| Philosophical or theoretical perspectives |
| Introduction to a study |
| Data collection |
| Data analysis |
| Report writing |
| Standards of quality and verification |
Tradition of inquiry- an approach to qualitative research that has a distinguished history in one of the disciplines and that has spawned books, journals, and distinct methodologies that characterize its approach.
Research design- the entire process of research from conceptualizing a problem to writing the narrative, not simply the methods, such as data collection, analysis, and report writing.
| Qualitative Traditions Mentioned by Authors |
| Author | Qualitative Traditions | Discipline/Field |
| Jacob (1987) |
Ecological Psychology |
Education |
| Munhall & Oiler (1986) | Phenomenology Grounded Theory Ethnography Historical Research |
Nursing |
| Lancy (1993) | Anthropological Perspectives Sociological Perspectives Biological Perspectives Case Studies Personal Accounts Cognitive Studies Historical Inquiries |
Education |
| Strauss & Corbin (1990) | Grounded Theory Ethnography Phenomenology Life Histories Conversational Analysis |
Sociology, Nursing |
| Morse (1994) | Phenomenology Ethnography Ethnoscience Grounded Theory |
Nursing |
| Moustakas (1994) | Ethnography Grounded Theory Hermeneutics Empirical Phenomenological Research Heuristic Research Transcendental Phenomenology |
Psychology |
| Denzin & Lincoln (1994) | Case Studies Ethnography Phenomenology, Ethnomethodology, and Interpretative Practices Grounded Theory Biographical Historical Clinical Research |
Social Sciences |
| Miles & Huberman (1994) | Approaches to Qualitative Data Analysis: Interpretivism Social Anthropology Collaborative Social Research |
Social Sciences |
| Slife & Williams (1995) | Categories of Qualitative Methods: Ethnography Phenomenology Studies of Artifacts |
Psychology |
Reflexivity- Self-awareness
One needs a rigorous approach to qualitative research using systematic procedures, well grounded in current texts within each of the five traditions.
Methodology can be read rhetorically and written in less technical ways, affording greater access to scholars and democraticizing science.
Different forms of qualitative traditions exist and the design of research within each has distinctive features.
Cresswell, J. W. (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among the Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.