Chapter 3 -- Five Different Qualitative Studies
The best studies have a strong inquiry procedure. This procedure can be gained through engaging in field studies.
Biography- This is the story of Vonnie Lee, a 29-year-old man whom the author meets at Opportunity House, an agency designed for the rehabilitation of adults with mental retardation and psychiatric disorders.
This article presents the life history approach to biography within the confines of a short journal articles.
This study contains many useful "markings" of the biographical genre of research:
| The author tells the story of a single individual, providing a central focus. |
| The data collection consists of conversations or stories |
| The individual recalls a special event of his life, an "epiphany" |
| The author reports detailed information about the setting or historical context of the bus trip. |
| The author is present in the study, reflecting on his own experiences. |
Phenomenology- This study discusses the "caring interaction" between a nurse and patient. The investigator explores the central issue of the essential structure of a caring nurse-client interaction and poses this question: "What is essential for the experience to be described by the client as being a caring interaction?"
This study represents a psychological approach to a phenomenological study. The overall format of the article is highly structured, following many of the forms we typically associate with quantitative research.
Grounded Theory- This is a grounded theory study about the survival and coping strategies of eleven women to childhood sexual abuse.
The authors use rigorous procedures, such as collaboration and the search for disconfirming evidence, to verify their account.
Ethnography- This study examines the interview process for choosing a new principal. The author uses the ethnographic approach, and the data collection consists of documents, participant observation, and interviewing.
Case Study- This qualitative case study describes a campus reaction to an incident in which a student attempted to fire a gun at his classmates.
Case study structure- the problem, the context, the issues, and the "lessons learned"
Factors that need to be considered in a choice of a tradition:
| The audience question |
| The background question |
| The scholarly literature question |
| The personal approach question |
Creswell, J. W. (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among the Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.