The Five Qualitative Research Approaches and the Most Suitable One for Certain Research Issues
Presenting facts and figures can be quite a daunting task if one does not have a basis for an appropriate research method. This may lead one to just freelance ideas and opinions without researched truth. The credibility of facts lies in the heart of presenting qualitative research that is backed up by various research problems and scientific analysis that helps in the scrutiny of figures and deducing solutions or recommendations to the problem. According to Creswell, there are five major approaches to qualitative research: case studies, narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory and ethnography. ' However, there are several other approaches by different authors. In this essay, the focus is on reflecting on the five qualitative research approaches and finding the most suitable for various research problems.
The narrative is based on stories told in the past. It is thus deeply rooted in social sciences and humanities disciplines. The narrative gives an account of the events that took place in the past, Narratives can be categorized in terms of themes and forms e.g. autobiography, oral history or life history. Narratives are thus best suited for life experiences. A research can conduct a study using the narrative approach by recording the events in a diary and later retelling them. This is by organising them in a framework and giving additional accounts such as the set up of the story and the effects or lessons learnt from it.
Phenomenology focuses on describing a society's experience on a particular concept, unlike the narrative which focuses on an individual. This approach is greatly used in philosophy. It is categorized as hermeneutical, empirical, transcendental, or psychological phenomenology. Hermeneutical phenomenology focuses on lived experiences and a researcher's interpretation while empirical phenomenology focuses on the description of experiences of participants. This approach is thus best suited for shared experiences where qualitative data can be gathered to support the research and analyse it. The ground theory is quite similar to the phenomenology only that it goes deeper into establishing a theory through hypothesizing a problem and conducting deeper research to evaluate, making conclusions which either support or negate the hypothesis hence generating a theory. This approach is quite common in the sociological discipline. It is categorized as systematic, which focuses on the research process and constructivist, which is based on multiple world views, their complexities and ideologies which fashion a theory. It is used to explain a process or address a researcher's variables of interest.
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On the other hand, an ethnographic research is based on examining shared or diverse beliefs, values and behaviour of various individuals not necessarily in interaction or close to each other. It is quite applicable in history and cultural studies disciplines. There are various types of ethnography e.g. feminist, life history, confessional, visual, e.t.c. This approach aims at examining the diversity in practice and concepts of various people. The case study, conversely, summarises the basics of the ethnographic approach and focuses on the intent of determining how cultures wok instead of understanding the problem. Case studies are favourable in a majority of disciplines especially in social sciences. Their categorization depends on the size involved in the study, the intent of the study and other variables.?
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