A Survey of Qualitative Methods
Adapted from Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 4th Edition, by Michael Quinn Patton
Framework
|
Discipline
|
Research Questions
|
Practice
|
Ethnography
|
Anthropology
|
What is the culture of this group of people?
How does culture explain their perspectives and behaviors? |
Observation of life-world;
Interviews; Depth reading |
Autoethnography
|
Literary Arts
|
How does my own experience of my culture offer insights about my culture, situation, event, and way of life?
|
Depth reading;
Observation of lived experience; Reflective writing |
Grounded Theory
|
Social Sciences Methodology
|
What theory, grounded in fieldwork, emerges from systematic comparative analysis so as to explain what has been observed?
|
Interviews;
Coding; Developing theory |
Phenomenology
|
Philosophy
|
What is the meaning, structure, and essence of the lived experience of this phenomenon for this person or group of people?
|
Self/world reflection;
Interviews; Depth reading |
Heuristic Inquiry
|
Humanistic Psychology
|
What is my experience of this phenomenon and the essential experience of others who also experience this phenomenon intensely?
|
Self/world reflection;
Interviews; Depth reading |
Social Constructionism/
Constructivism |
Sociology
|
How have the people in this setting constructed their reality?
What is perceived as real? What are the consequences of what is perceived as real? |
Interviews;
Depth reading |
Narrative Inquiry
|
Social Sciences,
Rhetorical Studies, Literary Criticism, Narratology, Literary Nonfiction |
How can this narrative (story) be interpreted to understand and illuminate the life and culture that created it?
What does this narrative or story reveal about the person and world from which it came? |
Depth reading;
Interviews |
Ethnomethodology
|
Sociology
|
How do people make sense of their everyday activities so as to behave in socially acceptable ways?
|
Interviews;
Observation of life-world; Depth reading |
Symbolic Interaction
|
Social Psychology
|
What common set of symbols and understandings have emerged to give meaning to people's interactions?
|
Depth reading;
Observation of life-world |
Semiotics
|
Linguistics
Rhetorical Studies |
What signs (words and symbols) carry and convey special meaning in particular contexts?
What are the implications of those signs for human beliefs, behaviors, and interactions? |
Depth reading;
Observation of life-world |
Hermeneutics
|
Philosophy
Rhetorical Studies Linguistics Theology |
What are the conditions and context under which a human act took place or a product was produced that makes it possible to interpret its meaning?
|
Depth reading
|
Systems Theory
|
Interdisciplinary
|
How and why does this system function as it does?
What are the system's boundaries and interrelationships, and how do these affect perspectives about how and why the system functions as it does? |
Interviews;
Observation of life-world; Depth reading |
Complexity Theory
|
Theoretical Physics,
Biological Sciences, Ecology |
How can the emergent and nonlinear dynamics of complex adaptive systems be captured, illuminated, and understood?
|
Interviews;
Observation of life-world; Depth reading |
Pragmatism and generic qualitative inquiry
|
Philosophy and program evaluation
|
What are the practical consequences and useful applications of what we can learn about this issue or problem?
|
Interviews;
Observation of life-world; Depth reading |