Comparing Qualitative Research Designs



Comparing Qualitative Research DesignsMonica R. WoodsUniversity Of PhoenixComparing Qualitative Research DesignsOne who has extensive knowledge about the practice and theory conducts a well-designed qualitative research study. Researchers must be knowledgeable about different research designs to demonstrate prominent findings within the study. It is important to not only have knowledge of philosophical structures; it is critical to have an unfathomable understanding of major concepts of qualitative research designs. Researchers must have a clear understanding, which includes key components such as: (1) when it is appropriate to use qualitative research, (2) what are the types of qualitative research designs (narrative, ethnography, ground theory, phenomenology, and case study, etc.), (3) foundational factors that build an effective design fitting of scholarly literature. This paper will describe unique characteristics of three qualitative research designs and the approaches taken with regard to types of questions answered within the design, the problem the design would address, the sample size, the type of data collected, how data is collected and analyzed, and how the results of the analyzed data are presented. Each design is examined with a comparison and contrast lens to elaborate on details vitally important for the reader to understand and the design of a more prominent qualitative research study. Case StudyResearchers sometimes use case study and qualitative research as mutual substitute terms (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). Especially, in situations where beginning researchers feel they must place a label to their inquiry beyond calling it a qualitative study. However, in defining a case study, characteristics are found more so than other qualitative research designs. A case study is defined as a study of a specific case that has clear boundaries. Qualitative case study is characterized by five primary areas within a real life setting (e.g. particularistic, inductive, descriptive, heuristic, and naturalistic) bounded by time and place, often used as a strategy of inquiry. A case study’s main focus is the inquiry of a specific person, situation, problem, event, or process (Willis, 2007), possibly involving more than one individual, group, or case. According to Hesse-Biber and Leavy (2011), case studies are used across disciplines and hold influences in areas such as social work, law, health, and education. A case study researcher examines problems where detailed understandings occur from investigating a case or a number of cases. Simply put, case studies focus on the in-depth descriptive analysis of a particular case or cases. Creswell (2013) stresses the importance of researchers having materials of context on hand to give accurate descriptions of the setting for the case. Researchers should also have a large amount of information about the cases so they are capable of painting an in-depth, accurate picture for readers. A case study research design can be viewed as an interactive process by allowing researchers to take a holistic approach for inquiry of more complex phenomenon in real-life (Yazan, 2015). The complexity of the case can yield such techniques and strategies used in qualitative and quantitative research methods such as statistics causing some confusion among readers.Qualitative research case study investigates by asking the questions “how” or “why” of the phenomenon to which is of interest (Yazan, 2015). Researchers conduct case studies via multiple methods of data collection that includes collecting vast amounts of data. The method of case study research is determined by the research questions. Hesse-Biber and Leavy (2011) noted key methods of data collection in case study assimilate oral history, interviews, ethnography, and analysis of documents. Case study research analysis depends heavily upon interviews, observations, and questionnaires to study the social world in the study. Content analysis use unobtrusive means to analyze data such as artifacts and text as a beginning measure of the research process (Hesse-Biber and Leavy, 2011). Content analysis is used when the researcher has a need to code and interpret data which. Such case example includes the study of large representation of historical event as with the competition between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party’s nomination (Hesse-Biber and Leavy, 2011). Content analysis is also appropriate to use when the study covers different disciplines to include “communications, criminal justice/criminology, education, and sociology” (Hesse-Biber and Leavy, 2011) (p. 228).PhenomenologyPhenomenology researcher as questions centered around a specific phenomenon involving an intense emotional experience of several individuals in the telling of their lived experience, which is perceived by the reader (Creswell, 2013). Phenomenology is focused on the meaning of the lived experience, therefore, the research questions generally ask “what” or “how”. Therefore, phenomenology researchers work to understand “what” individuals experienced, and “how” they experienced the phenomenon (Creswell, 2013). Phenomenology intends to create a deep understanding and meaning from collected analyzed data in the similar manner as case study research. Phenomenology research is designed for the researcher who seeks to describe the essence of a phenomenon of lived an experience of individuals. Research questions are derived by the researcher’s need for information from participants leading to the outcome (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015) Phenomenology research employs a variety of investigative tools and categories to approach the study to include hermeneutic (interpreting and oriented towards lived experience), transcendental (bracketing out one’s experience from several individuals who have the same experience), and empirical (grounded in scientific meaning) focusing on the interest of the phenomenon and the data from participants (Creswell, 2013). Phenomenology seeks to gain a deep understanding of the experience solely from the research questions asked. According to Creswell (2013), such deep understanding of the lived experience of the individuals, data is so reduced through analysis; a description of the lived experience is formed demonstrating the commonality of all individuals in the study. Grounded TheoryGrounded theory research focuses on the discovery of theory derived from data of participants who have experienced some process, action, or interaction (Creswell, 2013). Ground theory is said to have evolved as a qualitative approach through the years as researchers from Glazer (1967) to Strauss and Corbin (2008). Ground theory is used by researchers when no other theory in literature can explain a particular phenomenon or when there lacks sufficient descriptions of a process or knowledge being investigated (Yin, Merriam, & Stake, 2015). According to Yin et al., (2015) grounded theory intends to explain a phenomenon beyond mere descriptions. Leading to such findings are the research questions of grounded theory of which generally are “what theoretical model explains the phenomenon? Or what are the experiences of” (Creswell, 2013). Ground theory differs from other methods of qualitative research by the large amounts of data collected (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). Data are collected, cross-checked with other documentation to help the researcher understand the meaning of the particular phenomenon. The research questions in grounded theory often act as tools to elicit answers when the features are asked about a phenomenon or event. Researchers of ground theory ask questions that may lead to new theory by creating a systematic process. Ground theory research is unique in comparison to other qualitative designs by it being dependent upon theory for data. According to (Yin, Merriam, & Stake, 2015) an essential key to ground theory is that researchers collect all o the available data and analyze it in a separate processing step. Thus, ground theory develops Theory through a process of simultaneous collection and analysis (Yin, Merriam, & Stake, 2015).ConclusionIn conclusion, there are key characteristics of phenomenology research which include key lived experiences of individuals that are in sharp contrast to case studies which focus on in-depth understanding on a case or specific cases. These differences are also evident in the disciplines in which these approaches are derived. Phenomenology is found in Anthropology, Literature, Psychology, Education, and Sociology to name a few. Case studies are taken out of disciplines such as Law, Political Science, Medical, and Health. Data collection of phenomenology is in forms of interviews and documentation. Case studies gather data from a number of sources, including interviews, observation, documents, and artifacts of participants. Phenomenology analyzes data by hearing or reading stories and retelling the stories. Case studies analyze data with descriptive themes. Data analysis in case studies are generally based on the researcher’s opinion from analyzed data and not necessarily based on statistics from collected data or information shared by participants in the study.Both phenomenology and case study drive researchers to deeper understandings of an issue, problem, or phenomenon within a particular social setting. Hesse-Biber and Leavy (2011) teaches us that a holistic research approach helps researchers for a strategy to gain an in-depth understanding of issues, problems, and phenomenon that lead to new knowledge or new studies. ReferencesCreswell, J.W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Ltd.Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Leavy, P. (2011). The practice of qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Ltd.Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research (Vol. 15). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Willis, J. W., Jost, M., & Nilakanta, R. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research: Interpretive and critical approaches . Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage Publications, Ltd.Yazan, B. (2015). Three approaches to case study methods in education: Yin, Merriam, and Stake. The Qualitative Report, 20(2), 134-152. Retrieved from ................
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