Qualitative Research Basics: A Guide for Engineering Educators

• ethnography
• narrative analysis
• critical research
• postmodern research
Denzin and Lincoln (2005) list the following eight research strategies:
• case study
• ethnography/participant observation/performance ethnography
• phenomenology/ethnomethodology
• grounded theory
• life history
• historical method
• action and applied research
• clinical research
As these lists show, not all research strategies reflect the same aspect of the research
design. Phenomenology is a theoretical perspective that also has important elements of
data analysis, grounded theory is primarily a data analysis method, and case study refers
to the bounds of sampling. Merriam (2002) notes this, pointing out that case study
research can be approached as an ethnography or used to develop a grounded theory (p.
8). Six research strategies are highlighted here: ethnography, phenomenology, grounded
theory, case study, narrative analysis, and basic interpretive research.
Ethnography
An ethnography is a description and interpretation of the cultural behavior of a group. By
culture is meant the behaviors, language, and social practices that define the unique
aspects of that group. While one might typically think of a culture as referring to ethnicity
or religion, any group, such as an institution or organization, can be considered to have its
own culture. Observation of a culture can be used to understand the meaning of the
behavior that occurs within that group.
An ethnography involves in-depth immersion by the researcher in the culture being
studied. The researcher is often called a “participant-observer” in that the researcher
becomes, as much as possible, a member of the group while at the same time collecting
data. Data collection techniques involve interviews, collection of documents and other
artifacts, and observations. Ethnographers often record their observations in a field
notebook, where they can also record their personal thoughts and impressions. Analysis
of the data involves both creating a description of the group’s behavior as well as analysis
of what that behavior means.
In some cases a study is called an “ethnography” if it involves any kind of participant
observation. However, to truly be an ethnography it needs to contain the six features
identified by Punch (1998):
• The behavior of the group is understood by understanding the culturally shared
meanings within the group.
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