Narrative Inquiry
The nature of narrative and story Stories are reflections on people’s experience and the meaning that this experience has for them. Narrative research is a useful way of gaining access…
Grounded Theory
History and origin GT originated in the 1960s by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, who worked together on research about health professionals’ interaction with dying patients in 1965. From research,…
Initial Steps in the Research Process
Selecting and formulating the research question The first step in the process is the selection of the research area, topic and question. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, Punch…
Ethnography
The historical perspective Modern ethnography has its roots in social anthropology and emerged in the 1920s and 1930s when famous anthropologists such as Malinowski (1922), Boas (1928) and Mead (1935),…
Ethical Considerations
The basic ethical framework for research Historically, attempts at establishing international rules for ethical research stem from the time after the Second World War, as a result of the criminal…
Participant Observation and Documents as Sources of Data
Participant observation Observation is a data source which researchers use to explore and understand the group or culture under study. In particular, it forms an essential element of ethnography and…
Sampling and Site Selection
Purposeful (or purposive) sampling The sampling strategies of the qualitative researcher are guided by principles of ethics and the opportunity of gaining access to people whom they can observe and…
The Issue of Supervision
The responsibilities of supervisor and student Supervisors and students have a common aim: to achieve a study of high standard that will be completed on time. Both student and supervisor(s)…
The Nature and Utility of Qualitative Research
What is qualitative research? Qualitative research is a form of social inquiry that focuses on the way people make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live….
Interviewing
Interviews as sources of data In the last two decades, interviews have become the most common form of data collection in qualitative research. Novice health researchers often rely on interviews…
