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…
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…
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),…
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…
Theoretical frameworks and ontological position Social inquiry can be approached in several different ways, and researchers will have to select between varieties of approaches. Whilst often making a choice on…
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…
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….
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)…
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…
