Department of Public Administration

Faculty of Social Sciences

University of Dhaka
Midterm
Assignment on ‘Contrast and Comparison Between The Five Approaches Of Qualitative Research”
Course Title: Qualitative Research Methods
Course Code: PA-323

Submitted to:
Dr. Momtaz Jahan
Professor
Department of Public Administration
University of Dhaka

Submitted by:
Tanveer Ahamed
Roll: 105
3rd year, 6th semester
Session: 2017/18

Submission Date: 27 May, 2021

 Contrast and Comparison Between The Five Approaches Of Qualitative Research

There are five different qualitative research approaches that are broadly used by qualitative
researchers. They are: narrative research, phenomenological research, ground theory research,
ethnographic research and case study research. These approaches, although being qualitative in
nature, are to some extent different from one another in their focus, data collection method, data
analysis strategy and other characteristics. Below are the characteristics-wise differences of the
five approaches:

• What to Find: Researcher uses a particular research approach on the basis of the
problem he wants to explore. As the problems differs, so differs the approaches.
Narrative research is used when the researcher needs to tell the stories of individual
experiences ( a single individual or several) . For this purpose, he operates
biographical study, auto-ethnography, life history approach, oral history approach
etc. to make his stories authentic, realistic and good to read. For example: the life
and works emeritus Professor Dr. Sirajul Islam Chowdhury.

Phenomenological research is best suited when the researcher wants to understand

several individuals' common or shared experiences of a ‘phenomenon’, for
example, anger, underweight, obesity, motherhood, adolescence etc. The researcher
develops his understanding of a phenomenon by this approach and this
understanding can be used as a tool for policy formulation regarding that
phenomenon.

When a theory is not available to explain a process, or when existing theories do

not address all variables of a phenomenon, the researcher uses grounded theory
research. For example, why are teenagers becoming so prone to pornography?
Existing literature or theories or models do not cover all details or all dimensions
of this issue, therefore the researcher wants to ground a theory in the views of
participants.
 Ethnographic research is used when the researcher wants to describe and interpret
the attitude and attributes of a particular cultural group by exploring the beliefs,
language, behaviours of the group and it’s interaction with other issues, like power,
dominance, resistance, urbanisation, colonialism etc. Through ethnography, the
researcher wants to rebuild the usual thought pattern concerning the cultural group,
by pointing out the deficiencies in existing literature on that group and adding new
values. The group is often far from the mainstream, therefore, ethnography needs
sincere attention of the researcher. For example, a research on Biharis in
Bangladesh.

Lastly, case study research is best suited when the researcher wants to explore any
clearly identified case with boundaries or multiple such cases and seeks to provide
a new and in-depth understanding of the cases or a comparison of several cases. As
we know, several cases compose a phenomenon. In case study research, the
researcher takes one or a few cases for his inquiry rather than exploring the whole
cases. For example, the case of Abrar Fahad killing.

• Unit of Analysis: Five approaches have five different unit of analysis. In narrative
research, the inquirer studies one or more individuals to know their life history. For
example, any leader, or a criminal, or a gang of criminals.

In phenomenology, the researcher studies several individual from same or different

background to explore a common experience they all have shared. The researcher
gathers their experience in one paper. For example, disaster-victims, or cancer
patients, or low-wage workers of a factory, etc.

In ground theory research, the researcher generally studies a process, an event, an

action, or an interaction involving multiple individuals to generate a new theory to
 explain that particular event or action. For example, reluctance of low-income
people in taking Covid-vaccine.

The researcher studies a cultural group in ethnography. This group be any of ethnic
minorities, like Chakma, Marma, Pygmy; or people of an unknown religion; or
people of a distant island or jungle, etc. However, sometimes the nay be a very
small unit also, like a few teachers, a few political enthusiasts, etc. The unit of
analysis here is generally larger than 20 individuals.

The researcher studies a particular well-defined case as his unit of analysis. This
case may be a event, like the latest murder of Hafiz in University area; or a
programme, an activity or a group of people somehow concerned with that activity.,
etc.

• Historical Background: Although all five qualitative research approaches are

broadly used in social science research, however, each of them has a background
from which they have been generated and developed. For example, narrative
research was primarily used in various branches of humanities- e.g. literature,
history, anthropology, psychology, sociology etc.

Phenomenology was first used as a philosophical method in early 20 th century.

Later it was assimilated by psychology, sociology and other disciplines as a
necessary research tool.

Grounded theory research was developed in sociology in 1967 by Barney Glaser

and Anselm Strauss. Later it gained popularity in fields like sociology, nursing,
education, psychology etc.
 Ethnography was adopted in comparative cultural anthropology by the early 20th -
century anthropologists to mainly explore primitive cultures. Later it crossed the
boundary of anthropology and gained wide reception in various branches of social
science.

Case study research was first developed in anthropology and sociological research.
It became highly popular in psychology, medicine, law, political science and other
branches subsequently.

• Data Collection Method: There are some common tools of data collection, e.g.
interview; each approach varies from other in it’s data collection methods.

In narrative research, the researcher uses interview as the primary data collection
method. He talks with the participants personally and records their stories in a diary
or notebook. Or he observes them sincerely and takes field notes. Along with these,
the researcher can use numerous documents for gathering data. Such documents
involve photographs, paper cutting, memory box, official correspondences of the
participants and other personal-family-social artifacts. The researcher examines
these documents and gathers data about the individual's life story.

In phenomenology, data are collected through in-depth and multiple interviews

with participants who have experienced the phenomenon. Generally, 5 to 25
individuals are chosen for the interview. But other forms of data may also be
gathered, such as, observations, formally written responses, taped conversation,
journal, existing literature etc. The researcher asks two broad question to the
participants: a) What have you experienced in terms of the phenomenon? b) What
contexts or conditions have influenced your experiences of the phenomenon?
In ground theory research, data are usually collected interviews, although other
forms of data may also be collected, such as observations, documents, and
audiovisual materials. The whole process may involve 20 to 60 interviews as per
the need of research topic. The researcher asks participants how they experience a
particular process and identify the steps in the process (What was the process? How
did it proceed?). After initially exploring these issues, the researcher then returns
to the participants and asks more detailed questions such as these: What was central
to the process (the core phenomenon)? What influenced or caused this phenomenon
to occur (causal conditions)? What strategies were employed during the process
(strategies)? What effect occurred (consequences)?

In ethnographic research, the researcher uses observations and interviews as his

primary tools for data collection. An ethnographer is always good at fieldwork. He
goes to his research site, observes the overall cultural life ( social structure, kinship,
religion, customs, language, social interaction etc.) of the group and collects a wide
variety of materials. The researcher can use tests and measures, surveys, content
analysis, elicitation methods, audiovisual methods, spatial mapping, network
research, document analysis or any such tool to make his data collection compact
and comfortable. Observation is more emphasised than interview in ethnographic
research.

Likewise, data collection in case study research can be done in numerous ways and
can involve multiple sources of information, such as observation, interviews,
documents, physical artifacts, participant observation, archival records, audiovisual
materials etc. The nature of the case determines the method of data collection. The
case can be single or collective, multi-sited or within site, focused on a case or an
issue and so on. The more complicated the case is, the more extensive is the data
collection.
• Data Analysis: Five approaches of qualitative research are distinct from each other
in data analysis strategies. In narrative research, the researcher first analyses the
participants' stories. Then he restories and reorganises the stories into a general
framework by identifying key elements and eliminating unnecessary parts, and
gives the stories a chronological sequence. This data analysis is a kind of,
refinement of the stories and information gathered from interviews, therefore, the
researcher plays an active role rather than recording or reporting raw data.

In phenomenological data analysis, the researcher first checks the overall data
gathered from interview or other sources, then he highlights ‘significant statements'
from them to provide a general understanding of how the participants have
experienced the phenomenon. This process is called ‘horizontalisation'. In this
process, the researcher prepares a ‘textual description' of the phenomenon, where
he notes down the common experiences shared by the participants. Afterwards, he
provides a ‘structural description' of the contexts and conditions that have
influenced the participants' experiment of the phenomenon. At last, the researcher
draws the essence of this findings based on previous steps.

There are three stages of grounded theory data analysis: open coding, axial coding
and selective coding. The researcher categorises the primary data about the
phenomenon being explored (open coding). Then he assembles the data in new
order by introducing a central phenomenon, and investigates the conditions that
influenced the phenomenon (axial coding). Lastly, the researcher writes a story line
that connects the findings of previous categories (selective coding). Unlike narrates
research, data analysis in grounded theory research is well-defined and specific.

Unlike grounded theory research, data analysis in ethnography is easy, simple and
short. The researcher gathers data from numerous sources. Analysing the data, he
prepares a description of the culture-sharing group, themes that emerge from the
group and an overall interpretation of different trend and tendencies of that culture.
 By analysing the cultural pattern, the researcher gives a overall picture of how a
system works among a bunch of culturally similar people.

In research of a single case, the researcher first makes a detailed description of the
case. Details involve history of the case, chronology of events, or the daily
rendering of the activities of the case. Afterwards, the researcher focuses on some
key issues or themes in the description to understand the complexity of the case.
Then he analyses the context of the case. In multiple case analysis, the researcher
writes description for every case and themes with these cases, then compare and
contrast the cases with each other. These processes are respectively called within-
case analysis and cross-case analysis.

• Report Writing: Report writing is quite easy in narrative research. The researcher
prepares a narrative of the stories of the individual under research. Data included
in the report will have to be as authentic as possible; and moreover, the researcher
has to take care that he has covered all important data about the individual in his
paper.

In phenomenological research, the researcher writes a composite description that

presents the essence of the phenomenon. This description is known as the ‘essential
invariant structure' or ‘simply essence'. The essence contains the underlying
message of a phenomenon or the common cause of all participants' experience.

The researcher writes a theory, or ‘a substantive-level theory' at the final part of

grounded theory research. This theory covers all findings of previous steps, such as
open, axial, and selective coding. The writers notes how the theory is linked with
the phenomenon through the process of ‘memoing’.
 In ethnography, the researcher prepares a holistic cultural portrait of the group
based on his own observation (etic), participants' opinion (emic) and content
analysis of existing literature about this group. The researcher adds his own value
by indicating the needs or special capabilities of the group either in pen and paper;
or by other performances like theater production, play, documentary, videography
etc.

Report writing in case study is simple. The researcher presents the meaning of the
case, links it with it’s context and writes in details the message or the significance
of the case in a given situation.

Concluding Remarks: In spite of these apparent differences, we have to keep in mind that, the
five approaches of qualitative research are not antagonistic to each other. The researcher can use
them whenever necessary, and moreover, he can use two or three approaches in the same research.
But it is true that some of them may appear as more difficult than the others. Narrative research is
apparently less complex than grounded theory research, whereas phenomenology may seem to be
tougher than case study research. Anyway, all of them are just the variations of qualitative social
research.
Reference:

1. 1.Bamberger, M. (Ed.). (2000) Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research

in Development Projects, The World Bank, Washington D.C, USA.
2. Creswell, J. W. (2013) Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design, SAGE, Los
Angeles, USA.
3. Hancock, B., Ockleford, H. & Windridge, K. (2009) An Introduction to
Qualitatively Research, National Institute for Health Research, Yorkshire.
 Class Test

Hello. I am Tanveer Ahamed, a student of 6th semester at Department of Public Administration,

University of Dhaka. I am going to conduct a research on why the students of Dhaka University

prefer public sector jobs to private sector jobs nowadays. Your participation is very important for

me and you will have to spend 20-25 minutes to help me. So if you are interested in my research,

I am humbly requesting you to answer the following questions.

Questionnaire

• Which semester/year are you studying in now? In which department?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Your gender?

a) Male b) Female c) Third Gender

• Your hall? Are you residential?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• In which sector do you want to build up your career?

a) Public Sector b) Private Sector?

• In your opinion, which is the more competitive job sector?

a) Public Sector b) Private Sector

• Do you think public sector jobs are more profitable, comfortable, secure and

desirable than private sector? If you think so, why?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Does your gender anyhow influence your career plan? If it does, how?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• A comparatively minor job in public sector and a considerably big salary job

in private sector? Which one will you choose? And why?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Do your family or your relatives or your surrounding influence or force you

to build up your career in public sector?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Do you think that economic condition of a student determines his career plan?

How shall you relate this fact with yourself?

 ………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Do you think it possible to maintain honesty in our current bureaucratic

culture?

a) Yes b) No

• Is honesty or ethics a issue for you? If it is, which job sector or specially which

job will you choose to maintain your honesty?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• Do you think that other than honesty issue, there are some dark sides also in

public sector? What are these existing?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• If you fail to join in public sector, what will be your next career plan?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• You might have passion for a specific job ( such as, teaching in university). If

you fail to acquire that very job, will you try for any public sector job?

a) Yes b) No
 • As a student of Dhaka University, do you have any interest in higher

education?

a) Yes b) No

• Is BCS-craze harmful for proper education? What do you think?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

• As a student of Dhaka University, do you not think public sector officials are

unjustly privileged in Bangladesh compared to those of private sector? Why

this situation?

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

Thank you for participating!