COMMON TYPES OF QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH
1. PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
 THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH SEEKS TO FIND THE ESSENCE OR
STRUCTURE OF AN EXPERIENCE BY EXPLAINING HOW COMPLEX
MEANINGS ARE BUILT OUT OF SIMPLE UNITS OF INNER
EXPERIENCE.
 IT EXAMINES HOW HUMAN EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE
DESCRIPTIONS PROVIDED BY SUBJECTS OR RESPONDENTS.
 THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO DESCRIBE THE MEANING THAT
EXPERIENCES HOLD FOR EACH SUBJECT. SOME OF THE AREAS OF
CONCERN FOR THESE STUDIES ARE HUMANNESS, SELF-
DETERMINATION, UNIQUENESS, WHOLENESS AND INDIVIDUALISM
EXAMPLE OF
PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
 WHAT ARE THE COMMON EXPERIENCES ENCOUNTERED BY A
PERSON WITH A SPOUSE WHO IS UNDERGOING REHABILITATION?
 WITH THE GIVEN PROBLEM, THE RESEARCHER HAS TO DISCOVER
THE INNER FEELINGS, EMOTIONAL HARDSHIPS, AND MENTAL
DISTURBANCES THAT THE RESPONDENT IS EXPERIENCING.
2. ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY

 THIS STUDY INVOLVES THE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

ABOUT CULTURAL GROUPS OR MINORITIES.
 IN THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH, THE RESEARCHER IMMERSES WITH
THE PEOPLE AND BECOMES A PART OF THEIR CULTURE.
 HE OR SHE BECOMES INVOLVED IN THE EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES OF
THE SUBJECTS, AND GETS TO EMPHATIZE WITH THE CULTURAL
GROUPS EXPERIENCING ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN THEIR
EVERYDAY LIVES. DURING THE IMMERSION PROCESS, THE
RESEARCHER TALKS TO THE KEY PERSONS AND PERSONALITIES
CALLED KEY INFORMANTS WHO PROVIDE IMPORTANT
INFORMATION FOR THE STUDY.
 THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
CULTURAL THEORIES.
EXAMPLE OF ETHNOGRAPHIC
STUDY
 WHAT IS THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE AND MIGRATORY
ADAPTATIONS OF SQUATTER FAMILIES IN BARANGAY, CUTCUT,
ANGELES CITY?
 IN STUDYING THE PROBLEM, THE RESEARCHER IMMERSES WITH
SUBJECTS AND BECOMES INVOLVED WITH THE ACTIVITIES THAT
EXEMPLIFY THE CULTURAL PRACTICES OF THE RESPONDENTS.
3. HISTORICAL STUDY

 THIS STUDY IS CONCERNED WITH THE IDENTIFICATION,

LOCATION, EVALUATION, AND SYNTHESIS OF DATA FROM PAST
EVENTS.
 THIS IS NOT ONLY LIMITED TO OBTAINING DATA FROM THE PAST
BUT IT ALSO INVOLVES RELATING THEIR IMPLICATIONS TO THE
PRESENT AND FUTURE TIME.
EXAMPLE OF HISTORICAL STUDY

 WHAT WERE THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN THE KATIPUNAN?

SOME SOURCES OF DATA FOR A
HISTORICAL STUDY:
 DOCUMENTS- PRINTED MATERIALS THAT CAN BE FOUND IN
LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, OR PERSONAL COLLECTIONS
 RELICS AND ARTIFACTS- PHYSICAL REMAINS OR OBJECTS FROM A
CERTAIN HISTORICAL PERIOD
 ORAL REPORTS- INFORMATION THAT IS PASSED ON BY WORD OF
MOUTH
THE DATA SOURCES ARE
CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWS:
 PRIMARY SOURCES- MATERIALS PROVIDING FIRST-HAND
INFORMATION LIKE WRITTEN RECORDS AND DIARIES
 SECONDARY SOURCES- SECOND-HAND INFORMATION SUCH AS
AN ACCOUNT BASED ON AN ORIGINAL SOURCE, OR A MATERIAL
WRITTEN AS AN ABSTRACT OF THE ORIGINAL MATERIALS
THE VALIDITY OF MATERIALS USED IN THE
STUDY ARE ASSESSED THROUGH THE
FOLLOWING PROCESSES:
 INTERNAL CRITICISM- THIS INVOLVES ESTABLISHING THE
AUTHENTICITY OR ORIGINALITY OF THE MATERIALS BY LOOKING
AT THE CONSISTENCY OF INFORMATION. MOTIVES AND POSSIBLE
BIASES OF THE AUTHOR MUST BE CONSIDERED IN TRYING TO
DETERMINE THE ACCURACY OF THE MATERIALS
 EXTERNAL CRITICISM- THIS IS BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE
MATERIAL: THE INK AND THE TYPE OF PAPER USED
4. CASE STUDY

 IT IS AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL, GROUPS OF

PEOPLE, OR AN INSTITUTION.
 SOME OF ITS PURPOSE ARE TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO A LITTLE-
KNOWN PROBLEM, PROVIDE BACKGROUND DATA FOR BROADER
STUDIES AND EXPLAIN SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-
CULTURAL PROCESSES
 INVOLVES A COMPREHENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE EXAMINATION OF
A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL, GROUP OR SITUATION OVER A
PERIOD OF TIME.
 PROVIDES INFORMATION ON WHERE TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS
ABOUT THE IMPACT OF A SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN A PERSON’S LIFE
EXAMPLE OF CASE STUDY:

 HOW DO CANCER SURVIVORS LOOK AT LIFE?

NOTE: THE RESEARCHER IS ABLE TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE

PROBLEM BY INTERVIEWING A CANCER SURVIVOR ABOUT HIS OR
HER EXPERIENCES
5. GROUNDED THEORY STUDY

 THE METHOD INVOLVES COMPARING COLLECTED UNITS OF DATA

AGAINST ONE ANOTHER UNTIL CATEGORIES, PROPERTIES, AND
HYPOTHESIS THAT STATE RELATIONS BETWEEN THESE
CATEGORIES AND PROPERTIES EMERGE. THESE HYPOTHESES ARE
TENTATIVE AND SUGGESTIVE, AND ARE NOT TESTED IN THE
STUDY
EXAMPLE OF GROUNDED THEORY

 TEN SCHOOL COUNSELORS WERE GIVEN STRUCTURED

INTERVIEWS TO HELP DETERMINE HOW THEIR PROFESSIONAL
IDENTITY IS FORMED
6. NARRATIVE ANALYSIS

 THE MAIN SOURCE OF DATA FOR THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH ARE

THE LIFE ACCOUNTS OF INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THEIR
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.
 THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY IS TO EXTRACT MEANINGFUL
CONTEXT FROM THESE EXPERIENCES
COMMON TYPES OF NARRATIVE
ANALYSIS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
 PSYCHOLOGICAL- THIS INVOLVES ANALYZING THE STORY IN
TERMS OF INTERNAL THOUGHTS AND MOTIVATIONS. IT ALSO
ANALYZES THE WRITTEN TEXT OR SPOKEN WORDS FOR ITS
COMPONENT PARTS OR PATTERNS
 BIOGRAPHICAL- THIS TAKES THE INDIVIDUAL’S SOCIETY AND
FACTORS LIKE GENDER AND CLASS INTO ACCOUNT
 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS- THIS STUDIES THE APPROACH IN WHICH
LANGUAGE IS USED IN TEXTS AND CONTEXTS
7. CRITICAL QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
 THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH SEEKS TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE AND
EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS BY DESCRIBING AND CRITIQUING THE
SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON
PRESENT-DAY CONTEXTS.
EXAMPLE OF CRITICAL
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CONSUMER EDUCATION TEXTS
USED IN ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMS REVEALED CONTENT THAT
WAS DISRESPECTFUL FOR ADULT LEARNERS, THEIR PREVIOUS
EXPERIENCES AS CONSUMERS , AND PROMOTED CERTAIN
IDEOLOGIES REGARDING CONSUMERISM. THE TEXTS ALSO
DEFENDED THE STATUS QUO BY BLAMING INDIVIDUAL
INADEQUACIES FOR ECONOMIC TROUBLES, IGNORING SOCIETAL
INEQUITIES
8. POSTMODERN RESEARCH

 THIS SEEKS TO ANALYZE THE FACTS THAT HAVE BEEN

ESTABLISHED AS TRUTHS, THE ABILITY OF RESEARCH AND
SCIENCE TO DISCOVER TRUTH, AND ALL GENERALIZATIONS AND
TYPOLOGIES
9. BASIC INTERPRETATIVE
QUALITATIVE STUDY
 THIS STUDY IS USED WHEN A RESEARCHER IS INTERESTED IN
IDENTIFYING HOW INDIVIDUALS GIVE MEANING TO A SITUATION
OR PHENOMENON.
 IT USES AN INDUCTIVE STRATEGY WHICH IS A PROCESS OF
ANALYZING PATTERNS OR COMMON THEMES TO PRODUCE A
DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT THAT SUMMARIZES AND ANALYZES THE
LITERATURE THAT DEFINED THE STUDY
EXAMPLE OF BASIC
INTERPRETATIVE QUALITATIVE
STUDY
AN INTERVIEW OF 45 WOMEN FROM VARYING BACKGROUNDS
AND A COMPARISON OF DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS DISCERNED
WITH EARLIER FINDINGS ON MALE DEVELOPMENT.
 THEY FOUND WOMEN’S LIVES EVOLVED THROUGH PERIODS OF
TUMULTUOS, STRUCTTURE-BUILDING PHASES THAT ALTERNATED
WITH STABLE PERIODS.