Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Chapter 10: Naturalistic Inquiry Designs

2 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Endogenous Research  Represents the most open-ended approach to research in the naturalistic tradition  Is conceptualized, designed, and conducted by researchers who are insiders of the culture, using their own epistemology and their own structure of relevance  The investigator relinquishes control of a research plan and its implementation to those who are the subjects of the inquiry

3 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Participatory Action Research  Refers to different types of action research approaches  Each reflects a different epistemological assumption and methodological strategy. However, all are participative, grounded in experience, action-oriented, and are founded in the principle that those who experience a phenomenon are the most qualified to investigate it  Involves individuals who are the object of inquiry as first-person, second-person, and third-person participants in designing, conducting, and reporting research

4 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Critical Theory  Not a research method but a “worldview” that suggests both an epistemology and a purpose for conducting research  Seeks to understand human experience as a means to change the world

5 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Phenomenological Research  The explication, narrative presentation, and interpretation of the meaning of lived experiences  Phenomenology differs from other forms of naturalistic inquiry in that phenomenologists believe that meaning can be understood only by those who experience it  Phenomenologists do not impose an interpretive framework on data but look for it to emerge from the information they obtain from their informants

6 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Heuristic Design  Involves complete immersion of the investigator into the phenomenon of interest  Includes the use of self-reflection of the investigator’s personal experiences as primary data

7 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Ethnography  Aimed at understanding the underlying patterns of behavior and the meanings of a culture  We define “culture” as the set of explicit and tacit rules, symbols, and rituals that guide patterns of human behavior within a group  The ethnographer, as an “outsider” (etic) to the cultural scene, seeks to obtain an “insider” (emic) perspective  Uses techniques of extended observation, immersion, and participation in the culture to discover and understand rules of behavior

8 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Narrative  Storytelling  May be autobiographical, biographical, testimonial, or in another form  The narrative is spoken, written, or visual  Can be presented in various discursive formats, serves multiple purposes, and can be approached in diverse analytical and interpretive ways

9 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Life History Research  Aims to reveal the nature of the life process traversed over time  Assumes that unique life processes are important to examine to understand the context in which people live their lives  Researchers using a life history approach focus on one individual at a time  A study may be composed of just one individual or a few individuals

10 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Grounded Theory  “The systematic discovery of theory from the data of social research”  It is a more structured and investigator-directed strategy than the previous naturalistic designs that we have thus far discussed  Developed by Glaser and Strauss, grounded theory represents the integration of a quantitative and qualitative perspective in thinking and action processes  The primary purpose is to evolve a theory or “ground” a theory in the context in which the phenomenon under study occurs. The theory that emerges is intimately linked to each datum of daily life experience that it seeks to explain

11 Copyright © 2011, 2005, 1998, 1993 by Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc. Naturalistic Meta-Analysis  Seeks to aggregate small and disparate data sets from which to derive a global synthesis  An approach in which multiple independently conducted studies are synthesized and analyzed as a single data set to answer a research question or query  The application of naturalistic methods to the analysis of many studies from all design traditions