Unit 2: Introduction to Qualitative Research

Lesson 2: Types of Qualitative Research

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objectives 2

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 3

Types of Qualitative Research 4

Extend 7
Activity 1 7

Evaluate 8

Wrap Up 10

Bibliography 11
Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. Human experiences as the subject of qualitative research

Qualitative research is very useful in documenting human experiences, behaviors, and

practices. Specifically, qualitative research is particularly useful in answering the why and
how questions. How can we maximize the use of qualitative research in addressing our
research problems? Do all qualitative research approach the research problems the same
way? This lesson aims to enumerate the different types of qualitative research being used in
the different fields of studies.

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Enumerate the different types of qualitative research.
● Determine the appropriate type of qualitative research for a topic of inquiry.

DepEd Competency
Describe the characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and kinds of qualitative research.
(CS_RS11-IIIb-1)

Explore

15 minutes
In this activity, you will search for different qualitative research papers in the Philippines and
identify the common uses of the qualitative approach.

1. The students must form a group of three to five members.

2. Each member must search for one qualitative research paper using resources in the
library or online databases.
3. Identify the major objective of the research paper.
4. Then, identify how the qualitative approach was used to achieve the objective.
5. Complete the table given below then answer the guide questions that follow.

Research Title Research Objective Use of Qualitative

Approach

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Guide Questions

1. Based on the papers that you have searched, which field of study commonly uses the
qualitative approach?

2. What research objectives usually involve the use of the qualitative approach?

3. Do you think qualitative research can be used in a wide variety of research objectives?
What could be its limitation?

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Explain and Elaborate

Types of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is being used in different fields of study. It commonly focuses on
human behaviors, perception, and interpretations. There are six common types of
qualitative research.

Phenomenology
Phenomenology is a type of qualitative research that deals with the description of
participants' lived experiences of a specific event. This research design uses interviews,
observation, and surveys in gathering data from the sample.

This research design can be used by a team leader of a sales team in order to understand
the emotions of his team members whenever they are not reaching their quota.

Remember
Choosing one of the types of qualitative research is dependent on
the research questions that the researcher wants to answer.

Ethnography
In ethnographic study, the researcher is immersed into the natural setting of the subjects
for a long period of time. The primary purpose of this design is to understand the culture
and experiences of a group of people in their natural environment.

This research design is useful for a social worker who wants to understand why girls as
young as 13 years old are getting married to older men in a community in Palawan.

Grounded Theory
Grounded theory aims to explain a phenomenon and the evolution of its course of
action. Most of the time, grounded theory deals with research topics that look at a large

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research
number of subjects. At the same time, grounded theory forms theoretical models based
on published data. Figure 2 shows the common framework in a research that employs
grounded theory.

Fig. 2. Common framework of grounded theory

This research design can be useful for a linguist who wants to come up with an explanation
or a theory on the kind of utterances produced by children who have been exposed to
smartphones at a very young age.

Case Study
Case study deals with an in-depth look at one specific subject. In a case study, the subject
can be a specific person. The subject can also be in the form of an entire business,
organization, town, or a city. Usually, data are collected from various sources and
experience trials, then compiled to form a bigger conclusion.

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research
This research design is highly utilized in the management of a patient exhibiting specific
conditions. The findings in a case study will eventually serve as the basis in the
establishment of a standard medical procedure for managing a specific disease or ailment.

Review
Grounded theory and case study differ in terms of sample sizes.
Grounded theory deals with a large sample size while case study focuses
on a single individual or organization.

Historical Review
Historical review is a type of qualitative research that aims to describe past events to fully
understand the current patterns needed for making future decisions. This aims to
answer questions that are merely based on hypothetical ideas, and then utilize available
resources to test the idea.

This research design can be used to analyze the possible evolution of human society based
on comparative historical research on human behavior, hierarchy, and status, as well as
social characteristics using past and present data.

Narrative Review
Narrative review is usually being used to document changes in human perspective or
behavior. It may also involve events or phenomena in the society. The narrative analysis
can be extended over certain periods of time that tries to update the data as it happens. In a
narrative review, the researcher needs to identify a certain starting point and assess the
situation as it develops into a full-blown story.

This research design can be used in defining buyer personas, which can be utilized to
develop marketing innovations that appeal to a target market. Narrative review is also a
good method for building a bibliographical documentation of the life of a relevant
personality in society. This is particularly helpful for historians.

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Extend

Activity 1
Identify possible research topics that can be studied using the given type of qualitative
research.

Type of Qualitative Possible Research Topic

Research

Phenomenology

Ethnography

Grounded theory

Case study

Narrative review

HIstorical review

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Guide
In determining research topics suitable for a specific type of qualitative research, think
of your objective(s) for that topic, then compare it with the purpose of the type of
qualitative research.

Evaluate

A. Determine which word in the sentence makes the

statement incorrect.

1. Ethnographic method is a type of qualitative research that deals with the description
of participants' experiences of a specific event.

2. The narrative review is a type of qualitative research that aims to describe past
events in order to fully understand the current patterns needed for making future
decisions.

3. Grounded theory deals with an in-depth look at one specific subject.

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

B. Evaluate each research topic then identify what type of qualitative

research can be used to answer it.

1. Market analysis of consumers' experiences about the product that they have tested
for the first time

2. Comparing the improvements of Filipino nurses in terms of their work habits and
ethics

3. Documenting medical procedures being done to a patient with a rare genetic disease

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Qualitative research commonly focuses on human behaviors, perception, and

interpretations.
● Choosing one of the types of qualitative research entails checking the research
questions and the purpose of the researcher.
● All of the types of qualitative research can be used in any field of inquiry.

Fig. 3. Types of qualitative research

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Unit 2.2: Types of Qualitative Research

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography
Creswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches,
3rd edition. California: SAGE Publications Inc., 2009.

Leavy, Patricia. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and
Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches. New York: The Guilford Press,
2017.

Neuman, W. Lawrence. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 7th
ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited., 2014.

O’Leary, Zina. The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd., 2004.

Vanderstoep, Scott W., and Deirdre D. Johnston. Research Methods for Everyday Life: Blending
Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass., 2009.

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