HMPYC 80 –
Research
Methodology
Section D -Chapter 14:
Thematic Inquiry in Qualitative
Research
, 1. Introduction:
► When you do qualitative research, you are primarily concerned with increasing our
understanding of situations, contexts, and people.
► The quantitative approach is where research aims to confirm hypotheses, examine
causality, and explain relationships between variables and groups.
- Whereas qualitative research focuses on exploring, describing and understanding
realities from the inside out.
► Qualitative research can be depicted as follows:
X O P
► X represents a phenomenon, event, situation, or context relative to which a person (P) has
a story to tell, a perception or experience to share or holds a specific view about.
► We do not seek random selection of our participants, but more likely purposively selected
persons who can best inform us about their realities.
► The qualitative research approach contains numerous methodologies, often called
strategies, and the field is not characterized by a clearly defined set of designs as found in
the quantitative approach.
► The qualitative preference is motivated by a need for the discovery of new ways of
understanding, driven by rapid social changes with resulting complexities of social life and
social contexts that demand new knowledge and practice perspectives.
► 4 research strategies for qualitative research design that correlate with Butler-Kisber’s
framework of thematic categorization or thematic inquiry are:
1) Phenomenology.
2) Ethnography.
3) Grounded Theory.
4) Case Studies.
Research
Methodology
Section D -Chapter 14:
Thematic Inquiry in Qualitative
Research
, 1. Introduction:
► When you do qualitative research, you are primarily concerned with increasing our
understanding of situations, contexts, and people.
► The quantitative approach is where research aims to confirm hypotheses, examine
causality, and explain relationships between variables and groups.
- Whereas qualitative research focuses on exploring, describing and understanding
realities from the inside out.
► Qualitative research can be depicted as follows:
X O P
► X represents a phenomenon, event, situation, or context relative to which a person (P) has
a story to tell, a perception or experience to share or holds a specific view about.
► We do not seek random selection of our participants, but more likely purposively selected
persons who can best inform us about their realities.
► The qualitative research approach contains numerous methodologies, often called
strategies, and the field is not characterized by a clearly defined set of designs as found in
the quantitative approach.
► The qualitative preference is motivated by a need for the discovery of new ways of
understanding, driven by rapid social changes with resulting complexities of social life and
social contexts that demand new knowledge and practice perspectives.
► 4 research strategies for qualitative research design that correlate with Butler-Kisber’s
framework of thematic categorization or thematic inquiry are:
1) Phenomenology.
2) Ethnography.
3) Grounded Theory.
4) Case Studies.
