Qualitative inquiry & research design : choosing among five approaches

In this Third Edition of his bestselling text John W. Creswell explores the philosophical underpinnings, history, and key elements of each of five qualitative inquiry traditions: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. In his signature accessible writing style, the author relates research designs to each of the traditions of inquiry. He compares theoretical frameworks, ways to employ standards of quality, and strategies for writing introductions to studies, collecting data, analyzing data, writing a narrative, and verifying results.

• About the Author p. xiv
• Acknowledgments p. xv
• Analytic Table of Contents by Approach p. xvi
• List of Tables and Figures p. xx
• 1 Introduction p. 1
• Purpose and Rationale for the Book p. 2
• What is New in This Edition p. 2
• Positioning Myself p. 6
• Selection of the Five Approaches p. 7
• Narrative Research p. 11
• Phenomenology p. 12
• Grounded Theory p. 12
• Ethnography p. 12
• Case Study p. 12
• Audience p. 12
• Organization p. 13
• 2 Philosophical Assumptions and Interpretive Frameworks p. 15
• Questions for Discussion p. 16
• Philosophical Assumptions p. 16
• A Framework for Understanding Assumptions p. 16
• Why Philosophy is Important p. 18
• Four Philosophical Assumptions p. 19
• Writing Philosophical Assumptions Into Qualitative Studies p. 22
• Interpretive Frameworks p. 22
• Postpositivism p. 23
• Social Constructivism p. 24
• Transformative Frameworks p. 25
• Postmodern Perspectives p. 27
• Pragmatism p. 28
• Feminist Theories p. 29
• Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory (CRT) p. 30
• Queer Theory p. 32
• Disability Theories p. 33
• The Practice of Using Social Justice Interpretive Frameworks in Qualitative Research p. 34
• Linking Philosophy and Interpretive Frameworks p. 35
• Summary p. 38
• Additional Readings p. 38
• Exercises p. 40
• 3 Designing a Qualitative Study p. 42
• Questions for Discussion p. 43
• The Characteristics of Qualitative Research p. 43
• When to Use Qualitative Research p. 47
• What a Qualitative Study Requires From Us p. 49
• The Process of Designing a Qualitative Study p. 49
• Preliminary Considerations p. 50
• Steps in the Process p. 51
• Elements in All Phases of the Research p. 55
• Ethical Issues During All Phases of the Research Process p. 56
• The General Structure of a Plan or Proposal p. 61
• Summary p. 64
• Additional Readings p. 66
• Exercises p. 67
• 4 Five Qualitative Approaches to Inquiry p. 69
• Questions for Discussion p. 70
• Narrative Research p. 70
• Definition and Background p. 70
• Defining Features of Narrative Studies p. 71
• Types of Narratives p. 72
• Procedures for Conducting Narrative Research p. 73
• Challenges p. 76
• Phenomenological Research p. 76
• Definition and Background p. 76
• Defining Features of Phenomenology p. 78
• Types of Phenomenology p. 79
• Procedures for Conducting Phenomenological Research p. 80
• Challenges p. 82
• Grounded Theory Research p. 83
• Definition and Background p. 83
• Defining Features of Grounded Theory p. 85
• Types of Grounded Theory Studies p. 86
• Procedures for Conducting Grounded Theory Research p. 88
• Challenges p. 89
• Ethnographic Research p. 90
• Definition and Background p. 90
• Defining Features of Ethnographies p. 91
• Types of Ethnographies p. 93
• Procedures for Conducting an Ethnography p. 94
• Challenges p. 96
• Case Study Research p. 97
• Definition and Background p. 91
• Defining Features of Case Studies p. 98
• Types of Case Studies p. 99
• Procedures for Conducting a Case Study p. 100
• Challenges p. 101
• The Five Approaches Compared p. 102
• Summary p. 107
• Additional Readings p. 107
• Exercises p. 110
• 5 Five Different Qualitative Studies p. 111
• Questions for Discussion p. 112
• A Narrative Study (Chan, 2010; see Appendix B) p. 112
• A Phenomenological Study (Anderson & Spencer, 2002; see Appendix C) p. 114
• A Grounded Theory Study (Harley et al., 2009; see Appendix D) p. 116
• An Ethnographic Study (Haenfler, 2004; see Appendix E) p. 118
• A Case Study (Asmussen & Creswell, 1995; see Appendix F) p. 119
• Differences Among the Approaches p. 121
• Central Features of Each Approach p. 121
• Selecting Your Approach p. 123
• Summary p. 124
• Additional Readings p. 125
• Exercises p. 128
• 6 Introducing and Focusing the Study p. 129
• Questions for Discussion p. 130
• The Research Problem Statement p. 130
• The Purpose Statement p. 134
• The Research Questions p. 138
• The Central Question p. 138
• Subquestions p. 140
• Summary p. 142
• Additional Readings p. 143
• Exercises p. 143
• 7 Data Collection p. 145
• Questions for Discussion p. 145
• The Data Collection Circle p. 146
• The Site or Individual p. 147
• Access and Rapport p. 151
• Institutional Review Boards p. 152
• Access and Rapport Within the Five Approaches p. 153
• Purposeful Sampling Strategy p. 154
• Participants in the Sample p. 155
• Types of Sampling p. 156
• Sample Size p. 157
• Forms of Data p. 157
• Interviewing p. 163
• Observation p. 166
• Recording Procedures p. 168
• Field Issues p. 171
• Access to the Organization p. 171
• Observations p. 172
• Interviews p. 172
• Documents and Audiovisual Materials p. 174
• Ethical Issues p. 174
• Storing Data p. 175
• Five Approaches Compared p. 176
• Summary p. 177
• Additional Readings p. 177
• Exercises p. 178
• 8 Data Analysis and Representation p. 179
• Questions for Discussion p. 179
• Three Analysis Strategies p. 180
• The Data Analysis Spiral p. 182
• Organizing the Data p. 182
• Reading and Memoing p. 183
• Describing, Classifying, and Interpreting Data Into Codes and Themes p. 184
• Interpreting the Data p. 187
• Representing and Visualizing the Data p. 187
• Analysis Within Approaches to Inquiry p. 189
• Narrative Research Analysis and Representation p. 189
• Phenomenological Analysis and Representation p. 193
• Grounded Theory Analysis and Representation p. 195
• Ethnographic Analysis and Representation p. 197
• Case Study Analysis and Representation p. 199
• Comparing the Five Approaches p. 200
• Computer Use in Qualitative Data Analysis p. 201
• Advantages and Disadvantages p. 201
• A Sampling of Computer Programs p. 203
• Use of Computer Software Programs With the Five Approaches p. 204
• How to Choose Among the Computer Programs p. 209
• Summary p. 211
• Additional Readings p. 211
• Exercises p. 212
• 9 Writing a Qualitative Study p. 213
• Questions for Discussion p. 213
• Several Writing Strategies p. 214
• Reflexivity and Representations in Writing p. 214
• Audience for Our Writings p. 217
• Encoding Our Writings p. 217
• Quotes in Our Writings p. 219
• Overall and Embedded Writing Strategies p. 220
• Narrative Writing Structure p. 220
• Overall Structure p. 220
• Embedded Structure p. 224
• Phenomenological Writing Structure p. 225
• Overall Structure p. 226
• Embedded Structure p. 228
• Grounded Theory Writing Structure p. 229
• Overall Structure p. 229
• Embedded Structure p. 231
• Ethnographic Writing Structure p. 232
• Overall Structure p. 233
• Embedded Structure p. 234
• Case Study Writing Structure p. 236
• Overall Structure p. 236
• Embedded Structure p. 238
• A Comparison of Narrative Structures p. 239
• Summary p. 240
• Additional Readings p. 240
• Exercises p. 241
• 10 Standards of Validation and Evaluation p. 243
• Questions for Discussion p. 243
• Validation and Reliability in Qualitative Research p. 244
• Perspectives on Validation p. 244
• Validation Strategies p. 250
• Reliability Perspectives p. 253
• Evaluation Criteria p. 255
• Qualitative Perspectives p. 255
• Narrative Research p. 258
• Phenomenological Research p. 259
• Grounded Theory Research p. 260
• Ethnographic Research p. 262
• Case Study Research p. 264
• Comparing the Evaluation Standards of the Five Approaches p. 265
• Summary p. 265
• Additional Readings p. 266
• Exercises p. 268
• 11 "Turning the Story" and Conclusion p. 269
• Turning the Story p. 269
• A Case Study p. 271
• A Narrative Study p. 272
• A Phenomenology p. 273
• A Grounded Theory Study p. 273
• An Ethnography p. 274
• Conclusion p. 277
• Exercises p. 280
• Appendix A An Annotated Glossary of Terms p. 282
• Appendix B A Narrative Research Studyù"Living in the Space Between Participant and Researcher as a Narrative Inquirer: Examining Ethnic Identity of Chinese Canadian Students as Conflicting Stories to Live By" p. 303 Elaine Chan
• Appendix C A Phenomenological Studyù"Cognitive Representations of AIDS" p. 327 Elizabeth H. Anderson and Margaret Hull Spencer
• Appendix D A Grounded Theory Studyù"Developing Long-Term Physical Activity Participation: A Grounded Theory Study With African American Women" p. 247 Amy E. Harley and Janet Buckworth and Mira L. Katz and Sharla K Willis and Angela Odoms-Young and Catherine A Heaney
• Appendix E An Ethnographyù"Rethinking Subcultural Resistance: Core Values of the Straight Edge Movement" p. 370 Ross Haenfler
• Appendix F A Case Studyù"Campus Response to a Student Gunman" p. 399 Kelly J. Asmussen and John W. Creswell
• References p. 417
• Author Index p. 435
• Subject Index p. 442