Page 456 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

Q

about a phenomenon, when little is known
Qualitative ReseaRch about a topic, or when new perspectives are
needed. Secondary purposes for naturalistic
approaches include generating hypothesis,
Qualitative research includes all modes of obtaining the range of possible items for
inquiry that do not rely on numbers or sta- instrument development, providing illustra-
tistical methods. However, the terms qualita- tive examples or cases, and delineating the
tive and quantitative research are misnomers, context from which other data may be better
albeit commonly used. The terms qualitative interpreted.
and quantitative actually refer to the forms of There are several features that are com-
the data, not to specific research designs. It mon to most naturalistic studies. A basic
is more accurate to discuss naturalistic and tenet is that reality is socially constructed;
positivistic designs during which qualitative as such, there are multiple realities for any
or quantitative data may be collected. For this phenomenon, given the multiple lenses
reason, the subject usually considered under through which different individuals per-
the topic of qualitative research will be called ceive and experience a situation. Naturalistic
naturalistic inquiry here. approaches favor conducting research in the
Naturalistic approaches comprise a wide field setting (vs. an artificial laboratory) to
array of research traditions, most often in the observe phenomena as they are lived and to
categories of ethnography, grounded theory, preserve the contextual elements of the phe-
and phenomenology, but they also include nomena. In contrast to positivist approaches,
ethnology, ethnomethodology, hermeneu- which use established instruments, in natu-
tics, oral and life histories, discourse analysis, ralistic inquiry, the investigator is the instru-
case study methods, and critical, philosoph- ment. However, investigators are aware that
ical, and historical approaches to inquiry. their own experiences, biases, and percep-
Each tradition has a distinct set of undergird- tual sets particularize both the data that
ing philosophical or theoretical orientations, they elicit from informants and ultimately
strategies for data collection and analysis, the data analysis and interpretation. There
and forms of research products. are generally accepted standards for rigor in
The ultimate purpose of all research is naturalistic approaches. These include the
the generation of new knowledge. However, degree of intimacy of the investigator to the
different modes of inquiry produce different informants, the auditing of interviews and
kinds of knowledge. Knowledge developed coding structures, trustworthiness, depend-
from naturalistic methods is at the level of ability, conformability, meaning in context,
rich description or in-depth understand- and saturation/redundancy.
ing. Naturalistic inquiry tends to be explor- Naturalistic approaches (also known as
atory in nature and is particularly useful in constructivist or inductive inquiry, Paradigm II,
identifying important contextual features of or field approaches) are often contrasted with
the phenomenon. Naturalistic approaches positivist approaches (also called empiri-
are called for when the purpose of the cism, Paradigm I, or experimental approaches).
research is to obtain in-depth information Naturalistic and positivistic modes of inquiry