five methods and theory essay
Excerpt from Essay:
Role of Theory in Qualitative Analysis
Five Approaches and Theory
Compare and contrast the role of theory in the five primary qualitative methods:
Ethnography, example, narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory
Although every five key approaches to qualitative research take hold of theory to some degree or another, not every of them benefit the use of theory to the same degree. Broadly speaking, some ethnic ‘theory’ is usually demonstrated during an ethnography, either through a comparison approach; an effort to understand the culture by itself terms; a theory that seeks to understand the multiple layers of meaning within the culture within a symbolic vogue; or even a universalizing construct like feminist or Marxist theory. The magnitude to which this theoretical procedure is stressed will depend after the anthropologist conducting the study. Some studies may generally focus after observations and detail one of a kind aspects of another culture when other studies might mainly subsume the details to an exploration of the ‘theory’ the anthropologist choose to bring to explain the actions with the participants.
Generally speaking, a good ethnography will not subsume hard data and real observed experiences to an persistent and unbending theory – the theory has to be modified to slip the data, not vice versa and exceptions will probably be noted. The aim of the way is to use “multiple methodologies to attain a theoretically comprehensive understanding of a group or perhaps culture” nevertheless the theory would not purport to explain everything about the culture, given that ethnography is of course from a great etic or outsider’s point-of-view (Ethnography, 2013, Colorado Condition University Composing Guides).
A case study might also deploy a lot of components of theory. For example , a psychological case study may be based on the principles of a particular procedure such as psychodynamic Freudian theory or CBT (cognitive behavior psychology). An instance study procedure, however , signifies that the idiosyncratic nature of the case as well as an explication from the theory is necessary. The theory might be introduced and presented at the start of the case analyze, but the theory cannot be applied a method, otherwise the significance of an individualized case study way is dropped. “The case study final survey should give a rich (i. e., vibrant and detailed) and alternative (i. elizabeth., describes the whole and its parts) description of the case and its context” (Johnson n. d. ). The focus is usually on the richness of person data, not the theory – although it could be argued that quite often the specific case will not be selected, were it does not for the preexisting theory. For example , an instance study of your depressed sufferer presumes the acceptance a fundamental theory of some psychological approach, presented the approval of a definition of ‘depression’ as a psychological construct, even though the example can be viewed through both purely psychological and biological lenses.
In the case of story, the importance of theory is even much less apparent. The focus is after storytelling, and letting those men speak for themselves. Implied in this strategy is that anecdotes are more or perhaps equally valuable than a great overarching theory. Also, even disciplines away from the social sciences take hold of the narrative approach, for instance a literary, narrative approach chronicling the experiences and perspective of fourth grade girls (Narrative inquiry, 2013, Colorado Point out University Publishing Guides). The eventual file produced by your research is often a collaborative document of both the participants and the investigator and few individuals view all their life when it comes to a single, all-encompassing theory. Many of the fields which use narrative request do not adopt ‘theory’ clearly at all, such as the arts and literature: “The entire field of study is often found in disciplines such as literary theory, history, anthropology, drama, artwork, film, theology, philosophy, mindset, linguistics, education, politics, nutrition, medicine, and aspects of evolutionary biological science” (Narrative request, 2013
