Editing Qualitative research (section)

== Approaches to inquiry ==
The use of nonquantitative material as empirical data has been growing in many areas of the [[social science]]s, including [[pedagogy]], [[Developmental psychology|development psychology]] and [[cultural psychology]].<ref name=":0" /> Several philosophical and psychological traditions have influenced investigators' approaches to qualitative research, including [[Phenomenology (philosophy)|phenomenology]], [[social constructionism]], [[symbolic interactionism]], and [[positivism]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Creswell|first=John|title=Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches|publisher=Sage|year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Creswell|first=John|title=Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches|publisher=Sage|year=2008}}</ref>

=== Philosophical traditions ===
Phenomenology refers to the philosophical study of the structure of an individual's consciousness and general subjective experience. Approaches to qualitative research based on constructionism, such as [[grounded theory]], pay attention to how the subjectivity of both the researcher and the study participants can affect the theory that develops out of the research. The symbolic interactionist approach to qualitative research examines how individuals and groups develop an understanding of the world. Traditional positivist approaches to qualitative research seek a more objective understanding of the social world. Qualitative researchers have also been influenced by the [[sociology of knowledge]] and the work of [[Alfred Schütz]], [[Peter L. Berger]], [[Thomas Luckmann]], and [[Harold Garfinkel]].

=== Sources of data ===
Qualitative researchers use different sources of data to understand the topic they are studying. These data sources include interview transcripts, videos of social interactions, notes, verbal reports<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Packer |first=Martin |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/science-of-qualitative-research/DF2D130955944017C256F6BDD0B74F11 |title=The Science of Qualitative Research |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511779947|isbn=9780521768870 }}</ref> and artifacts such as books or works of art. The [[case study|case study method]] exemplifies qualitative researchers' preference for depth, detail, and context.<ref>{{cite book|last=Racino|first=J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDavoDQiH-QC|title=Policy, Program Evaluation and Research in Disability: Community Support for All|publisher=Haworth Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-7890-0597-7|location=London}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{cite book|title=The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods.|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]|year=2008|editor=Given, L. M.}}</ref> Data [[Triangulation (social science)|triangulation]] is also a strategy used in qualitative research.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Teeter|first1=Preston|last2=Sandberg|first2=Jorgen|date=2016|title=Constraining or Enabling Green Capability Development? How Policy Uncertainty Affects Organizational Responses to Flexible Environmental Regulations|url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/93826/1/WRAP-constraining-enabling-green-policy-flexible-Sandberg-2017.pdf|journal=British Journal of Management|volume=28|issue=4|pages=649–665|doi=10.1111/1467-8551.12188|s2cid=157986703 }}</ref> [[Autoethnography]], the study of self, is a qualitative research method in which the researcher uses his or her personal experience to understand an issue.

[[Grounded theory]] is an inductive type of research, based on ("grounded" in) a very close look at the empirical observations a study yields.<ref name="Glaser-Strauss" /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ralph|first1=N.|last2=Birks|first2=M.|last3=Chapman|first3=Y.|date=29 September 2014|title=Contextual Positioning: Using Documents as Extant Data in Grounded Theory Research|journal=SAGE Open|volume=4|issue=3|pages=215824401455242|doi=10.1177/2158244014552425|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Thematic analysis]] involves analyzing patterns of meaning. [[Conversation analysis]] is primarily used to analyze spoken conversations. [[Biographical research]] is concerned with the reconstruction of [[Life history (sociology)|life histories]], based on biographical narratives and documents. [[Narrative inquiry]] studies the [[narrative]]s that people use to describe their experience.