Creswell (1998) gave his definition of qualitative research focusing on the methodological nature, the complexity of the end

product and its nature of the naturalistic inquiry: "Qualitative research is an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem. The research builds a complex, holistic pictures, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducted the study in natural setting." (p. 15) Creswell (1998) categories five traditions of qualitative research: Biography Phenomenology Exploring the life of an individual Understanding the essence of experiences about a phenomenon

Grounded Theory Developing a theory grounded in data from the field Ethnography Case Study Describing and interpreting a cultural and social group Developing an in-depth analysis of a single case or multiple cases