Chapter 9:

Qualitative Research Designs:

Recognizing the Overall Plan for a Study
Understanding Research:
A Consumer’s Guide

Edition 2

Vicki Plano Clark and John Creswell

© (2015, 2010) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

 What are the four common qualitative
research designs?
• Narrative
• Case study
• Ethnography
• Grounded theory

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 2
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 What characteristics distinguish the
different qualitative research designs?
• Central phenomena of interest (e.g., a group’s culture,
an individual’s story)
• Intents (e.g., to describe and interpret, to develop a
theory)
• Procedures (e.g., how data are collected, analyzed,
and interpreted; how results are reported)

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 3
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 What are the identifying the
characteristics of narrative research?
• Used terms such as narrative research, narrative
inquiry, story, biography, or autobiography
• Explored individual experiences as told through stories
• Collected field texts (personal conversations, journals,
letters, etc.) which document the individual’s story
• “Restoried” the data by identifying story elements
(e.g., characters, plot, setting) and organizing them
• Analyzed the data for themes, tensions within the
story, and larger contexts that shape the story
• Results and Conclusion sections focused on telling
and interpreting the individual’s story
Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 4
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 What are the identifying the
characteristics of case study research?
• Uses terms such as case study, collective case study
or multiple case study
• Research problem calls for in-depth exploration of a
case, a bounded system of people
• Selects case because it is unusual and has merit in
and of itself or illustrates a specific issue
• Collects interviews, observations, pictures,
documents, videotapes, and/or e-mails
• Analyzes data for description and themes
• Results included description of the case(s), themes,
and lessons learned
Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 5
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 What are the identifying the
characteristics of ethnographic research?
• Uses terms such as ethnography or ethnographic
• Describes a culture-sharing group
• Conducts extensive fieldwork to understand the
language, rituals, communication styles, and economic
and political structures that develop over time
• Collects interviews, documents, and other artifacts
• Analyzes the data for shared patterns of behaviors,
beliefs, and language
• Results included a cultural portrait
• Researcher reflects on his or her role

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 6
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 What are the identifying the characteristics
of grounded theory research?
• Uses the term grounded theory
• Research problem calls for a theory that explains a
process, action, or interaction
• Collects interviews from multiple people to provide the
most complete data
• Analyzes the data using multiple stages of coding
– Open coding develops categories from the collected data
– Axial coding identifies one category that is at the heart of the
process and its relation to the other categories
– Selective coding develops propositions or hypotheses
• Results include a model of the theory and propositions
from the theory
Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 7
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 How do you recognize the research
design in a qualitative research report?
• Check if the author named the design in the title or
abstract of the report
• Examine the purpose statement to see if it names or
suggests the study’s research design
• Read the beginning paragraphs of the Method section
and look for a statement that identifies the design
• Examine the Method and Results sections to identify
how the author collected, analyzed, and reported the
data

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 8
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 How do you evaluate the research design
in a qualitative study?
Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
A research  Used an overall plan,  Used generic
design guides such as narrative qualitative approach or
the conduct of research, case study, no clear plan for the
the qualitative ethnography, or study
study grounded theory  Incorrect use of terms
 Correct use of terms or lack of supporting
and citing up-to-date literature
literature

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 9
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 How do you evaluate the research design
in a qualitative study?
Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
The choice of the  Design fits central  Mismatch among the
research design is phenomenon: study’s intent, central
appropriate and  Narrative: tell the story of phenomenon, and
an individual’s life
justified  Case study: explore one or research design
more cases  Explanation for why
 Ethnography: describe a
group’s cultural patterns the specific research
 Grounded theory: generate design was selected
a theory about a process
is unconvincing or
 Convincing unclear
explanation for why
specific research
design was selected

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 10
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 How do you evaluate the research design
in a qualitative study?
Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
Good data  Procedures are  Procedures are
collection appropriate inappropriate
procedures  Rigorous qualitative  Poor qualitative
are used procedures are used procedures are used
Good  Procedures for  Procedures for
qualitative analyzing data are analyzing the data are
data analysis appropriate inappropriate
procedures  Rigorous qualitative  Poor or limited
are used procedures that go qualitative procedures
beyond identifying are used
themes are used

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 11
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 How do you evaluate the research design
in a qualitative study?
Indicators of Indicators of
Quality criteria
higher quality lower quality
Good qualitative  Results are  Results are
results and appropriate and inappropriate or
interpretations complete incomplete
are reported  Rigorous qualitative  Poor qualitative
procedures are used procedures are used
Study used a  All elements of the  There are
rigorous study fit together in a inconsistencies in how
research design logical, coherent way the study fits together
Research  Findings provide a rich  Findings provide a
design exploration that fulfills superficial
addressed the study’s intent examination of the
study’s purpose study’s intent

Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 9 - slide 12
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved