Qualitative Methodological Paradigms: Evaluating Grounded Theory And Ethnography

Grounded Theory

There are five groups of qualitative methodologies. The five are ethnography, grounded theory, case study, we have narrative and finally phenomenological. This is according to John Creswell.

Grounded theory is the popular form of qualitative research method that involves coming up with a theory that has its base from data that has been collected and analyzed in a very systematic manner. The aim of the theory is simple to understand the reason behind certain things like the social relationships as well as the behaviors of the group which is mostly known as the social process (Lewis, 2017). This theory was developed In the United States of America particularly in California by scientists called Glaser and Strauss while they were undertaking their study Awareness of Dying.

Grounded theory has several advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that this theory is very essential in developing phenomena which cannot be explained by other paradigms. It also provides a systematic and rigorous procedure in data collection and analysis (Vincent, 2016) .Finally, application of this theory breeds creativity as well as critical thinking.

Grounded theory has several important and unique elements. One of this unique character is that there is simultaneous collection and analysis of data. In grounded theory, there is also what is known as theoretical sensitivity. This simply means that it is the categories and analytic codes which are developed from data (Zhao & Ji, 2014). The pre-existing concepts are actually not used in this particular theory. The theory is also characterized by the use of theoretical sampling when it comes to refining different categories. Abstract categories in grounded theory are usually constructed in an inductive manner and the social processes are usually discovered in data (Breen & O’Connor, 2014). The theory is also characterized by the use of analytical memos between coding as well as writing. The final element of grounded theory is that the different categories are usually integrated into a certain theoretical framework.

The term Ethnography has its roots in Greece and it can be simply defined as the study of culture of different groups of people (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005). The theory is structured in such way that allows exploration of the culture whereby the ethnographer simply observe the society from the point of view of the particular study.

Ethnography is a research methodology that involves the examination of how different participants behave when they are at a certain social situation so as to understand their interpretation of such behaviors. According to Dewan, behavior can be shaped in many ways such as the constraints or difficulties the participants go through when they are in a society that they actually do not belong (MacNeil, 2008). The pioneers behind the ethnography theory include the biological, social as well as cultural branches of the broad anthropology.

Ethnography

Ethnography theory is used at the early stages of the user centered design project. It is due to the fact that ethnography theory usually focus on the structuring the comprehension of the design problem (Berryman et al., 2013). This therefore implies that is good to carry out ethnographic studies when is starting his or her project so that they can be able to support the future design decisions. Besides, this method can as well be used to evaluate an already existing design. It is also recommended to use this theory when for very complex as well as critical design problems.

The main advantage of using the ethnography theory is the fact that it can assist one to identify as well as analyze any unsuspected issue. Another advantage is that it can provide a detailed as well as faithful representation of the users’ behaviors as well as the attitudes (Creswell, 2007). Ethnography theory however has some shortcomings. One of the main disadvantage is the fact that they are time consuming. Ethnography research usually take long so as one is able to generate and analyze data.

There are three key features of the ethnography theory. The theory involves carrying out an investigation of a small number of cases. This therefore means that the sample size is quite small in this particular theory. In grounded theory too, there is some sort of tendency to work primarily with unstructured data. Unstructured data is simply that data which is yet to be coded at the exact point of collection. Ethnography theory is also characterized by strong emphasis on exploring the nature of particular social phenomenon instead of setting out to test the hypothesis (Watts, 2011). In this theory, the researcher also collects what is available, whatever is normal, what people do, what they speak or say and finally how they work around. In this theory, the researchers also looks out for patterns of the mental activities of the subject or the participants. This includes examining their ideas and beliefs that are often expressed in language or how they often behave in certain groups. This behavior is exhibited through their actions (Mosedale, 2014). This form of theory also involves the researcher engaging in an extensive fieldwork approach to collect data mainly through interviews, symbols, artifacts and many other sources. Researchers in this theory also referred to as ethnographers dwell so much on describing the culture of the group they are examining in detailed.

Comparison of Grounded Theory and Ethnography

Similarities among the theories.

Despite being five group of methodological theories, majority of them are similar in many aspects. One of the similarities among the theories is the fact that they utilize the same methods of collecting data. The most common methods of collecting data in the theories include observation, interviews and finally reviewing of the texts.

Ethnography

This is the most popular method among the professionals. In this particular type of the research methodology, the researcher gets himself or herself directly among the participants’ niche or environment with the sole objective of understanding the aims, cultures, the different challenges, motivations and finally the core themes that come up. This form of research methodology borrows its leaf from cultural anthropology whereby the researchers used to engage directly into certain cultures for quite some time (Foley, 2006). In simple terms, this research does not majorly rely on the use of interviews as well as questionnaires and surveys. The researcher in this particular method gets the first-hand experience of the environment in which the research is to be carried out.

An example of the ethnography model of research involves following up consumers of a certain product up to their homes so that the researcher can actually understand and observe how they interact or use the products in question.

Grounded theory

Grounded theory is not one of the popular theories in qualitative research. In this particular form of theory, the aim is to offer or rather provide a certain theory or a vivid explanation behind certain events. This particular form of theory differs with phenomenological study in the sense that the latter only focus on describing the importance of a certain occurrence.

This form of study mostly uses interviews as well as already existing documents to formulate a certain theory to explain the occurrence of an event. It involves digging deep into a variety of both the open as well as axial coding applications so as to get to know different themes then now finally come up with the theory. Unlike other forms of studies, grounded theory usually utilize very large sample sizes between 20 and 60 participants so that the theory can be established in a better manner (Isaacs, 2014). This theory actually can be used to create awareness on how a certain product or event can be designed based on understanding how the particular community behaves. An example of the theory in application involves seeking to comprehend as to why majority of the software developers utilize portals to communicate as well as write codes. It might also involve seeking to understand as to why small scale retailers usually approve or decline customers for credit.

METHOD	FOCUS	SAMPLE SIZE	DATA COLLECTION
Ethnography	Focus is either on context or culture	No range for the exact sample size.	Data collection is mostly through observation and interviews
Grounded theory	The focus is usually to form a theory that is grounded in the field data	The sample size in this particular theory is between 20 and 60.	Data Collection is mostly through interviews followed by open and axial coding.

Conclusion

There are different theories of qualitative research. Grounded theory, ethnography theory, phenomenology, Action research and finally case studies are the most common theories. In ethnography theory, the focus is usually on culture. Data is mostly collected through observation and interviews in this theory. In Grounded theory, the focus is usually to come up with a certain theory to explain certain behaviors or events. The sample size in this theory are between 20 and 60.Data is mostly collected through interviews which is then followed up with open and axial coding. Despite the numerous differences among the qualitative research methodologies, they are same in a manner that the method of collecting data are similar.

References

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