Common Research Traditions

There are many approaches to conducting qualitative research that have long traditions.  Through our survey of the literature, we have identified publications that defined the array of qualitative approaches: Wolcott (1982); Jacob (1987) Tesch, (1990); Denzin and Lincoln (1994) and Creswell (1998).  Click on each author's name to see the list of qualitative approaches the author identifies.


In the healthcare literature we reviewed, we found the following traditions and approaches commonly discussed and used:

Ethnography

Grounded Theory

Phenomenology/Ethnomethodology

Case Study

Action Research

We describe each of these traditions briefly, providing citations for those interested in more information.