III.

TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

1. Ethnography 6. Historical Research
2. Grounded Theory 7. Narrative Report
3. Phenomenology 8. Biography
4. Case Study 9. Action Research
5. Discourse Analysis

Types of Qualitative Research

1. ETHNOGRAPHY is the most familiar and applicable type of qualitative research. It refers to the
investigation of a culture through an in-depth study of the members of the cultural society. It
involves the systematic collection, description, and analysis of data for development of theories
of cultural behavior. Its main purpose is to preserve the cultural heritage of an ethnic group.
The examples of ethnography are “Cultural:
Awareness and Integration of Peace Education in the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Communities”, “Folklores
and Cultural Presentation of Maguindanaon”, “Kulintang Ensemble of Maguindanaon: Reflection and
Preservation of their Cultures and Traditions”, “Traditional Marry-Making of Indigenous Peoples (IP’s)”,
“Inaul: Maguindanaon Fabric of Pride and Heritage” and “T’nalak: Reflection of T’bolis’ Dreams,
Beliefs, Myths and Religion”.

2. GROUNDED THEORY is designed to discover what problems exist in a given social

environment and how the persons involved handle these problems. It is a naturalistic and
exploratory research used primarily to generate theory through relevant information taken from
very reliable sources. In other words, its focus is theory development.
In Grounded Theory, data collection and analysis occur simultaneously until “saturation” is reached. If
little things are known for the topic and no available review of related literature from printed materials,
Grounded Theory is very useful.
In GROUNDED THEORY, the researcher begins with a broad query in a particular subject and then
collects relevant information about the topic. As the action processes of data collection continue, each
piece of information is reviewed, compared, and contrasted with other information. From this constant
comparison process, commonalities and differences among categories of information become clear, and
ultimately a theory that explains observations is inductively developed. Grounded Theory can also be
useful in modifying existing theory or to expand or uncover differences from what is already known.
GROUNDED THEORY requires extensive and repeated sifting through the gathered data and analyzing
and re-analyzing multiple times in order to identify new theory. It is an approach best suited to research
projects where the phenomenon to be investigated has not been previously explored. This means that
Grounded Theory can be best employed if there is no available review of related literature regarding the
phenomenon.
Examples of Grounded Theory:
 The examples of Grounded Theory are “The Life of Ilocano People Before Spanish Colonial Period”,
“The Story Behind the Migration of Christians from Visayas and Luzon to Mindanao”, “How the Land
Areas in Luzon are Dominantly Owned by the Christians”,
“Igorot People: Minorities in their Homeland”, “The Magical Powers of Christians in Developing the
Fertile Island of Mindanao” and “Life and Struggle of Ilocano People Living along the Agno River”.
NOTE: The above research titles are just only examples to let you conceptualize your Qualitative
Research Titles. Little things are known for that stated topics. So, Grounded Theory is very applicable.

3. PHENOMENOLOGY is designed to focus on the commonality of a lived experience with a

particular group. The fundamental goal of this research is to arrive at a description of the nature
of the particular phenomenon. The common gathering method is this research is Participatory
Rapid Appraisal (PRA).

PHENOMENOLOGY aims to determine what an experience means for the persons who have had the
experience of living in a certain community which is the subject of the research.
PHENOMENOLOGY seeks reality from individuals’ narratives of their experiences and feelings, and to
produce in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon.
The examples of phenomenology are “Life without Gadgets”, “Post-Traumatic Experiences in the Battle
Fields of Tawi-tawi: A Phenomenological Study”, “Resilience of Indigenous Peoples (IP’s) in their
Mountainous Homeland” and “Students Today and Students Now: A Phenomenological Study”.
4. CASE STUDY is an exploration of a “bounded system” or a “case” or “multiple cases” over time
through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in
interesting stories. The context of the case involves situating the case within its natural setting,
which may be physical, social, historical and/or economic.
The examples of case study are “Teenage Pregnancy in the Public High Schools”, “Fly-By-Night
Schools: Quality Education or Quantity of Enrolment?”, “He Does, I Do: A Crab Mentality in the
Workplace”, “Bringing Home Office Goodies”, “Health Behavior Tracking via Mobile Games: A Case
Study among Students”, “Students’ Discipline and Academic Performance through Child-Friendly
School (CFS) Environment: A Case Study” and “Victims of Love: A Case Study”.
5. DISCOURSE ANALYSIS is defined as the analysis of language “beyond the sentence”. It deals
with texts, interactions and social practices at the local, institutional and societal levels. It is a
broad term for the study of the ways in which language is used by the people, both written and
spoken contexts. It melds linguistics and sociology by taking into account the social and cultural
context that language is used.

Materials and Topics for Discourse Analysis:

Materials that are suitable for Discourse Analysis include books, newspapers, periodicals, brochures and
advertisements.
Topics for Discourse Analysis include sounds or intonations, gestures, syntax, lexicon, style, rhetoric,
meanings, speech acts, moves, strategies and other aspects of interaction or communication.
The examples of discourse analysis are:
“The Music of Everyday Speech: Prosody and Discourse Analysis”, “Talk that Counts: Age, Gender and
Social Class Differences in Speaking English”, “What Good Speakers Do in Conversation: A Discourse
Analysis”, and “A Discourse Analysis on the Impact of Modern Technologies on Communication”.

6. HISTORICAL RESEARCH is a method of examination of evidence in understanding the past

events. It is particularly applied to evidence contained in documents, although it can be applied to
all artefacts. It involves studying, understanding and interpreting past events. The purpose of
historical research is to reach insights or conclusions about past persons or occurrences.
The examples of historical research are “The Cold War and Its Consequences for the World”, “The
Impact of Martin Luther King’s Speech”, “The Crusades and the Jihads: Similarities and Differences” and
“The Bangsamoro Identity Struggle and Bangsamoro Basic Law as the Path to Peace: Historical
Analysis”.
7. NARRATIVE REPORT is designed to present things or events that have happened in the past
through a logical progression of the relevant information. The main purpose of a narrative report
is to present a factual depiction of what has occurred.
The examples of narrative report are “High School Life: The Most Unforgettable Life of Students”,
“Finding Love: How I Met my Soulmate”, Finding Beauty in the Printed Word: How I Learn Poetry”,
“Vocabulary Building of Students Through Proper Solid Waste Management” and “My First Love: Never
Dies”.
8. BIOGRAPHY is the study of an individual’s life and struggles and how they reflect cultural
themes of the society. It deals with an interesting story found in documents and archival
materials. It is concerned with the reconstruction of life histories and the constitution of meaning
based on biographical narratives and documents.
Five common types of biography are (1) Scholarly Chronicles; (2) Intellectual Biography; (3) Life History
Writing; (4) Memoir Biography; and (5) Narrative Biography.

Types of Biography
a. SCHOLARLY CHRONICLE is the most fundamental (common) type of biographical research with
focus on the historical portrayal of an individual life. The basic research orientation constitutes
telling the subject’s story in chronological order with emphasis upon the development of plot (life-
pattern stages) and the description of acts of recognition or achievement.
Examples of Scholarly Chronicle:
The examples of this type of scholarly chronicle are “The Secrets of Outstanding Teachers of Urdaneta
City NHS” and “Biography of Dr. Juan A. Dela Cruz, the First Principal of Esperanza National High
School”.
Types of Biography
b. INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY is another genre of biographical research which forsakes the need
for basic chronological structure and it develops a narrative of a life through the conceptual analysis
of the subject’s motives and beliefs within the world of ideas.
Intellectual Biographer recognizes and accepts the invasive yet justifiable analysis and it overcomes the
intrusive nature of inquiry with care and resulting in self-reflective thoughtfulness and insight.
The example of intellectual biography is “Life and Works of Dr. Jose Rizal”.
c. LIFE HISTORY WRITING is the recording of life memories, experiences, whether one’s or
another’s. This applies to many genres and practices such as autobiography, diaries, letters,
testimonies, personal essays and more recently, digital forms such as blogs and emails. The purpose
of life history writing is to enable family information as well as emotions and feelings about history
to be remembered.
The examples of life history writing are: “Behind the Effective Leadership of Dr. Juan A. Dela Cruz”,
“My Story: Your Story and the Story of All”, “Sunshine behind the Clouds: The Picture of My Life” and
“The Sacrifices of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s)”.
d. MEMOIR BIOGRAPHY is designed to give emphasis on the stylistic presentation of the
biographer’s reflections and insights in relation to the factual account of life. An interpretive
narrative of the writer, alongside the presentation of the biographical subject, becomes part of the
research. A life story is told, yet in relation to the transactional experiences of the biographer that in
turn influences and foreshows similar experiences of the reader.
The examples of memoir biography are “Memories of Consecutive Earthquakes in Luzon: A Biographical
Analysis”, “Millennial Students: Full of Modern Gadgets and Lack of Study Habits”, “The Experiences
of Pangasinense Students in the Conflict Areas of Urdaneta”, “The Worst Nightmare in My Life” and
“Life Before and After COVID-19”.

e. NARRATIVE BIOGRAPHY is a nonfiction account of life experiences of a person. In this type of

writing, the description of a person is through the eyes of the writer. This type of narrative writing
relies on concrete or key facts or events within a person’s life.

9. ACTION RESEARCH is a classroom-based or school-based research that seeks transformative

change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research, which are linked
together by critical reflection. This type of research is commonly conducted by the teachers to
give solutions to the existing problems to improve students’ academic performance and positive
attitudes. ACTION RESEARCH is usually qualitative in nature. Most of the time, action
research uses natural language rather than numbers: the use of natural language suits a paradigm
which is participative and responsive to the situation.