Ethnography and Grounded-Theory Research

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that both ethnographic and grounded-theory research seek to find a scientifically valid and effective way of conducting research on a variety of subjects. Ethnographic research tends to be more of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative measures, whereas, grounded-theory research tends to be more purely quantitative. The author points out that ethnographic research is a naturalistic, observational method, which elicits rich descriptions of context and culture, alternating between a narrow and a broad focus. The paper relates that, because it deals with an explicitly theoretical research problem, grounded-theory methodology is more direct, more rationalized and quantitative in nature, and primarily seeks to answer research questions through the proposition that scientific research cannot be proposed without substantive or grounded data to back it up.

From the Paper:

"There are many approaches to conducting research, some qualitative and some quantitative, and some which have facets of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Quantitative research designs serve the purpose of showing causal motivations, observing present conditions and longitudinal comparisons, and establishing relationships with evidence from a sample size that is generally large or, in some cases, deferred to a larger statistical research body. Qualitative designs, on the other hand, focus more on specifics than the
generalities suggested by these tendencies towards large sampling groups in quantitative research."

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