D3- Responses

Response to Kathryn Parker

There are five approaches that drive qualitative research. They are the narrative approach, the phenomenological approach, the grounded theory approach, the ethnographic approach and the case study approach (Creswell & Poth, 2025).

The narrative approach is a way for research to process and make sense of ourselves (D’Cruz et al., 2019). In qualitative research, the narrative approach requires the researcher to study and gather information. The narrative approach also requires the researcher to include the culture of the person as a way of understanding their lived experience (Creswell & Poth, 2025). The purpose of the narrative approach is to capture in-depth insight into data that cannot be quantified.

The phenomenological approach is focused on understanding the common meaning about a problem shared between the participants (Creswell & Poth, 2025). A key feature is that phenomenological aims to highlight participants perspective. Another component of phenomenological approach is the focus on smaller sample size but more in-depth information. The purpose is to work to identify shared patterns across different experiences.

Grounded theory can be summarized by supporting a theory that is developed by collecting data from participants (Creswell & Poth, 2025). The goal of grounded theory is to develop a new theory based on data that is observed. The theory is used to explain processes or interactions that cannot be explained by a current existing theory. Grounded theory is helpful for studying new or complex issues.

One of the most impactful aspects of the ethnographic research approach is the ability to be engrossed in the natural setting of the study’s participants. This provides the opportunity to understand cultural patterns and social interactions. This approach can be difficult because of the time that is required to be able to fully understand the environment (Creswell & Poth, 2025).

Finally, the case study approach is the qualitative research approach that involves a detailed understanding of a small number of cases (Creswell & Poth, 2025). The reason a researcher uses a case study is to gain a deeper understanding of a complex issue in real-life. There are times when the data cannot tell the complete story without having additional information that can be captured by examining the details of single cases.

For my research plan overview, I believe the right approach would be phenomenological. The reason I believe this is the right choice is because I am expecting the sample size to be small but significant in depth. The purpose will be to describe young adults’ experiences transitioning out of foster care in Florida. The best way to capture this information is by gathering personal narratives from participants.

 

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2025).  Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.

D'Cruz, K., Douglas, J., & Serry, T. (2019).  Personal narrative approaches in rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury: A synthesis of qualitative research. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 29(7), 985-1004.  https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2017.1361844Links to an external site.