Ethnography, which comes from the anthropology field, is a frequently used approach to qualitative research. It involves researching ethnicity and geographic location and their combined effect on a people group (i.e., studying a culture as a whole). It also studies social welfare characteristics, as well as material and spiritual culture. Participant observation, where the researcher immerses herself in the culture as a participant and records a broad range of field notes, is the most common ethnographic approach.
Phenomenology identifies phenomena by the way they are perceived by a participant in a situation. It extends beyond other qualitative approaches, including ethnography and symbolic interactionism. Phenomenology has been used in various social research fields, including psychology, social work and sociology. It gives emphasis to people's subjective experiences and how they interpret the world. The researcher using this approach aims to understand how the world appears to others.
Grounded theory, a commonly used qualitative research approach, was developed in the 1960s. The objective of grounded theory is to develop a theory about a required phenomenon. This research approach earned its name because any theory needs to be grounded in observation. The research involves asking broad-based questions that help guide the research. The questions are not intended to be static or confining. Rather, the researcher uses them to identify core theoretical concepts after gathering data.
Field research is an extensive approach to qualitative research. It is also used as a method to gather qualitative data. In this approach, the researcher goes into the field and observes the natural state of a phenomenon or its exact situation. This approach is related to the participant observation method, in that the researcher takes extensive field notes that are later coded and analyzed. Archaeologists commonly use field research as they uncover cultural remains.