We have discussed Qualitative research method in details in lesson 15. This lesson will discuss the five qualitative designs. These are Case Study, Ethnography, Phenomenology, Grounded Theory and Biography / Narrative Research. These designs help researchers to collect narrative data. Regardless of the design one selects, the researcher is the main research instrument and must become an insider in the natural setting of the phenomena.

Case study is an investigation of one case which can either be a person, a school, a process, a community etc; Ethnography studies a peoples culture; Phenomenology studies lived experiences; Grounded Theory is a study that results in the development of theories while Narrative research is the study of a person as told by the researcher.