Design Strategies

1. Naturalistic inquiry Studying real-world situations as they unfold naturally; nonmanipulative and noncontrolling; openness to whatever emerges (lack of predetermined constraints on findings)
2. Emergent design flexibility Open to adapting inquiry as understanding deepens and/or situations change; avoids getting locked into rigid designs that eliminate responsiveness; pursues new paths of discovery as they emerge
3. Purposeful sampling Cases for study (e.g., people, organizations, communities, cultures, events, and critical incidences) are selected because they are “information rich” and illuminative, that is, they offer useful manifestations of the phenomenon of interest; sampling, then, is aimed at insight about the phenomenon, not empirical generalization from a sample to a population
   DATA COLLECTION AND FIELDWORK STRATEGIES
4. Qualitative data Observations that yield detailed, thick description; inquiry in depth; interviews that capture direct quotations about people’s personal perspectives and experiences; case studies; careful document review
5. Personal experience and engagement the inquirer has direct contact with and gets close to the people, situation, and phenomenon under study; your personal experiences and insights as the inquirer (instrument of qualitative inquiry) are an important part of the inquiry and critical to understanding the phenomenon under study
6. Empathic neutrality and mindfulness An empathic stance in interviewing seeks vicarious understanding without judgment (neutrality) by establishing rapport and showing openness, sensitivity, respect, awareness, and responsiveness; in data collection (observation and interviewing), it means being fully present: mindful
7. Dynamic systems perspective Attention to process; assumes change as ongoing whether the focus is on an individual, an organization, a community, or an entire culture; therefore, the inquiry is mindful of and attentive to system and situation dynamics

ANALYSIS AND REPORTING STRATEGIES

8. Unique case orientation Assumes that each case is special and unique; the first level of analysis is being true to, respecting, and capturing the details of the individual cases being studied; cross-case analysis follows from and depends on the particularity and quality of in-depth individual case studies
9. Inductive analysis and creative synthesis Analysis begins with immersion in the details and specifics of the inquiry to discover important patterns, themes, and interrelationships; exploration and attention to what emerges is followed by confirmatory inquiry; analysis from the particular to the general is guided by analytical principles rather than by rules, and it ends with a creative synthesis
10. Holistic perspective The whole phenomenon under study is understood as a complex system that is more than the sum of its parts; inquiry focuses on and captures complex interdependencies and system dynamics that cannot meaningfully be reduced to a few discrete variables and linear, cause-effect relationships
11. Con text sensitivity The inquiry places findings in a social, historical, and temporal context; in analysis and interpretation, the qualitative inquirer is careful about, even dubious of, the possibility or meaningfulness of generalizations across time and space; the inquiry emphasizes thoughtful comparative case analyses and extrapolating patterns for possible transferability and adaptation in new settings
12. Reflexivity: perspective and voice The qualitative analyst owns and is reflective about her or his own voice and perspective; a credible voice conveys authenticity and trustworthiness; the inquirer’s focus becomes balanced—understanding and depicting the world authentically in all its complexity while being self-analytical, politically aware, and reflexive in consciousness; this reiterates that the qualitative inquirer is the instrument of inquiry