Comparar métodos

	Investigación-acción	Investigación de Estudio de Caso	Observación Participante
Campo	Investigación cualitativa	Investigación cualitativa	Investigación cualitativa
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Año de origen	1946	1984 (Yin); 1995 (Stake)	1922
Autor original	Kurt Lewin; expanded by Kemmis, McTaggart, Reason & Bradbury	Robert K. Yin; Robert E. Stake; Sharan Merriam	Bronislaw Malinowski
Tipo	Method	Method	Method
Fuente seminal	Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34–46.	Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Sage Publications.	Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books. ISBN: 978-0465026432
Alias	Participatory Action Research, PAR, Collaborative Inquiry	Case Study, Single Case Study, Multiple Case Study	ethnographic observation, participatory observation, overt observation, immersive observation
Relacionados	1	4	4
Resumen	Action research is a collaborative research methodology in which researchers work with practitioners and community members to investigate a problem, implement change, and evaluate outcomes, cycling through reflection, action, and learning. Developed by Kurt Lewin (1946), action research bridges research and practice, aiming simultaneously to produce knowledge and practical improvement.	Case study research is an intensive, contextual investigation of a single case (or small number of cases) to explore a phenomenon in depth. Developed systematically by Robert K. Yin (1984) and Robert E. Stake (1995), case study research employs multiple data sources (interviews, observation, documents, artifacts) to produce a holistic understanding of a bounded phenomenon within its real-world context.	Participant observation is a qualitative research method in which the researcher embeds themselves within a community, organization, or social setting for an extended period, engaging in the activities and relationships of the group while systematically observing and documenting behavior, interactions, and cultural meaning. Pioneered by Malinowski in the 1920s and developed in anthropology, the method has been adopted across sociology, education, health sciences, and organizational research. The researcher functions as both insider (participating in group activities) and outsider (maintaining analytical distance), generating thick description—rich accounts of context, behavior, and meaning that reveal how people actually live and interact.