Jämför metoder

	Etnografisk forskning	Aktionsforskning	Fallstudier	Fältanteckningar
Ämnesområde	Kvalitativ forskning	Kvalitativ forskning	Kvalitativ forskning	Surveymetodik
Familj	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Ursprungsår	1920s–1970s	1946	1984 (Yin); 1995 (Stake)	Late 19th century (formalized in 20th century)
Upphovsperson	Anthropology (Malinowski, Boas); applied in health and sociology (Geertz)	Kurt Lewin; expanded by Kemmis, McTaggart, Reason & Bradbury	Robert K. Yin; Robert E. Stake; Sharan Merriam	Rooted in 19th-century anthropology and sociology; systematized by ethnographers such as Bronislaw Malinowski and later Robert Emerson et al.
Typ	Method	Method	Method	Qualitative data collection and recording technique
Ursprungskälla	Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. Basic Books.	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.	Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-0226206813
Alias	Ethnography, Participatory Observation, Field Research	Participatory Action Research, PAR, Collaborative Inquiry	Case Study, Single Case Study, Multiple Case Study	fieldnotes, observational notes, ethnographic notes, jottings
Närliggande	4	1	4	6
Sammanfattning	Ethnographic research is an immersive qualitative methodology in which researchers spend prolonged time in a community, organization, or social setting, combining participant observation, interviews, and document analysis to develop a rich, contextual understanding of a group's beliefs, practices, and social structures. Grounded in anthropology and refined for health, organizational, and social research, ethnography produces 'thick description' (Geertz 1973) that reveals the meaning and context underlying observable behavior.	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.	Field notes are detailed written records created by researchers during or immediately after direct observation in a naturalistic setting. They capture what is seen, heard, and experienced — including behaviors, interactions, physical environments, and the researcher's own analytic impressions — forming the primary data source for ethnographic and observational studies.