เปรียบเทียบวิธี

	การวิจัยเชิงปฏิบัติการ	ชาติพันธุ์วรรณนา	การวิจัยแบบกลุ่มสนทนา
สาขาวิชา	การวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ	เชิงคุณภาพ	เชิงคุณภาพ
ตระกูล	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
ปีกำเนิด	1946	c. 1922 (Malinowski's Argonauts of the Western Pacific)	1940s (sociological origin); modern applied form from the 1980s–1990s
ผู้ริเริ่ม	Kurt Lewin; expanded by Kemmis, McTaggart, Reason & Bradbury	Bronisław Malinowski (modern ethnography); rooted in 19th-century anthropology	Robert K. Merton (sociological precursor, 1940s); popularised in applied research by Richard A. Krueger
ประเภท	Method	Qualitative fieldwork tradition	Qualitative data collection method
แหล่งต้นตำรับ	Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34–46.	Hammersley, M. & Atkinson, P. (2019). Ethnography: Principles in Practice (4th ed.). Routledge. ISBN: 978-1138504462	Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2014). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (5th ed.). Sage. ISBN: 978-1483365244
ชื่อเรียกอื่น	Participatory Action Research, PAR, Collaborative Inquiry	Etnografi, participant observation, fieldwork, ethnographic research	focus group discussion, FGD, group interview, Odak Grup Araştırması
ที่เกี่ยวข้อง	1	5	6
สรุป	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.	Ethnography is a qualitative research tradition in which a researcher immerses themselves in a social group or community over an extended period — typically three to six months or longer — to study its culture, values, and behaviours in their natural setting. Originating in social and cultural anthropology, and consolidated as a rigorous method by Bronisław Malinowski in the early twentieth century, ethnography produces rich, contextualised accounts of how people live, work, and make meaning together.	Focus group research is a qualitative data-collection method in which a trained moderator guides structured discussions with homogeneous groups of six to ten participants to explore ideas, attitudes, and perceptions on a defined topic. Developed from sociological roots in the 1940s and systematised for applied research by Krueger and Casey, the method leverages group interaction as a data source — revealing not just what people think, but how they negotiate and articulate views in a social setting.