Skip to main content
Log in

Generalization practices in qualitative research: a mixed methods case study

  • Published:
Quality & Quantity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine the generalization practices in qualitative research published in a reputable qualitative journal. In order to accomplish this, all qualitative research articles published in Qualitative Report since its inception in 1990 (n =  273) were examined. A quantitative analysis of the all 125 empirical qualitative research articles revealed that a significant proportion (i.e., 29.6%) of studies involved generalizations beyond the underlying sample that were made inappropriately by the author(s). A qualitative analysis identified the types of over-generalizations that occurred, which included making general recommendations for future practice and providing general policy implications based only on a few cases. Thus, a significant proportion of articles published in Qualitative Report lack what we call interpretive consistency.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altman D.G.: Practical Statistics for Medical Research. Chapman and Hall, London (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen J.: A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educ. Psychol. Meas. 20, 37–46 (1960)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connolly P.: Dancing to the wrong tune: ethnography generalization and research on racism in schools. In: Connolly, P., Troyna, B.(eds) Researching Racism in Education: Politics, Theory, and Practice, pp. 122–139. Open University Press, Buckingham, UK (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  • Constas M.A.: Qualitative data analysis as a public event: the documentation of category development procedures. Am. Educ. Res. J. 29, 253–266 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis S., Gesler W., Smith G., Washburn S.: Approaches to sampling and case selection in qualitative research: examples in the geography of health. Soc. Sci. Med. 50, 1001–1014 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Cruz, P.: Caregivers’ experiences of informal support in the context of HIV/AIDS. Qual. Rep. 7(3). http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR7-3/dcruz.html (2002). Retrieved 1 March 2005

  • Denzin N.K., Lincoln Y.S.: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In: Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S.(eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd edn, pp. 1–28. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • Firestone W.A.: Alternative arguments for generalizing from data, as applied to qualitative research. Educ. Res. 22(4), 16–23 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  • Glass G.V., Hopkins K.D.: Statistical methods in education and psychology, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene J.C., Caracelli V.J., Graham W.F.: Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educ. Eval. Policy Anal. 11, 255–274 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, E.S.: Auditing naturalistic inquiries: the development and application of a model. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Indiana University (1983)

  • Joffres, C., Haughey, M. : Elementary teachers’ commitment declines: antecedents, processes, and outcomes [99 paragraphs]. Qual. Rep. [On-line serial] 6(1). http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR6-1/joffres.html (2001). Retrieved 2 March 2005

  • Johnson R.B., Christensen L.B.: Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches, 3rd edn. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy M.: Generalizing from single case studies. Eval. Q. 3, 661–678 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leech, N.L., Onwuegbuzie, A.J.: A typology of mixed methods research designs. Invited James E. McLean Outstanding Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada (2005)

  • Lincoln Y.S., Guba E.G.: Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage, Beverly Hills, CA (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell J.A.: Qualitative Research Design. Sage, Newbury Park, CA (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  • Micceri T.: The unicorn, the normal curve, and other improbable creatures. Psychol. Bull. 105(1), 156–166 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles M., Huberman A.M.: Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D.S.: A note on the representation of environmental risks in the News. [24 paragraphs]. Qual. Rep. [On-line serial] 4(1/2) http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-1/miller.html (2000). Retrieved 2 March 2005

  • Onwuegbuzie A.J.: Expanding the framework of internal and external validity in quantitative research. Res. Sch. 10(1), 71–90 (2003a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie A.J.: Effect sizes in qualitative research: a prolegomenon. Qual. Quant. Int. J. Methodol. 37, 393–409 (2003b)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Collins, K.M.T. : A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. Qual. Rep. 12, 281–316. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR12-2/onwuegbuzie2.pdf (2007). Retrieved 5 September 2007

  • Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Daniel, L.G.: Typology of analytical and interpretational errors in quantitative and qualitative educational research. Curr. Issues Educ. [On-line] 6(2). http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume6/number2/ (2003)

  • Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Leech, N.L.: Enhancing the interpretation of “significant” findings: the role of mixed methods research. Qual. Rep. 9(4), 770–792. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR9-4/ onwuegbuzie.pdf (2004). Retrieved 19 June 2006

  • Onwuegbuzie A.J., Leech N.L.: A call for qualitative power analyses. Qual. Quant. Int. J. Methodol. 41, 105–121 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onwuegbuzie A.J., Teddlie C.: A framework for analyzing data in mixed methods research. In: Tashakkori, A., Teddlie, C.(eds) Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research, pp. 351–383. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaver J.P., Norton R.S.: Populations, samples, randomness, and replication in two social studies journals. Theory Res. Soc. Educ. 8(2), 1–20 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaver J.P., Norton R.S.: Randomness and replication in ten years of the American Educational Research Journal. Educ. Res. 9(1), 9–15 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake R.E.: Case study methods in educational research. In: Jaeger, R.M(eds) Complementary Methods for Research in Education, 2nd edn., American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake R.E.: Qualitative case studies. In: Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S.(eds) The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd edn., pp. 443–466. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tashakkori A., Teddlie C.: Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Applied Social Research Methods Series, vol. 46. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  • The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd edn. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA (1993)

  • The Qualitative Report.: An online journal for dedicated to qualitative research since 1990. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/ (2005). Retrieved 20 February 2005

  • Turner, W.G. : Our new children: the surrogate role of companion animals in women’s lives. [46 paragraphs]. Qual. Rep. [On-line serial] 6(1). http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR6-1/turner.html (2001). Retrieved 20 February 2005

  • Williamson Shafer D., Serlin R.C.: What good are statistics that don’t generalize?. Educ. Res. 33(9), 14–25 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin R.K.: Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd edn. Applied Social Research Methods Series, vol. 5. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA (2003)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Leech, N.L. Generalization practices in qualitative research: a mixed methods case study. Qual Quant 44, 881–892 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-009-9241-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-009-9241-z

Keywords

Navigation