Introduction to

Qualitative Research

Consider again the debate between those who

favor an abstinence-only approach to sex
education for teenagers and those wanting
comprehensive sex education (including the
distribution of condoms).

As Pike puts it, the emic approach focuses on cultural

distinctions meaningful to
the members of a given society (for example, whether their
culture distinguishes
between the natural world and the supernatural realm). Only the
native members
of a culture can judge the validity of an emic description, just as
only the native
speakers of a language can judge the accuracy of a phonemic
identification.

An emic approach (sometimes referred to as

insider, inductive, or bottom-up) takes as its
starting point the perspectives and words of
research participants. As Lett (1990) explains, from
an anthropological perspective, Emic constructs
are accounts, descriptions, and analyses expressed
in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories
regarded as meaningful and appropriate by the
native members of the culture whose beliefs and
behaviors are being studied

In taking an emic approach, a researcher tries to

put aside prior theories and assumptions in order
to let the participants and data speak to them
and to allow themes, patterns, and concepts to
emerge. This approach is at the core of Grounded
Theory, and is often used when researching topics
that have not yet been heavily theorized. Some of
its strength lies in its appreciation of the
particularity of the context being studied, in its
respect for local viewpoints, and its potential to
uncover unexpected findings.

The etic approach, again as Pike defines it,

examines the extrinsic concepts and
categories meaningful to scientific observers (for
example, per capita energy
consumption). Only scientists can judge the
validity of an etic account, just as only
linguists can judge the accuracy of a phonetic
transcription.

n etic approach (sometimes referred to as

outsider, deductive, or top-down) uses as its
starting point theories, hypothesis, perspectives,
and concepts from outside of the setting being
studied. As Lett (1990) describes it, Etic
constructs are accounts, descriptions, and
analyses expressed in terms of the conceptual
schemes and categories regarded as meaningful
and appropriate by the community of scientific
observers (p. 130).

A researcher who takes an existing theory or

conceptual framework and conducts research to
see if it applies to a new setting or population is
taking an etic approach. One of the strengths of
the etic approach is that it allows for comparison
across contexts and populations, and the
development of more general cross-cultural
concepts (Morris, Leung, Ames, & Lickel, 1999).