Naturalistic Inquiry

Characteristics of Naturalistic Inquiry

There are several characteristics fundamental to naturalistic inquiry. One value central to naturalistic inquiry is that reality is multiple and socially constructed. The concept of multiple realities resists the notion that the truth of human experience is out there waiting for researchers to discover it. Reality is subjective rather than objective. Subjective and multiple realities are possible because all knowledge is socially constructed. The concept of social construction places emphasis on human interaction, and the context in which those interactions occur, as the basis for how one comes to know or understand phenomena. Researchers cannot understand human behavior outside of its context or natural environment such as village life, organizations, night clubs, and classrooms. In addition, the researcher, the people under investigation, and the setting influence each other; thus, no explicit distinction exists between the researcher and the researched. The lack of a distinct boundary between the investigator and informants acknowledges the implicit and explicit influence researchers have on the setting. The relationship between the researcher and the object of inquiry (which includes the people and the context) are interdependent, thus influencing observations and findings.

The relationships between the researcher, research participants, and context inhibit value-free, neutral, or unbiased inquiry. In addition, other preexisting factors contribute to the value-laden nature of research, such as personal experience and interest in a particular topic, because they will shape researchers' understanding of phenomenon. Naturalistic inquiry is value bound because paradigmatic and theoretical choices guiding inquiry dictate the methods used for data collection, analysis, and interpretation of findings.

Conducting Naturalistic Inquiry

Naturalistic inquiry is based on the notion that context is essential for understanding human behavior, and [Page 548]acquiring knowledge of human experience outside of its natural context is not possible. Conducting research in participants' natural environments is essential. Researchers must meet participants where they are, in the field, so that data collection occurs while people are engaging in their everyday practices. Research conducted in the field allows investigators to observe participants in action in an effort to obtain a more complete understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. During the process of engaging in naturalistic inquiry, the researcher becomes the instrument for collecting data. Human beings as data collecting instruments are necessary because only humans can gather and evaluate the meaning of complex interactions. Attending to these processes in the field is necessary because the complexity of human interaction is available only in the settings of everyday life, not in a controlled laboratory setting or through created instruments.

Conducting naturalistic inquiry is an inductive and emergent process where researchers build upon and ground their findings in the data collected. The process of conducting naturalistic research, including study design, emerges from experiences in the field while an investigator is actively engaged in inquiry because human phenomena and action cannot be predicted. Thus, observations in the field will influence and promote changes to a study's design. Researchers entering the field intent on studying a specific behavior may find another type of interaction worthy of investigation. Although study design is inductive and changes as research progresses, strategic planning is necessary for successful inquiry.

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