ABSTRACT
Scholars who undertake a qualitative research project have the goal of increasing our understanding about how humans construct and share meaning. When the project is finished, the scholar will share the findings in a research report, such as an article, book, monograph, and so forth. In writing the report, how much interpretation should be allowed—or required? On this matter, there is much debate (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Several scholars have observed three alternatives to this issue: simple description, interpretation (focus on the emergence of concepts through data analysis), and explanation (theory building) (Burgess, 1984; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). To these three parts, I add criticism and action advocacy. Each of these five writing purposes is examined in the sections that follow. (See Table 10.1 for a synopsis of these purposes.)
