Qualitative Methods for Medical Education Research

This methodological brief gives an overview of qualitative research methods used in medical education and offers resources to help researchers explore qualitative methods more deeply. We discuss five common qualitative approaches used in medical education research, including case study, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology. We review specific qualitative methods and data collection techniques, considering the potential advantages, challenges and biases of each technique. We address the importance of rigor in qualitative research, and give recommendations for what to include in the methods and results section of a qualitative medical education research manuscript.