Beyond Ethnography: Expanding Our Understanding and Criteria for Qualitative Research

The Spring 1994 issue of THE OcCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL OF REsEARCH was devoted to qualitative research. The focus was on establishing criteria for judging the rigor of the design of qualitative studies and for reviewing manuscripts derived from qualitative research. I have asked for the opportunity to expand on the discussion introduced in that issue. My two primary objectives are to increase awareness of the many different methodologies within the rubric of qualitative research and to enlarge the concept of evaluative criteria for naturalistic studies.