Choice of method - II
However, we can give some general advice:
- imposed structure is appropriate when the nature of the research problem is well understood
- emergent structure is appropriate when the field of interest is not well understood, and when, consequently, exploratory research is necessary to gain an understanding
Notes:
The question of what we know already is really the main guide, since we can only impose structure when the field is well understood, or when we wish to test a well-developed theoretical framework. Consequently, allowing the structure to emerge through the process of analysis is desirable when the research is exploratory and aimed at theory development.