Type of generalisation | Brief description |
---|---|
Theoretical/conceptual | From local data observations to general level; theory emerging from analysis and interpretation; concepts developed based on data can be applied elsewhere. |
Empirical /Analytical | Generalise about and to other social processes in similar or different settings. |
Analogical | Generalising from one or more cases to analogous (similar) cases; One or more characteristics in one case may be adaptable to/actionable in other analogous cases. This can be more applicable to case study research |
Communicative | Effectively communicate with target audience with adequate contextualisation so the reader can assess study evidence similarity with their own setting. |
Naturalistic | Generalisation a function of people’s knowledge based on their experiences; empowers the readers and democratises generalisation; provides sufficient context for reader to judge applicability of study findings to their world. |