emic and etic

The words emic and etic refer to two different approaches to researching human beings. The terms originated in linguistics and anthropology in the 1950s and 1960s; over the following decades researchers in numerous fields and disciplines, including education, have found the concepts useful (Headland, 1990). Precise definitions vary drastically across authors, but a basic understanding is as follows: An emic approach (sometimes referred to asinsider, inductive, or bottom-up) takes as its starting point the perspectives and words of research participants. As Lett (1990) explains, from an anthropological perspective, Emic constructs are accounts, descriptions, and analyses expressed in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories regarded as meaningful and appropriate by the native members of the culture whose beliefs and behaviors are being studied (p. 130). In taking an emic approach, a researcher tries to put aside prior theories and assumptions in order to let the participants and data speak to them and to allow themes, patterns, and concepts to emerge. This approach is at the core of Grounded Theory, and is often used when researching topics that have not yet been heavily theorized. Some of its strength lies in its appreciation of the particularity of the context being studied, in its respect for local viewpoints, and its potential to uncover unexpected findings.

An etic approach (sometimes referred to as outsider, deductive, or top-down) uses as its starting point theories, hypothesis, perspectives, and concepts from outside of the setting being studied. As Lett (1990) describes it, Etic constructs are accounts, descriptions, and analyses expressed in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories regarded as meaningful and appropriate by the community of scientific observers (p. 130). A researcher who takes an existing theory or conceptual framework and conducts research to see if it applies to a new setting or population is taking an etic approach. One of the strengths of the etic approach is that it allows for comparison across contexts and populations, and the development of more general cross-cultural concepts (Morris, Leung, Ames, & Lickel, 1999). While in some cases methodologies heavily privilege one approach over the other, many researchers live in the tension between these two extremes. A completely etic approach risks blinding oneself to potentially new and groundbreaking concepts. At the same time, since all researchers come with previous ideas, perspectives, and commitments (see Subjectivity) it may be impossible to be purely emic. Etic and emic can also refer specifically to codes, such as those used in Thematic Analysis to label sections of text according the themes and patterns. An etic code is one developed from

the literature or prior research, while an emic code arises from the data and is often built from a participants own words.