7/30/2019 Emic and Etic

1/3

emic and etic

The words emic and etic refer to two different approaches to

researching human beings. The terms originated in linguisticsand 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 whosebeliefs 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 ofGrounded Theory,

and is often used when researching topics that have not yetbeen 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.

http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page361363http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page361363http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page361363

7/30/2019 Emic and Etic

2/3

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 eticapproach. 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 inThematic Analysisto label sections of text according

the themes and patterns. An etic code is one developed from

http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340908http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340897http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340897http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340897http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340897http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=qualitative&pageid=icb.page340908

7/30/2019 Emic and Etic

3/3

the literature or prior research, while an emic code arises from

the data and is often built from a participants own words.