Metaethnography

Metaethnography is a qualitative synthesis method designed to interpret findings from multiple qualitative studies and translate them into a new, overarching understanding of a topic. Developed by Richard Noblit and Lauretta Hare in 1988, it aims to move beyond simple aggregation by reinterpreting concepts and relationships across studies.

The method consists of seven phases: getting started; deciding what is relevant; reading the studies; determining how the studies are related; translating the studies into one another; synthesizing translations; and expressing the synthesis.

Analysts work with concepts rather than numerical effects, using reciprocal translation and, when needed, refutational translation to compare studies. The goal is to produce a line of argument that explains how findings fit together and what new interpretations emerge. Metaethnography emphasizes the translation of ideas across studies and the development of a higher-order understanding rather than statistical aggregation.

The approach is widely used in health and social sciences to develop theories, explanations, or conceptual models from qualitative data. Compared with other qualitative syntheses, such as thematic synthesis or meta-synthesis, metaethnography concentrates on translating concepts across studies and creating an interpretive synthesis rather than pooling data.

Rigour in metaethnography centers on transparent translation, careful documentation of how concepts are mapped across studies, and reflexivity about judgments. Challenges include potential biases in study selection and interpretation, maintaining contextual integrity across diverse settings, and balancing depth with breadth in the synthesis.