The Realist Topic Guide

This chapter outlines how use of topic guides can assist researchers to enact realist principles within the field when collecting qualitative data. Specifically, it focuses on ensuring the topic guide is theory driven and adheres to generative causation. To begin, the importance of a realist topic guide is investigated and practical implications of applying this in a realist paradigm are addressed. A comparison of the realist vs. non-realist topic guide is provided alongside the implications these differences imply. The underpinning epistemological considerations of the realist topic guide are made explicit, aided by a visual conceptualisation of the key considerations. This is presented alongside a discussion of how these key considerations influence approaches to questioning and the topic guide development within realist studies. This is done through outlining different question types whilst acknowledging the importance of being theory driven and identifying generative causation within each. Linking these theoretical concepts to a more tangible process, the chapter concludes with a proposed stepped process to developing realist topic guides. This is intended to assist and steer the researcher when devising a realist topic guide, as opposed to providing a prescriptive method.