Table 1 Phases of meta-ethnography (adapted from Noblit and Hare [21]) [22]
Phase of meta-ethnography | Processes involved |
|---|---|
Phase 1 Reading the studies | Developing an understanding of each study’s context and findings. |
Phase 2 Determining how the studies are related | Comparing contexts and findings across and between studies. |
Phase 3 Translating the studies into one another | Mapping similarities and differences in findings and translating them into one another; the translations represent a reduced account of all studies. (First level of synthesis) |
Phase 4 Synthesising translations | Identifying translations that encompass each other and can be further synthesised; expressed as ‘lines of argument’. (Second level of synthesis) |