Phenomenologic inquiry best suits b (the experience of having a child with leukemia) and d (the experience of waiting for service in a hospital emergency department), since both focus on the lived meaning of an experience. Ethnography best suits c (rituals relating to dying among nursing home residents), because rituals are cultural behaviors of a group. Grounded theory best suits a (the process of coping among AIDS patients) and e (decision-making processes among nurses regarding do-not-resuscitate orders), because both involve social processes that grounded theory seeks to explain.

Phenomenologic inquiry aims to discover the essence and meaning of a phenomenon as it is experienced by people. Topic b, the experience of having a child with leukemia, and topic d, the experience of waiting for service in a hospital emergency department, are direct inquiries into lived experiences, making phenomenology the natural choice. In-depth interviews with people who have had these experiences would elicit the meaning they attribute to them. Ethnography focuses on the culture of a group of people through fieldwork, participant observation, and interviews with key informants. Topic c, rituals relating to dying among nursing home residents, concerns cultural practices and beliefs within a specific group, so ethnography is the best fit because it seeks an insider's view of cultural patterns such as rituals. Grounded theory aims to discover theoretical concepts grounded in data, focusing on people's main concerns and the basic social processes (BSPs) they use to resolve those concerns. Topic a, the process of coping among AIDS patients, is about a process that patients engage in to manage a major life challenge. Topic e, decision-making processes among nurses regarding do-not-resuscitate orders, similarly involves a social process and a main concern that guides the decisions. Both are therefore best addressed by grounded theory, which uses constant comparison to develop theory about social processes.

Key points

Phenomenology: b and d, because both explore the meaning of lived experiences.
Ethnography: c, because rituals reflect the culture of a group, which ethnography studies.
Grounded theory: a and e, because both involve social processes aimed at resolving a main concern.
Phenomenology relies on in-depth interviews with people who have had the experience.
Ethnography requires fieldwork and an emic perspective on a cultural group.
Grounded theory discovers a basic social process that explains how people resolve a concern.