Recently, the key methodologies that may be applied in this context have been summarised; these include thematic analysis, meta-ethnography, realist synthesis and meta-narrative approach ( (Sharma, Gordon, Dharamsi & Gibbs, 2014).
Among all the methodologies discussed above, which methodology is the most suitable and appropriate for qualitative synthesis of data and how? Or is there any other approach that can be used instead of the key methodologies mentioned above.
References:
Sharma, R., Gordon, M., Dharamsi, S., & Gibbs, T. (2014). Systematic reviews in medical education: A practical approach: AMEE Guide 94. Medical Teacher, 37(2), 108-124. doi: 10.3109/0142159x.2014.970996
In my opinion, there is no "best" approach to synthesize the literature. It depends on your analysis and objective. For practical advice, you may look at the typical method used to synthesize the literature in studies published in the same journal that you would like to address.
All those mentioned research synthesis designs are possible for qualitative synthesis. Which is appropriate to use, depends on the objective of the study. For example, if one intends to uncover that factors that contribute to an outcome of interest, then the realist approch would be useful. If the intention is to identify processes, then perhaps thematic synthesis maybe appropriate
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