Pattern matching analysis: Overview of its rationale and application in qualitative research

As qualitative research progresses, a precise understanding of the specific techniques that are still underdeveloped in literature is key. This discursive article provides a comprehensive overview of pattern matching analysis, a method that compares theoretical patterns derived from existing theories with empirical data to assess the agreement between theory and observed phenomena. Given the lack of consensus on the procedure for conducting this technique, this review addresses the gap in the qualitative literature. The significance of pattern matching analysis is emphasized because of its capacity to bridge theory and data, allowing refinement or qualitative testing of the theory. This article reviews and highlights the approaches and procedures used for pattern matching. It proposes meaning overlap as a guiding criterion for discerning the congruence between theoretical and empirical patterns. This study presents pattern matching as a versatile and formal method, emphasizing its potential for testing and refining theories in deductive qualitative research.