Expanding the Quantitative Ethnography Toolkit with Transition Network Analysis: Exploring Methodological Synergies and Boundaries

Abstract

Integrating new methods into Quantitative Ethnography (QE) presents an ongoing challenge, as well-established techniques, such as Epistemic Network Analysis have primarily shaped the field. This paper introduces Transition Network Analysis (TNA), a quantitative network modeling technique, and explores how it can be implemented using QE’s unified mixed-methods approach. We outline the core features of TNA, present a structured workflow for its implementation using the QE approach, and demonstrate its application through an illustrative example using a sample dataset. We provide a concrete model for incorporating emerging modeling techniques, thereby supporting methodological expansion and inspiring further innovation within the QE research community. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.