Abstract: In this article, the author explains how and why one particular qualitative research approach, the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, was implemented in an e-learning research study that investigated the use of the
World Wide Web technology in higher education. A framework is presented that situates the research study within the qualitative research literature. The author then justifies how the study was
compliant with the naturalistic inquiry and concludes by presenting a model for judging the quality of such research. The purpose of this article is to provide an example of how naturalistic inquiry can be implemented in
e-learning research that can serve as a guide for researchers undertaking this form of qualitative
inquiry. As such, the focus of the article is to illustrate how methodological issues pertaining to the naturalistic inquiry were addressed and justified to represent a rigorous research approach rather than presenting the results
of the research study.