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Lecture notes for Qualitative Methods
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Complete lecture notes for the second year bachelor subject Qualitative Methods.
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lecture one- ontology is the study of the nature of reality
● why do we exist or how do objects exist.
● dominant view is that there are multiple realities because people experience
multiple realities
● qualitative methods states the different experiences of people.
- epistemology is the nature of knowledge
● what counts as knowledge? is one knowledge better than the other? scientific
knowledge vs knowledge of common people
● epistemology is connected with methodology because it has consequences
for it .
- axiology is the study of values, like freedom or justice or peace
● it asks questions as what is the role of values in a research, does a
researcher leave its values behind during a research?
● Creswell on dominant axiology: research is value-laden, researchers
should explicate their values and reflect how it influences their results.
● post positivists: researchers should be objective, not let their values
influence their research, therefore use rigorous scientific methods.
- methodological assumptions the study of methods and processes.
● inductive reasoning where you go from observation in the field to the pattern
to the hypothesis and then the theory.
- very important for QR
● deductive reasoning whilst this is the other way around, so from a theory to
hypothesis to an observation and confirmation.
● in QR a lot of researchers have emergent research design as you cannot
predict what you find, during your research you find out what your
methodology will be.
- philosophical assumptions:
● theoretical lens
● social justice lens
- Creswell and Poth have different interpretive frameworks, it is the philosophical
approach from which you interpret your research (not the same as research
approaches): TABEL 2.3, chapter 2
● postpositivism
- ontology: there is a single reality beyond human perception &
researchers may not be able to understand it perfectly, it is there but it
is hard to grasp.
- classical positivists thought they had direct access to reality (Newton),
while post positivists see that you have to do more
- epistemology reality can only be approximated, it is revealed through
research and statistics. Limit interaction with research subjects &
validity comes from peers not participants. You do not want any bias
so you do not include a lot of subjects.
, - axiology: a researcher needs to control its biases and values, in
articles you will not see a lot of discussion of values around the
subject.
- methodology: rigorous scientific methods are important and they help
you to arrive at better knowledge & they deductive.
- they use words as: discovering, unveiling they do not use words as
constructing reality.
● social constructivism
- ontology: people have a certain understanding of the world and
multiple realities are constructed through our lived experiences. The
experiences differ per person, for example rich vs poor or child vs
adult.
- it is not just perceptions of individuals but it is how perceptions are
developed through interactions, which makes it social
- epistemology: important to understand how people construct the
different realities rather than understand facts or the truth. People
base their behaviour on their view of the world. Knowledge about
reality co-constructed between researcher and subjects. Example: it is
not about the fact if climate change is there, it is to find if people are
worried or not so how they perceive the reality.
- axiology: individual values are honored and negotiated among
individuals.
- methodology: aimed at reconstructing subjective meanings of
subjects & inductive and emergent research as you want to
understand the experiences of the people, you start in the field.
- we give things reality like nations are people who share things. We
make things real so is it really real?
- strong SC, say that there are no facts at all while, they only explain
through the reality of humans weak says that there are brute facts
● postmodernism
- ontology: they are a bit similar to social constructivists, they both
share the idea that there are multiple realities (some say that this is an
extreme version of SC) & they say that there are no facts because
reality is defined by our experiences and concepts: there is no reality
beyond that. Example: you can see things different the example can
be screen but you can also see it as pixels.
- epistemology: knowledge is defined by concepts, ones positions and
power structures (it is shaped by certain ideologies). You develop
different knowledge if you see for example pixels instead of a screen.
Truth is relative to a certain frame of reference so there are multiple
ways of knowing
- axiology: respect for multiple value systems different people have
different values & values need to be problematized and interrogated.
- methodology: they question method and this is because they do not
believe in absolute truths so even scientific methods will not bring you
, absolute truth. Stress transparency by highlighting issues and
concerns.
- the use of postmodernism: postmodernists deny the existence of
absolutes truths, it helps us to realise that truths are only perspectives
and that there are other truths too.
- danger of postmodernism?
● transformative + postmodern
- transformative because it aims to transform society.
- postmodern, try to change the thinking of the people.
- ontology: there are multiple realities and reality defined through
interaction researcher and communities.
- epistemology: knowledge is not neutral and influenced by power
structures & knowledge co-created between researcher and
researched.
- axiology: respect for multiple value systems and values need to be
problematized and interrogated.
- methodology: participatory methods as you want to change
something in society.
● pragmatism
- ontology: reality is everything, there is no commitment to a particular
view of reality they pick a view on reality which works on their study.
So they use all the other frameworks depending on what they study.
- epistemology: knowledge developed through many research
methods and use methods that work in that situation.
- axiology: discuss values if they seem to influence the results and
discuss or ignore values if need to realize a particular goal. COnvince
the reader or to get published.
- methodology: depends on research question, and resources
available and mixed methods.
● critical theory/social justice (they both want to change the world)
- ontology: there are multiple realities and reality is based on power
and identity struggles, privilege vs oppression based on race, ethnicity
and class and gender
- epistemology: knowledge is influenced by your identity, it is gained
through study of social structures, oppression, power and it is gained
through research can help to change reality.
- axiology: diversity of values if emphasized
- methodology: general identify social structures that institutionalize
social injustice document that and call for action and change but there
is quite some variation.
- example critical race theory: black male children will earn less than
white male children even when their circumstances were the same. So
their race is determinant.
- the danger of this perspective is the focus on injustice makes you do
not see other things, so other explanations than a race explanation.
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