Chapter 1. Flashcards
What is the general objective of qualitative researchers?
To discover meaning
What types of meaning are there?
Social meaning and “material” meaning
What is the main type of data gathered in qualitative research?
Words, texts, and images
Do qualitative researchers use numbers?
Sometimes. It depends on the research methodology chosen
What is the main form of study associated with quantitative reearch?
Hypothesis testing
What is a paradigm?
A researchers view of social reality.
What are the philosophical components of a paradigm?
Ontology and epistemology.
What is ontology?
A philosophical belief system about the nature of social reality.
What are the three major ontological positions in qualitative research?
Positivism, interpretivism, and critical perspectives,
What is epistemology?
a philosophical belief system on who can be a knowledge-builder
What does a positivist epistemology privilege?
The researcher as the knowledge builder. due to objective stance or Stan dard measurement instrument.
What does and interpretivist epistemology privilege?
A cooperative approach between researcher and research participation in the knowledge-building process.
What is the focus of a critic al approach?
How power is infused in the knowledge-building process.
What does the philosophical foundation of the research project affect?
Every aspect of the research project!
What is a methodology?
A theory, strategy, or plan for how a study will be executed.
Where does a researcher’s methodology come from?
The ontological and epistemological beliefs of the researcher
What does research methodology bridge in the research process?
Philosophical assumptions together with research design
What research position is associated with a survey methodology
positivism
What does epistemology determine?
Determines the theoretical perspectives chosen.
Determines the type of research problems selected.
What are research methods?
Techniques for gathering evidence. Arguably either listening to (or interrogation), observation, or examining traces and records.
What is the most important factor in selecting a research method?
A close correspondence between the purpose or question and the method selected
What is the danger of becoming too familiar with one particular method?
It will skew the kind of data you collect and affect your ability to answer your research question
What does a holistic approach require of researchers?
To be cognizant of the relationship between epistemology, theory, and methods, and to look at research as a process.
Does a holistic research approach require researchers to disavow their belief systems?
no