Components of Qualitative Research Flashcards
Ontology
theory about the nature of being or the kinds of things that have existence.
Realism
reality exists independent of the human mind.
Basic ontological positions
realism, idealism, materialism.
Idealism
reality can only be understood through the human mind and socially constructed meanings.
Materialism
a theory that physical matter is the only reality and the mind is the result of material properties and interactions.
Epistemology
the study of knowledge and how to reach it.
Methodology
framework for approaching a research problem.
Methods
how you obtain the data, for ex: interviews.
Positivism
- tends to objectivity & universal knowledge.
- certain knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties.
- uses reason and logic.
Interpretivism
- there is no single, objective reality because its constructed through our cognition.
- in order to understand social phenomenon we must understand it through the eyes of our subjects.
Critical theory
An external reality exists and is observable, but it is shaped through culture, politics, gender, race, etc.
Core Tenets of Western Social Research
- ) Theory-free and value free.
- ) Based on incrementalism.
- ) Aims towards a ‘total’ truth and assumes this can be obtained.
- ) Relies on a mind/body; human/nature dualism.
- ) Knowledge should be testable and replicable.
Sympathetic understanding
rejects objective positionality of researchers and calls for empathy and seeing from the perspective of the community.
Definition of the situation
suggests that our perception of reality shapes our lived experiences.
Induction
guides theory which develops through our observations rather than in advance.
