Lesson 5: Philosophical Assumptions for Qualitative Research Flashcards
What is significant in any kind of endeavor whether it be work or a study?
The exposure to a certain set of beliefs as well as philosophical assumptions.
What do qualitative researchers understand regarding philosophical assumptions?
They understand the importance of beliefs and theories that inform their work and also actively write about them in their works.
What book did John Creswell write?
Qualutative Inquiry and Research Design
How did John Creswell describe philosophical assumptions?
He describes these assumptions and frames them into interpretive frameworks so we can understand their significance to our own research.
What do researchers do when they undertake in a study?
They are in effect agreeing to its underlying philosophical assumptions, while bringing to the study their own world views that end up shaping the direction of their research.
What are the four philosophical assumptions that Creswell describes?
- Ontological (the nature of the study)
- Epistemological (how the researchers know what they know)
- Axiological (the role of values in research)
- Methodology (the methods used in the process of the research)
What is the ontological philosophical assumption?
It relates to the nature of reality and its characteristics; researchers embrace the idea of multiple realities and report on these multiple realities by exploring multiple forms of evidence from different individuals’ perspectives and experiences.
What is the epistemological philosophical assumption?
Researchers try to get as close as possible to participants being studied. Subjective evidence is assembled based on individual views from research conducted in the field.
What is axiological?
Researchers make their values known in the study and actively reports their values and biases as well as the value-laden nature of information gathered from the field.
What is methodology?
Inductive, emerging, and shaped by the researcher’s experience in collecting and analyzing the data.
What can interpretetive frameworks be considered as?
A basic set of beliefs that guide action.
What are the philosophical assumptions embedded in?
The philosophical assumptions (ontology, epistemology, axiology, and methodology) are embedded within interpretive frameworks that researchers use.
What did Creswell suggest about interpretetive frameworks?
Creswell suggested interpretive frameworks may be social science theories (leadership, attribution, political influence and control, and many others) to frame the researcher’s theoretical lens in studies. On the other hand the theories may be social justice theories / advocacy / participatory, seeking to bring about change or address social issues in society.
What are the approaches for postpositivism?
Scientific, Reductionism oriented, Cause/effect, a priori theories
What is the approach for social constructivism?
The understanding of the world in which we live and work; the development of multiple meanings; the researchers look for complexity of viewpoints.
What is the practice of social constructivism?
Researchers ask broad general open-ended questions; Focus on the ‘processes’ of interaction; Focus on historical and cultural settings of participants; Acknowledge their background shapes interpretation, ‘Interpret’ the meanings others have about the world.
What is the approach of postmodernism perspectives?
Knowledge claims in multiple perspectives such as race, gender, class and group affiliations; Negative conditions revealed in presence of hierarchies, power, control, by individuals in the hierarchy and multiple meanings of language; different discourses; marginalized people that are important; Meta-narratives or universals hold true of the social conditions; Need to ‘deconstruct’ text to learn about hierarchies, oppositions and contradictions.
What is the practice of postmodernism perspective?
Interpretive biography; Narrative; Grounded Theory; Ethnography
What is the approach for pragmatism?
Focuses on outcomes; ‘What works’ to address research problem; Researchers freedom of choice of methods; Many approaches to collecting & analyzing data
What is the practice of pragmatism?
Researchers use multiple methods to answer questions; Research is conducted that best addresses the research problem
What is the approach of feminist theories?
Focus on women’s diverse situations; Subject matter focused on domination within patriarchal society; Lens focused on gender; Goals focused to establish collaborative relationships to place researcher within study - not objective, but transformative.
What is the approach of the critical theory?
Focus concerned with empowering people to transcend constraints placed on them by race, class, and power; Interpret or illuminate social action; Themes include scientific study of institutions and their transformation through interpreting meanings of social life; historical problems; domination, alienation, and social struggles.
What is the practice of the critical theory?
Focus on changes in how people think - encourage interaction, networks for ‘social theorizing’; Focus on use of intensive case study or historically comparative cases; Formation of formal models; Use of ‘ethnographic accounts’ (interpretive social psychology).
What is the approach of critical race theory?
To present stories of discrimination; Eradicate racial subjugation while recognizing race is a social construct; Interact race with other inequalities such as gender and class.
