Definition of Research Styles/Epistemology

In this second section we discussed some of the questions that arise as one shifts from quantitative to qualitative research. Authors of the literature listed below have expended a significant amount of ink on defining qualitative research, discussing its basic characteristics, and evaluating its pros and cons. Some question the traditional dichotomy of qualitative and quantitative research, and try to show how the overlap in the metamethods they use (Brannen, 1992) or how an entirely different set of concepts can be used (Weisner, 1996). Others discuss the kinds of research questions qualitative research addresses, and the range of applications for qualitative research.

References:

Brannen, J. (1992). Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches: An Overview. In J. Brannen (Ed.), Mixing Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Research (pp. 3-37). Brookfield, VT: Ashgate.

Dabbs, J. M. J. (1982). Making Things Visible. In J. Van Maanen, J. M. J. Dabbs, & R. R. Faulkner (Eds.), Varieties of Qualitative Research (pp. 31-63). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine.

Good, B., & Good, M. J. D. (1980). The Meaning of Symptoms: A Cultural Hermeneutic Model for Clinical Practice. In L. Eisenberg & A. Kleinman (Eds.), The Relevance of Social Science for Medicine . Dordrecht, Holland: D. Reidel.

Jessor, R., Colby, A., & Shweder, R. A. (Eds.). (1996). Ethnography and Human Development. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Morse, J. M. (1994). Designing Funded Qualitative Research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 220-235). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Patton, M. Q. (1980). Qualitative Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Shweder, R. A. (1996). True Ethnography: The Lore, the Law, and the Lure. In R. Jessor, A. Colby, & R. A. Shweder (Eds.), Ethnography and Human Development: Context and Meaning in Social Inquiry (pp. 516). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Super, C. M., & Harkness, S. (in press). The Environment as Culture in Developmental Research. In T. D. Wachs & S. L. Friedman (Eds.), Assessment of the Environment Across the Lifespan. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.

Weisner, T. S. (1996). Why Ethnography Should Be the Most Important Method in the Study of Human Development. In R. Jessor, A. Colby, & R. A. Shweder (Eds.), Ethnography and Human Development: Context and Meaning in Social Inquiry (pp. 305-324). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.