Theoretical perspectives and research methodologies

In a previous post, I briefly touched on how different theoretical perspectives can guide methodology and ultimately research methods. In this post, I will talk about a wider range of theoretical perspectives, mainly because I need help familiarising myself with them :P

Objectivism

Objectivism posits that reality exists independently of consciousness (i.e. there is an ultimate truth out there to be found).

Positivism

Positivism, like objectivism, posits that reality is external to the researcher and that there should be a focus on facts, rather than on values. Positivism suggests that reality consists of what is available to the senses, and inquiry should be based on scientific observation, which may or may not be theory-laden. Post-positivists, while also agreeing that there is an independent reality to be studied, believe that all observation is inherently fallible.

Interpretivism

Interpretivism looks for culturally-derived and historically situated interpretations of the social life world.

Symbolic interactionism

In symbolic interactionism, meanings arise from social interaction and are handled in, and modified by, an interactive process. Meanings are not fixed or stable, but are rather revised on the basis of experience.

Phenomenology

Phenomenology suggests that attempts to understand social reality must be grounded in people's experiences of it. There is a focus on allowing phenomena to "speak for themselves" and to find the internal logic of subject. To this end, researchers using a phenomenological perspective tend to use interviews.

Realism

The realist perspective states that science paints an accurate picture of the world; however, measuring external reality may be difficult as some observable "facts" may be merely illusions. Realism sometimes lends itself to the pluralism methodology, in which nothing is ruled out. There are different types of realist perspectives. Naïve realism states that the world is largely knowable and is just as it appears to be. Scientific realism suggests that science can find the true representations of the world, though science may be fallible. Critical realism states that the way we perceive the world depends on beliefs and expectations.

Hermeneutics

In hermeneutics, social reality is socially constructed and is considered to be too complex to be understood via observation. As such, interpretation is considered more important in hermeneutics than explanation and description.

Naturalistic inquiry

Naturalistic inquiry looks at multiple constructed realities that can only be studied holistically. It consists of a body of knowledge that describes individual cases.

Critical inquiry

Critical inquiry questions currently-held values and assumptions. It posits that ideas are mediated by power relations and that facts cannot be disentangled from ideology.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism emphasises multiplicity, ambiguity, ambivalence and fragmentation. Researchers using the postmodernist perspective may deconstruct texts to expose how values and interests are embedded within.

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is... well, pragmatic. It basically says that you should use what works.

Research Methodologies

Now that we've gone through a list of ideological perspectives, let's look at some of the methodologies that we can use! This is only a brief list and is by no means exhaustive.

• Experimental and quasi-experimental- RCTs, cohort studies, case-control studies, etc.
• Phenomenological research- Producing "thick descriptions" of people's experiences and perspectives. Often based on small case studies.
• Analytical surveys- Carefully-designed surveys with careful random selection of samples and a tight survey structure.
• Action research- Carried out in close collaboration between researchers and practitioners. There is an emphasis on promoting change. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches may be used. Case studies are the main medium of research.
• Heuristic inquiry- Open-ended, self-directed inquiry in which researchers are immersed in active experience. There is deep, personal questioning. A disadvantage of heuristic inquiry is that it is only weakly generalisable.

Selecting Research Approaches

So now that you've heard a few different research approaches, the next question is which approach to use. Firstly, you need to figure out what it is you want to research and what questions you want to answer. For instance, do you want to explore what is happening and figure out if a phenomenon warrants further research? If so, you would use an exploratory study design. Do you want to "draw a picture" of a situation? If so, you would use a descriptive study design, being mindful that these kinds of studies cannot explain why things occur. If you want to know why things occur, you would use an explanatory study design, and if you want to explore people's experiences, views and perspectives, you would use an interpretive study design.

References

Gray, DE 2014, Doing Research in the Real World, SAGE Publications Ltd.