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-->Citation: Cohen D, Crabtree B. "Qualitative Research Guidelines Project." July 2006.
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What is ontological relativism?
Ontology is that part of philosophy which investigates the fundamental structures of the world and the fundamental kinds of things that exist. Terms like “object”, “fact”, “property”, “relation” and “category” are technical terms used to make sense of these most basic features of reality. Until Kant, there was widespread agreement on the framework for debates about ontology, and varying accounts of existence, essence, substance and property were articulated and defended. This involved some of the great debates of Western philosophy, for example about the status of universals. However, amid these differences were shared aims (finding out the fundamental nature of reality) and shared methods (dialectical argumentation). Those philosophers who abstained from these debates did so from the position of scepticism, holding that we just don't have the cognitive wherewithal to decide any of these issues. Nevertheless, there was clear agreement on all sides that ontology had to do with portraying the nature of reality: telling it as it really is. Kant upset this consensus. His Copernican revolution introduced a new dimension to the debate. His suggestion was that ontology has to do with articulating the nature of reality as known to human cognition , not as it is in itself . In common with sceptics he denies our access to a world in itself. However, unlike sceptics, he believes there is still a point to doing ontology and still an account to be given of the basic structures by which the world is revealed to us.
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This paper examined qualitative research methodology and its suitability for social science research. It argued for adoption of relativist ontology and interpretivist-constructivist epistemology within the realm of qualitative Research Methodology. It first focused on quantitative research methodologies and their limitations in social science research before outlining qualitative methodologies and their applicability. It concluded that qualitative methodologies are essential in humanistic inquiry.
Key Words: Relativist Ontology, Interpretivist-Constructivist Epistemology
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Often contrasted with Positivism is Interpretivism. The starting point for Interpretivism – which is sometimes called Anti-Positivism – is that knowledge in the human and social sciences cannot conform to the model of natural science because there are features of human experience that cannot objectively be “known”. This might include emotions; understandings; values; feelings; subjectivities; socio-cultural factors; historical influence; and other meaningful aspects of human being. Instead of finding “truth” the Interpretivist aims to generate understanding and often adopts a relativist position.
Qualitative methods are preferred as ways to investigate these phenomena. Data collected might be unstructured (or “messy”) and correspondingly a range of techniques for approaching data collection have been developed. Interpretivism acknowledges that it is impossible to remove cultural and individual influence from research, often instead making a virtue of the positionality of the researcher and the socio-cultural context of a study.
One key consideration here is the purported validity of qualitative research. Interpretivism tends to emphasize the subjective over the objective. If the starting point for an investigation is that we can’t fully and objectively know the world, how can we do research into this without everything being a matter of opinion? Essentially Positivism and Interpretivism retain different ontologies and epistemologies with contrasting notions of rigour and validity (in the broadest rather than statistical sense). Interpretivist research often embraces a relativist epistemology, bringing together different perspectives in search of an overall understanding or narrative.
Kivunja & Kuyini (2017) describe the essential features of Interpretivism as:
Interpretivism as a research paradigm is often accompanied by Constructivism as an ontological and epistemological grounding. Many learning theories emphasize Constructivism as an organising principle, and Constructivism often underlies aspects of educational research.
Interpretivist Methods : Case Studies; Conversational analysis; Delphi; Description; Document analysis; Interviews; Focus Groups; Grounded theory; Phenomenography; Phenomenology; Thematic analysis
[INSERT Figure 2]
methodological aspects of Positivism and Interpretivism. Positivism Interpretivism Ontology Being in the world Direct access (Naturalism) Indirect access (Idealism) Reality Objective, accessible Subjectively experienced Epistemology Relation between knowledge and reality Objective knowledge of the world is possible supported by appropriate method Objective knowledge of the world is possible supported by appropriate method Epistemological goals Generalisation, abstraction, discovery of law-like relationships Knowledge of specific, concrete cases and examples Basic approach Hypothesis formation and testing Describing and seeking to understand phenomena in context Methodology Focus Description and explanation Understanding and interpretation Research Perspective Detached, objective Embedded in the phenomena under investigation Role of emotions Strict separation between the cognitions and feeling of the researchers Emotional response can be part of coming to understanding Limits of researcher influence Discovery of external, objective reality – minimal influence Object of study is potentially influenced by the activity of the researcher Valued approaches Consistency, clarity, reproducibility, rationality, lack of bias Insight, appreciation of context and prior understanding Fact/value distinction Clear distinction between facts and values Distinction is less rigid, acknowledges entanglement Archetypal research methods Quantitative (e.g. statistical analysis) Qualitative (e.g. case study) Figure 2. Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology across Positivism and Interpretivism (adapted from Carson et al., 2001)
Research Methods Handbook Copyright © 2020 by Rob Farrow; Francisco Iniesto; Martin Weller; and Rebecca Pitt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
COMMENTS
Using ontological and epistemological positions to develop three research paradigms, and applying these paradigms to various uptakes of grounded theory demonstrates differences in the definition of emergence. Discovery emergence is presented as a unidirectional relationship between the constituent parts (data) and the emergent property (theory ...
The most widely used qualitative research methodologies are grounded theory and phenomenology. Both methodologies have ... paradigm is often described with a relativist ontology (a worldview that multiple realities exist) and a subjectivist epistemology that truth and meaning are shared subjectively
To illustrate, realist ontology relates to the existence of one single reality which can be studied, understood and experienced as a 'truth'; a real world exists independent of human experience. Meanwhile, relativist ontology is based on the philosophy that reality is constructed within the human mind, such that no one 'true' reality ...
As the qualitative research world continues to move through the "moments" as defined by Denzin and Lincoln (2005), nursing research seems to be moving further away ... Relativist ontology is the belief that reality is a finite sub-jective experience (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005) and nothing exists outside of our thoughts. Reality from a ...
In qualitative research, interviewing is one of the most frequently used methods when generating data. Other methods could include, for example, observation, diaries, the generation of visual images or other forms ... Relativist ontology rejects such direct explanations, maintaining that the world is far more unstructured and diverse. Our ...
6—PART I A REALIST STANCE FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Campbell (2002) argued that "all scientists are epistemological constructivists and relativists" in the sense that they believe that both the ontological world and the worlds of ideology, values, etc. play a role in the construction of sci-entific knowledge (p. 29).
Qualitative research approaches have potential to provide unique and valuable insights intoperceptions, experiences and behaviours. ... Relativist ontology and Subjectivist epistemology. This said there is a degree of overlap which affords flexibility but requires researchers to provide their justification for selection of choice for their own ...
Bryman (2004) identifies two ontological positions concerning social research, 'objectivism' and 'constructionism'. According to Bryman, objectivism entails that the social entity in question adheres to an external objective reality independent of the researcher's awareness.
qualitative methods than Kuhn's theory. According to Guba and Lincoln, paradigms consist of "basic beliefs" (Guba & Lincoln, 1994, p. 107). Researchers hold beliefs about what exists and how knowledge is possible, and these beliefs determine how researchers choose to conduct inquiry.
A summary of a philosophical (ontological) system of consistent relativism based on the postulate of relativity of existence of all things in existence is proposed. Absolutely everything exists, but, at the same time, no existence is absolute. Anything is possible, but only those entities we interact with one way or another exist for us, i.e., reality is interaction, "I interact—hence, I ...
Interpretivism was employed to adapt a relativist ontology for multiple interpretations of a single phenomenon to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. ... The qualitative research ...
A constructivist paradigm orients phenomenological research by way of a relativist ontology whereby human "realities are apprehended in the form of multiple, intangible mental constructions, socially and experientially based, local and specific in nature" (Guba & Lincoln, 1994, p. 110).
relativist ontology - assumes that reality as we know it is constructed intersubjectively through the meanings and understandings ... YS. (1994). "Competing paradigms in qualitative research." In NK Denzin and YS Lincoln (eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. pp. 105-117. Lyotard, J. (1979). The Postmodern Condition: A report on Knowledge ...
Summary. What is ontological relativism? Ontology is that part of philosophy which investigates the fundamental structures of the world and the fundamental kinds of things that exist. Terms like "object", "fact", "property", "relation" and "category" are technical terms used to make sense of these most basic features of ...
Understanding Research Paradigms: An Ontological Perspective to Business Research Toritseju Rita Pessu ... (Saunders et al., 2016). The relativist position asserts that each person has their different view of reality that is considered right (Easterby-Smith et al., 2012). ... qualitative research focuses on examining the findings generated from ...
This paper examined qualitative research methodology and its suitability for social science research. It argued for adoption of relativist ontology and interpretivist-constructivist epistemology within the realm of qualitative Research Methodology.It first focused on quantitative research methodologies and their limitations in social science research before outlining qualitative methodologies ...
ologies used in qualitative research in sport psychology, as well as the increase in qualitat-ive research between 1990-1999 and 2000-2009. However, as with any study, there were some limitations to the reviews from Culver and colleagues (2003, 2012). For example, these reviews examined the prevalence of qualitative research across two ...
This article raises serious questions about the relativist approach to assessing qualitative research that has been championed by John K. Smith and various colleagues. They reject not just empiricism but also what they refer to as "neorealism.". Against both these positions, they advance an antirealist, anti-ontological argument to the ...
Kivunja & Kuyini (2017) describe the essential features of Interpretivism as: The admission that the social world cannot be understood from the standpoint of an individual. The belief that realities are multiple and socially constructed. The acceptance that there is inevitable interaction between the researcher and his or her research participants.
A relativist ontology states that there are multiple, diverse, and varied realities (Lee 2012) and a constructivist epistemology holds that individuals construct and create their knowledge, and ...
Methodology. The methodology selected for this review was a 'focused mapping review and synthesis' because we focused on (a) a particular subject, (b) a defined time period, and (c) specific journals (Bradbury-Jones et al., Citation 2017; Grant & Booth, Citation 2009).The characteristics of a focused mapping review and synthesis methodology are well-suited for the present study given our ...
Constructivist grounded theory is a popular method for research studies primarily in the disciplines of psychology, education, and nursing. In this article, the authors aim to locate the roots of constructivist grounded theory and then trace its development. They examine key grounded theory texts to discern their ontological and epistemological ...
Qualitative research methodologies are the specified philosophical and theoretical frameworks applied in a systematic inquiry into social phenomena in a natural setting (Creswell & Poth, 2018).The most widely used qualitative research methodologies are grounded theory and phenomenology (Gelling, 2011; Goulding, 2005; Padgett, 2017; Strandmark, 2015).
Dr Richardson is a qualitative researcher whose work focuses on improving access and equity to physical activity opportunities among disabled communities. Prior and ongoing research include how gyms, rehabilitation spaces, sport and physical education can be made more inclusive of individual with physical impairments and/or chronic illness.
Therefore, I problematize three aspects of qualitative research, that is, the standard qualitative research model that came out of the 1980s to early 1990s, the focus on the individual as the font of "truth," and coding and thematizing, all of which arises within the systemic White supremacy racism of Modernity.