AMANDA HYNAN FINAL THESIS PDF

interpretivism - the inquirer finding meaning in human action in much the
same way as a subject gains knowledge about an object
hermeneutics - recognising the inquirer’s personal beliefs will affect
interpretation and understanding so knowledge is negotiated
social constructionism - taking a stance that knowledge should not be viewed
as discoverable but as socially constructed during the research process
Guba and Lincoln (1994) explain constructivism as:
Ontologically - stating reality is comprehended through social constructions
Epistemologically - stating findings are jointly created
Methodologically - taking a hermeneutical approach.
My interpretation of the theoretical perspectives and influences described within the
literature review and at the beginning of this chapter suggests a socially constructivist
approach is considered the best fit for the current study. Any emergent knowledge
will rest on the differing, and yet also shared, historical, contextual and cultural
perspectives that all parties bring to the research process.
3.3.2. A qualitative research approach
It would be impossible within the confines of this thesis to appraise in full the three
main social science approaches: quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods. However,
a brief outline of each will be given to contextualise the decision making process.
Burke Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004) explain a quantitative approach is
traditionally characterised by
“deduction, confirmation, theory /hypothesis testing, explanation, predication,
standardized data collection and statistical analysis” (p. 18)
They describe a qualitative approach is characterised by
“induction, discovery, exploration, [and] theory/hypothesis generation” (p.
18)
with data collection and analysis being conducted via the researcher(s). Finally, they
argue the value of mixed methods, as they suggest being purist to either a qualitative
or a quantitative approach can blinker a researcher to seeing the benefits of taking a
more pragmatic stance. They suggest a mixed approach can help to corroborate or test
qualitatively generated theory or enrich and illuminate quantitative statistical analysis.
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