A Realist Approach for Qualitative Research

1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7619-2923-9
Verlag: SAGE Publications

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 357 g

This ground-breaking book makes the case for employing a realist philosophical perspective in qualitative research. Joseph Maxwell argues for critically applying a realist ontology to a number of important theoretical and methodological issues. The book outlines critical realism and considers its implications for how we conceptualize meaning and culture, causation, and diversity. The author applies critical realist ideas and approaches to the design and methods of qualitative research, and presents two in-depth case studies of projects he conducted, describing how realist (and other) perspectives informed the research, the methods, and the conclusions.

"Maxwell's book is an outstanding accomplishment. He has connected a tremendous amount of past and present knowledge in it. I especially like the discussions of causation, 'validity', and the methodological significance of viewing culture as distributed." - Burke Johnson, University of South Alabama

"This timely text could at last get us to the tipping point where realistapproaches enter the mainstream of qualitative research. They have gainedwidespread acceptance by philosophers but continue to be regarded withsuspicion by the dominant tribe of constructivist qualitative researchers. Maxwell provides a convincing case that realism helps to resolve many of theproblems they face without deserting cherished aspects of constructivism." - Colin Robson, emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Huddersfield

"This is the only book that I'm aware of that links issues of epistemology and ontology so directly with qualitative methodologies."- Marianna L. Litovich, Wesleyan University

Autoren/Hrsg.

Maxwell, Joseph A.

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Empirische Sozialforschung, Statistik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Wissenschaften: Theorie, Epistemologie, Methodik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface: The Value of Realism for Qualitative Research
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Part I: A Realist Stance for Qualitative Research
Chapter 1: What Is Realism, and Why Should Qualitative Researchers Care?
Chapter 2: Meaning and Culture Are Real
Chapter 3: Causation Is Real
Chapter 4: Diversity Is Real
Part II: Realism and Qualitative Methods
Chapter 5: The Realities of Research Design
Chapter 6: Research Relationships and Data Collection
Chapter 7: Real and Virtual Relationships in Qualitative Data Analysis (with Barbara Miller)
Chapter 8: Understanding, Validity, and Evidence
Part III: Applications of Realism in Qualitative Research
Chapter 9: Explaining Plains Indian Social Organization
Chapter 10: Meaning and Diversity in Inuit Kinship and Culture
Conclusion
References
Author Index
Subject Index

Über Autor(innen)

Maxwell, Joseph A.
Joseph A. Maxwell is a Professor (Emeritus) in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, where he taught courses on qualitative and mixed methods research. He is the author of Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach (3rd ed.; SAGE, 2013), A Realist Approach for Qualitative Research (SAGE, 2012), and papers on qualitative and mixed methods research, program evaluation, sociocultural theory, Native American societies, and medical education. He has a PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago.