Hello everyone. I get what epistemology and ontology are, but I would appreciate an explanation of how they would impact on the research in terms of method and analysis. So, I am a psychology student and my diss is about how teachers in a particular community, perceive their identity. I have chosen for my ontology, critical realism, and for my epistemology, social constructionism. I have used semi-structured interviews and am using an inductive thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke (2006, 2012). I conceive due to the aforementioned ontological and epistemological choices, when I am analysing what my participants have said, I will analyse for the extra-discursive, e.g. values and structures in society that have influenced my participants descriptions and actions. Thus, my praxis is critical realist. From my understanding, as I have chosen social constructionism as my epistemology, this is about how I have used the 'lived experiences' of my teachers, but this is not only contextualised, but also subject to their individual interpretations. Can someone help me to understand please, if I am on the right track, as I have encountered conflicting interpretations of the above. Thank you for your help in advance.
In my personal opinion, the answer is that ontology and epistemology do not have any direct effects on the collection and analysis of data, because those are mechanical and technicaconcerns, not philosophical issues.
For a long running discussion of these issues in this forum, see: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_epistemology_offer_specific_methodological_rules#view=5db6fa7ff0fb62994b3965c2
I'm not sure if we are completely free to choose whatever combination we want for ontological and epistemological assumptions that govern our inquiry.
Based on this, I'm not sure if critical realism as ontology could work with social constructionism as epistemology. Lets have a look at this:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRzrTsvSPHRVniDnE5ANkpqmnI8_SlhW-coyKIljRRJjPI9_hEc
Thank you, David and Peyman. Peyman, what was your source for the table, please?
I am doing an inductive thematic analysis and am using Braun and Clarke (2013, p26), who state "Regardless of which camp it's in, qualitative research overall tends to come from a different theoretical position than quantitative and experimental research. And then different qualitative methodologies also have their own particular theoretical frameworks and do different sort of things with data. In setting out a framework for research practice, methodology relies on ontology and epistemology (Ramazanoglu & Holland, 2002)."
To me, this does imply that we have to have these (bolded concepts) in mind in terms of method and analysis? Please do reply with your thoughts. Thank you in advance.
Methods are not the same as methodology. In particular, methods are how you go about collecting and analyzing data, while methodology covers more abstract principles related to how you go about knowing -- such as induction versus deduction and subjectivity versus objectivity.
If you do feel some unavoidable need for a paradigm, then Critical Realism already combines both a realist ontology and a constructivist epistemology. So, you can use CR without having to divide your assumptions about ontology and epistemology.
Thank you very much David L Morgan you have been very helpful and have clarified some fundamental (mis)understandings!
Dear Maria,
Critical Realism calls for unity of theory and practice, so methodology is linked to method and data analysis. The aim is to identify through you data analysis generative mechanisms which explain the data you have collected through holistic causality. You may want to do some qualitative analysis, but this needs to be theory laden. There are several sources that I would recommend:
Conference Paper In Search of Mechanisms. Conducting a Critical Realist Data Analysis.
Article Applying critical realism in qualitative research: Methodolo...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=19&ved=2ahUKEwiBvuW-wMPlAhXQSBUIHbH6A-UQFjASegQIBhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbura.brunel.ac.uk%2Fbitstream%2F2438%2F11425%2F1%2FCritical%2520Realism%2520and%2520Qualitative%2520Research%2520Methods4.doc&usg=AOvVaw3fdcqcCfium9fZagpeeYDl
The book "Explaining Society" by Berth Danermark et al. (2002). This explains well, especially on pages 79-110 how Critical Realism uses abduction and retroduction rather than deduction and induction.
Hope this helps.
Dima Khazem
Dima Khazem
Dear Dima
Thank you very much for your helpful response. I am just going through some of the material that you sent. I may come back to you with questions, if that is ok.
Kind regards
Maria