Nope - I am not talking about the network that carries just about the only television coverage of European cycle racing (including the TdF going on now!).
In Saldana's book "The coding manual for qualitative researchers" (2nd ed., Sage), one of the coding schemes is called 'versus' coding. This is something I am experimenting with in a book review so it is on my mind right now. Versus coding sets up contrasts: ethics versus ambition; flexibility versus rigidity, knights of the round table versus the fierce white bunny, etc. Just during the last week, I have heard two distinct viewpoints about qualitative inquiry (as social science), from two different people, affiliated with two different universities, and representing two different roles (faculty/administrator and student). One person expressed to me that use of qualitative inquiry was acceptable as long as examples of the type of inquiry I want to pursue (I took this to mean both design and subject matter) had been published in respectable scholarly journals. One other interesting thing about this viewpoint is that it is relatively open-minded, when using as comparison the peer group of this individual. The other, contrasting view was that all social science should matter -and be planned to try to work toward positive change or improvement in some conditions. So, on one side, I have the reluctantly willing to acknowledge the value (I would go so far as to say reluctantly willing to acknowledge the need) of qualitative inquiry contrasted with the other side - that qualitative inquiry is only meaningful if it is designed to eventually go beyond inquiry. I am not certain how to set up that 'versus' in simple terms, in fact, both represent a type of conditional acceptance of qualitative inquiry as a legitimate research methodology.
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AuthorI am Sheryl L. Chatfield, Ph.D, C.T.R.S. I am a member of the faculty in the College of Public Health at Kent State University. I also Co-coordinate the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research and I am a member of the Design Innovation Team at Kent State. Archives
February 2024
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