Suchergebnisse

De Grounded Theory Approach van Glaser en Strauss (1967) heeft vanaf het begin als methode van kwalitatief onderzoek de aandacht getrokken, met name in de sociale wetenschappen, maar ook in de verplegingswetenschap en gezondheidswetenschap. De belangstelling vanuit deze laatste disciplines heeft wellicht te maken met de onderzoeksthema's van Strauss, die vanaf begin 1960 wetenschappelijk onderdak vond bij de School of Nursing van de University of California in San Franscisco. Hij zette daar een succesvol onderzoeksprogramma op, waarin hij de methode verder ontwikkelde in uiteenlopende gezondheidszorgonderzoeken. Maar het leidde ook tot meer. Rond Strauss verzamelde zich een kring van kwalitatieve onderzoekers, waaronder Kathy Charmaz, Adele Clarke en Juliet Corbin, die elk in zijn voetsporen een eigen methode van kwalitatief onderzoek ontwikkelden (zie Charmaz, 2006; Clarke, 2005; Corbin, 2008). De methode die Strauss in Qualitative analysis for social scientists (1987) beschrijft, lijkt aan hun werkwijzen ten grondslag te liggen. Dat geldt bij uitstek voor Juliet Corbin, want zij schreef samen met Strauss een bewerking van dat boek onder de titel Basics of qualitative research. techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory, dat in 1990 verscheen. Een tweede editie volgde in 1998, waarover ik eerder een recensie schreef in KWALON (De Boer, 1999). Nu is een derde editie verschenen met Corbin als eerste auteur. Strauss, die in 1996 is overleden, wordt nog wel opgevoerd als tweede auteur. Deze derde editie van Basics of qualitative research verschilt in veel opzichten van de eerste en de tweede. De 'hand' of beter 'de geest' van Strauss lijkt steeds meer naar de achtergrond te verdwijnen. Corbin ontwikkelt in deze editie een geheel eigen interpretatie van de Grounded Theory Approach (GTA). Corbins aanpak kan kernachtig omschreven worden als een 'conceptbenadering': 'Concepts/themes are the foundation for the analytic method described in this book' (p. 53). Met het 'concept' als grondbeginsel bouwt Corbin haar benadering op, waarbij zij hier en daar op eclectische wijze elementen van de 'vroegere' Grounded Theory Approach inpast.

Actor Network Theory: philosophy and research method applied in research about best practices in long-term care
Actor Network Theory: philosophy and research method applied in research about best practices in long-term care
This article describes the methodological consequences of using Actor Network Theory in the authors' research which aimed to study the acting of best practices in long-term care practices. Doing ANT analysis requires the understanding of ANT key concepts which draw on an alternative ontology about reality and sociological acting. The unit of analysis of ANT focuses upon interactions between actors (human and non-human). The analysis traces and reconstructs interaction processes. ANT requires in-depth research which can be achieved by document analysis, interviews and observations. In addition it is recommended by the authors to investigate time in getting to know the everyday practices, habits and frequently used devices at the research site.

An attempt to show how digraph-theory may be utilized in developing a soc network-theory, esp in the field of local power & influence. Some of the ways are indicated in which digraph-theory, which serves as a descriptive-explicative mathematical model, can be used to analyze componenets of theory of local power. Power is conceptualized as a system of SR. This presupposes in every local community a certain network of exchange ties. A mathematical description is sought of some of the properties of such a power-network. A mathematical model is used in the sense of a collection of definitions. The theory of graphs as a mathematical model in the study of local power configurations is, at least in the beginning, a descriptive theory of power structures. In a descriptive model based on the theory of graphs the power configuration (made of local influentials & the set of relationships among them) is conceptualized as a graph (a directed, possibly valued, multi-graph). When this is done, theorems about the graph, which is assumed to be isomorphic to the power configuration, can be translated into corresponding statements about the power structure. In this context the validation of such statements is a purely logical validation, a consequence of the assumed isomorphy between the graph & the power configuration. This descriptive approach is presented here. 27 Figures. Modified HA.

The development of a strict methodology of observation & analysis in soc sci has always met with resistance. In the current debate on this topic in the US, 2 positions can be distinguished. There are the 'theorists,' who find their inspiration in the work of recent philosophers such as H. Marcuse & J.-P. Sartre; they rate the formation of a pol'al theory as a 1st priority. Then there are the 'behaviorists,' whose first care is for sci'fic method. This contrast is reviewed on the basis of the document, "Political Science at Berkeley, An Invitation to a Discussion," which was published anonymously by a group of students. The criticism of these students can be summarized under the headings 'commitment' & 'relevance.' As far as commitment is concerned, the critics reproach the behaviorists for not taking stands in important contemporary moral issues, & for identifying with the status quo. It is argued here that what leads to acceptance of & identification with the existing pol'al order is not behaviorist methodology as such, but rather the mood of the behaviorists. As far as 'relevance' is concerned, the critics are impatient with the futile detail analysis & data collecting of the behaviorists. The behaviorists' use of a strict methodology of explanation by generalization leads to a reduction of the scope of analysis. Then only the 'easy' aspects ('easy' to quantify, 'easy' to collect, etc) are analyzed, & discontinuous developments are neglected. The argument presented here is that the lack of a dynamic theory of the pol'al process is an impediment indeed for pol'al sci, but that, again, behaviorism as such cannot be accused of being 'conservative' or 'conformistic': the refutation of race theories, for example, was rather a radical undertaking. It is concluded that for the time being it is not necessary to lay other bounds on pol'al sci than those that follow from the claims of rational debate & intellectual honesty. HA.

Book review
Book review
In this contribution the author reviews Doing Q methodological research: theory, method and interpretation by S. Watts & P. Stenner.

Book review
Book review
In this contribution the author reviews Qualitative research and theory development: mystery as method by M. Alvesson and D. Kärreman.

The value and challenges of video observation in social work
In this contribution we reflect on the values and challenges of working with video observation in social work theory and practice. We do not discuss the methods themselves as part of our discussion; instead we focus on the contribution that working with such methods can bring to social work. We answer the question of why social work should be put into images using video observation, and we put forward questions that should be asked when doing so.

The state of Dutch political thought in the seventeenth century is reviewed. Three main approaches are discussed: (1) The critical approach is represented by P. de la Court, who, influenced by Hobbes, defended a more democratic type of government. (2) The historical-philological movement, represented by J. Lipsius, Boxhornius, & Burgersdijk, was based on Aristotelian metaphysical concepts to develop a more systematic base for historical research. This movement influenced the development of the typical research style of the political sciences in Germany. (3) B. de Spinoza's passion-reason theory led to an analytical political science, exemplifying the typical method of integrating theory & empirical (historical) information. Modified HA.

Data-analysis in descriptive qualitative research: organizing, summarizing, comparing and interpreting
Data-analysis in descriptive qualitative research: organizing, summarizing, comparing and interpreting
The grounded theory (GT) method of open, axial and selective coding is unnecessary in descriptive qualitative research. This is for example the case in complex situations and when several research questions are posed. Researchers could get lost when a GT methodology would be applied. The author argues that Miles and Huberman offer a more appropriate method of analysis: organize the data by means of a well-considered set of codes, summarize the data in matrixes and report by comparing the data. This qualitative data analysis method is exemplified with an in-depth analysis of research data on medical decision making concerning the allocation of scarce donor organs.

What is qualitative in qualitative research?
What is qualitative in qualitative research?
Most qualitative research does not follow the methodology of grounded theory (GT). In methodological literature, however, qualitative research is defined in terms of GT. This leaves much qualitative research methodologically poorly defined in the first place. Secondly in the identification with GT the meaning of 'qualitative' is blurred and mixed with ideology. The essay pleads to take quality literally in defining empirical qualitative research methods and in the distinction with quantitative research.

The bad reputation in the social sciences of social Darwinian theories is one of the main hindrances to paying attention to ethology, the biological study of behavior. Although developments in this area of research suggest interesting implications for political science, so far, very few political scientists have dealt with these matters. First, the biological way of thinking about behavior is introduced. The object & method of ethology are dealt with, & attention is paid to the problems of function, causation, & history of behavior of animal & man. The neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, which is fundamental to ethology & to the main argument presented here, is summarized. It is concluded that morphology & behavior are both evolutionary organisms. Next, man is considered in the perspective of evolution. The belief in a rigid distinction between nature & nurture is discussed. The modern biological view that the human capacity for making culture is genetically coded is accepted. In a second part, some aspects of this biological view of behavior, relevant to political science, are discussed. From a comparison of definitions in ethology & political science, it appears that social behavior is the most important problem in both disciplines. Social scientists usually study behavior as an autonomous subject while biologists integrate their vision of behavior in the larger context of evolution. There is a fundamental similarity between ethological concepts of social behavior & some recently developed conceptions of political behavior. It is argued that relinquishing the more traditional focus of political science on state-oriented or group-centered action is an important condition.

A theoretical analysis of the problem of conflict between states or alliances, founded on the Nash theory of bargaining & cooperative games (Nash, J. F., "The Bargaining Problem," Econometrica, 1950, 18, 155-162). Assumptions that must be met to make the use of this theory possible are elucidated. Given these assumptions, precise meanings can be given to such concepts as "dominance" & "strategic equilibrium." Such game-theoretical understanding provides an alternative to warfare as a means of gaining knowledge of relative military strength, thus making unnecessary the Clausewitzian process of repeated warfare. A two-step process -- a stage of strategic rivalry, & a cooperative phase -- leads to attainment of an ideal final agreement for both sides. An application to the global East/West matrix from 1970 to 1987 is presented, & means of applying game-theoretical methods realistically to international relations are proposed. 7 Tables, 3 Figures. Modified HA

Systematic Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Systematic Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) was introduced in the social sciences by Charles Ragin in 1987. Literature on and applications of QCA show the method as a way to systematically organize, summarize and compare qualitative data to discover and analyze patterns occurring over cases. Although the literature stresses the importance of iterating between theory and data in its procedures, its grounded nature remains relatively underexposed. In this article we illustrate the principles of QCA by means of a qualitative comparative analysis of fourteen Dutch spatial planning projects, thereby also articulating the method's grounded nature.

Complexity thinking and qualitative research
Complexity thinking and qualitative research
In this article complexity thinking (or complex thought) is conceived of as a generalization of complexity theory, which was developed at the Santa Fe Institute. Especially Edgar Morin and Paul Cilliers have contributed to the idea of generalized complexity. Within this approach all living and social systems are complex systems: adaptive, dynamic, consisting of emergent features and being able to self-organization, in an almost unpredictable way. Methodological pluralism is a consequence of this type of thinking. Thus, mixed methods are preferred. However, qualitative methodology can already be seen as a striving for complex thought. This concerns its anti-reductionism as well as its anti-holism. In addition, ethical responsibility of empirical researchers is emphasized.