Foundations for research

Foundationsfor Research

Edited by

Kathleen deMarrais

Stephen D. Lapan

Methods of Inquiry in Education and the Social Sciences

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Foundations for Research

Methods of Inquiry in Education

and the Social Sciences

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INQUIRY AND PEDAGOGY ACROSS DIVERSE CONTEXTS

Kathleen deMarrais, Series Editor

deMarrais and Lapan • Foundations for Research: Methods of Inquiry

in Education and the Social Sciences

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Foundations for Research

Methods of Inquiry in Education

and the Social Sciences

Edited by

Kathleen deMarrais

University of Georgia

Stephen D. Lapan

Northern Arizona University

LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS

2004 Mahwah, New Jersey London

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Editor: Naomi Silverman

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Copyright
C 2004 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in

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other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers

10 Industrial Avenue

Mahwah, NJ 07430

www.erlbaum.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Foundations for research : methods of inquiry in education and the social

sciences/edited by Kathleen deMarrais, Stephen D. Lapan.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8058-3650-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Education—Research—Methodology. 2. Social sciences—Research—Methodology.

I. deMarrais, Kathleen. II. Lapan, Stephen D.

LB1028.F64 2004

370

.7

2—dc21 2003011807

Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on

acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and

durability.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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To my brother (1951–2000)

Always a smile. kpd

To my brother David (1944–2001)

The consummate mentor, he selflessly supported all he

touched—so many needed him to stay. sdl

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Contents

Preface xi

1 Introduction 1

Kathleen deMarrais and Stephen D. Lapan

2 Being Vulnerable and Being Ethical With/in Research 13

Kit Tisdale

3 Historical Research 31

Kate Rousmaniere

4 Qualitative Interview Studies: Learning

Through Experience 51

Kathleen deMarrais

5 Owning Significance: The Critical Incident Technique

in Research 69

Daniel L. Kain

6 Focus Groups: More Than a Method

of Qualitative Inquiry 87

Pamela B. Kleiber

7 Exploring Life and Experience Through

Narrative Inquiry 103

Mary Kay Kramp

vii

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viii CONTENTS

8 Enjoining Positionality and Power in Narrative Work:

Balancing Contentious and Modulating Forces 123

Juanita Johnson-Bailey

9 Ethnomethodological and Conversation

Analytic Studies 139

Kathryn J. Roulston

10 Fieldwork Traditions: Ethnography and

Participant Observation 161

Judith Preissle and Linda Grant

11 Reinscribing Critique in Educational Ethnography:

Critical and Postcritical Ethnography 181

George W. Noblit

12 Critical Inquiry in Qualitative Research: Feminist and

Poststructural Perspectives: Science “After Truth” 203

Patti Lather

13 Case Study Research 217

Patricia A. Hays

14 Evaluation Studies 235

Stephen D. Lapan

15 Participatory Evaluation 249

Gila Garaway

16 Multimethods Research 267

Paul A. Schutz, Courtney B. Chambless, and Jessica T. DeCuir

17 Survey Research 283

Susan R. Hutchinson

18 Single-Subject Experimental Research: An Overview

for Practitioners 303

Karen A. Sealander

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CONTENTS ix

19 Experimental Research to Inform Educational Policy 329

Lawrence H. Cross and Gabriella M. Belli

20 Using Multiple Methodologies: The Case of Retention

in Chicago 353

Ernest R. House

References 371

Author Index 411

Subject Index 421

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Preface

This text is designed for use in introductory research courses in the professional

fields and social sciences. The major goal of the book is to acquaint students and

beginning researchers with a broad view of research methodologies, as well as an

understanding of the assumptions that inform each of these approaches. Because

the book presents such diverse approaches to research, more experienced re￾searchers will also find the book useful in acquainting them with research method￾ologies and theoretical frameworks that are new to them. In designing this book,

the editors invited research methodologists from diverse theoretical and method￾ological locations to write essays that would invite novice researchers to examine

both the perspective underlying differing research traditions, as well as the specific

methods utilized in particular research approaches.

FOCUS POINTS

One of the strengths of this volume is its focus on research ethics. The volume

begins with a chapter detailing multiple ways of approaching ethical principles

and the roles of researchers and participants within research projects. Subse￾quently, these ethical considerations are addressed explicitly or implicitly in each

of the following chapters within specific research methodologies. Readers leave

the volume with an understanding of the controversies and complexities of cre￾ating ethical research to address social problems across a variety of sociopolitical

contexts.

Another strength of the book is the consistent focus throughout on the inter￾twined relationship of theory and research design. Epistemological stances and

theoretical frameworks inform the research process no matter what design and

methods are selected for use in a particular study. The authors emphasize the ne￾cessity for researchers to clearly articulate their assumptions, beliefs, and values

about the nature of reality, knowledge, and research. Each of the chapters engages

readers in the sociohistorical context of a specific research methodology, presents

xi

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xii PREFACE

key concepts and issues within that design, and concludes the chapter with a dis￾cussion of the methods of data collection, interpretation, and representation.

In addition, the book systematically examines ways to design and implement

high-quality, trustworthy research across varying research designs. The authors

discuss issues of validity and credibility as they illustrate ways to plan for research

that results in trustworthy findings. Across the research designs presented here is

a consistent emphasis on the need for high-quality, trustworthy research. Specific

strategies are suggested throughout for readers to use in their own work as they

seek to improve the quality of their research.

Finally, each author provides specific methods for implementing research

within that framework. Thus, readers are not only engaged in the ethical, the￾oretical, and methodological issues, but are learning the practical tools employed

by each of these researchers. Examples and illustrations abound throughout the

volume ensuring a clear, articulate presentation by experienced researchers and

teachers of research methods.

The editors include a series of pedagogical strategies designed to engage readers

in the text, including a “Meet the Author” feature, which introduces the author

through both text and photographs, questions throughout each chapter designed

to encourage readers to apply key chapter concepts to their own thinking and

research, and extensive bibliographies for each research approach to encourage

further exploration of the various research methodologies in more depth.

OVERVIEW

Unlike more traditional introductory research texts, this volume avoids orga￾nizing the chapters into the discreet categories of qualitative and quantitative

approaches. Although some chapters rely more heavily on qualitative approaches

and others are more quantitative, many employ multiple research methods to

investigate particular research problems and questions. In addition, the book is

not organized into single, contradictory positivist–interpretivist categories of re￾search. The authors often situate methodologies within a variety of, and some￾times multiple, theoretical positions particularly as these approaches are shaped

within the historical context of social science research. For example, Hutchinson

describes both positivist and constructivist assumptions underlying survey re￾search, and Preissle and Grant review objectivist foundations for participant

observation fieldwork.

The book begins with a chapter on research ethics to emphasize the cru￾cial issues related to ethical practice across research methodologies. Following

a chapter on historical research are chapters that utilize interview approaches

in their research designs (qualitative interview studies, critical incident tech￾nique, focus group research, and narrative inquiry). The next several chapters

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PREFACE xiii

present methodologies that rest primarily on observational approaches to re￾search (ethnomethodology, ethnography and participant observation, and critical

and postcritical ethnography). Next are chapters that utilize multiple research

approaches, both qualitative and quantitative (case study research, evaluation

studies, participatory evaluation, and multimethods research). The subsequent

chapters examine survey and experimental research approaches (survey research,

single-subject design, and experimental research). The final chapter of the book

illustrates the need for multiple approaches to research to critique and inform

public policy issues.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to acknowledge the high-quality work of the book’s authors and the in￾sightful comments of reviewers who were crucial to the development of the book.

We are indebted to the students we teach in our research courses for their many

questions about the research process. These questions led to the conception and

organization of this book. It is our hope that the book will assist in answering

some of those questions but, more importantly, raise new questions in our think￾ing about doing research and teaching research methods. In addition, we wish to

thank Yali Zhao and Rachel Foster for their fine assistance with the preparation

of the final manuscript and the staff at Lawrence Erlbaum Associates for their

work in preparing this book for publication. We acknowledge the thorough and

thoughtful contributions of the Lawrence Erlbaum Associates reviewers through￾out the construction of this book, especially Patricia Hays, Kathy Farber, Pamela

Bettis, Jamie Lewis, and Naomi Silverman, for their insightful comments and sup￾port throughout the development of this project.

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