Showing how science is limited by its dominant mode of investigation, Lincoln and Guba propose an alternative paradigm--a "naturalistic" rather than "rationalistic" method of inquiry--in which the investigator avoids manipulating research outcomes. A "paradigm shift" is under way in many fields, they contend, and go on to describe the different assumptions of the two approaches regarding the nature of reality, subject-object interaction, the possibility of generalization, the concept of causality, and the role of values. The authors also offer guidance for research in the field (where, they say, naturalistic inquiry always takes place). Useful tips are given, for example, on "designing" a study as it unfolds, establishing "trustworthiness," and writing a case report. This book helps researchers "both to understand and to do naturalistic inquiry." Of particular interest to educational researchers, it is valuable for all social scientists involved with questions of qualitative and quantitative methodology.

Publisher's description: Fourth Generation Evaluation represents a monumental shift in evaluation practice. Guba and Lincoln point to the inherent problems faced by previous generations of evaluators--politics, ethical dilemmas, imperfections and gaps, inconclusive deductions--and lay the blame for failure and nonutilization at the feet of the unquestioned reliance on the scientific/positivist paradigm of research. Fourth Generation Evaluation, a more informed and sophisticated approach, moves beyond science to include the myriad human, political, social, cultural, and contextual elements that are involved. Based upon relativism, a unity between knower and known, and a subjective epistemology, the authors show how fourth generation evaluation unites the evaluator and the stakeholders in an interaction that creates the product of the evaluation. Differing from previously existing generations, this new approach moves evaluation to a new level, whose key dynamic is negotiation. The constructivist paradigm is espoused by the authors and shown to offer multiple advantages, including empowerment and enfranchisement of stakeholders, as well as an action orientation that defines a course to be followed. Not merely a treatise on evaluation theory, Guba and Lincoln also comprehensively describe the differences between the positivist and constructivist paradigms of research, and provide a practical plan of the steps and processes in conducting a fourth generation evaluation.

Dealing with Empirical Materials and Interpretations focuses on the task of collecting, analysing and interpreting qualitative materials using document analysis, interviews, computers and visual materials.

The Qualitative Inquiry Reader offers a selection of landmark articles from the SAGE journal Qualitative Inquiry. These works introduce framework that will allow scholars and students to interpret cutting edge work in the field of qualitative inquiry.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

'One of the clearest and most forceful statements about the so-called naturalistic approaches to evaluation. The authors have developed a model that provides both theoretically sound and highly practical advice to evaluators and consumers of evaluation information.'Choice

In this volume the contributors locate the field, providing historical context and background on applied qualitative research, the 'self' and the 'other', and the politics and ethics of qualitative inquiry.

The Constructivist Credo is a set of foundational principles for those wishing to conduct social science research within the constructivist paradigm. They were distilled by Yvonna Lincoln and Egon Guba from their many writings on this topic and are provided in the form of 150 propositional statements. After Guba’s death in 2008, the Credo was completed by Lincoln and is presented here. In addition to the key principles of constructivist thought, the volume also contains an introduction to constructivism, an intellectual biography and complete bibliography of Guba’s work, and a case study using constructivism, showing how the paradigm can be applied to a research study.

This volume engages researchers with the notion of critical qualitative inquiry (CQI) as a direct practice of resistance. As female educators and researchers who have (through our politically activist sister) been referred to as “Nasty Women” in the US presidential debates, we believe that it is our responsibility to respond through our inquiry to the violent reinscription of intersecting forms of injustice and marginalization. The purposes of this volume are therefore (1) to demonstrate personal actions taken by researchers to deal with thoughts/feelings of despair as well as how to move toward survival, and (2) to explore historical, new, and rethought research and activist methodologies (frameworks) as counter measures broadly and for public education specifically. Examples of CQI as resistance in response to the particular neoliberal patriarchal, whitelash presidential election event are provided by featured authors. Additionally, resources related to activist scholarship are provided. These frameworks, resources, and perspectives are also useful for future research in reaction to neoliberalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. Perfect for courses such as: Qualitative Research, Curriculum Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Race and Ethnic Studies, Sociology of Education, Social Justice and Education, Democracy and Civics, Community Engagement, Policy Studies, Critical Race Theory, Intersectional Studies, Posthuman Inquiry, and Activism and Performance Inquiry.

In this, the second of a three-volume paperback version of the landmark Handbook of Qualitative Research, editors Norman K Denzin and Yvonna S Lincoln consider the major strategies employed by the qualitative researcher. Starting from the research design process and following through to consider a range of methods that can be applied in any study, Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry covers funding, case studies, ethnography, grounded theory, participative inquiry and much more - offering a range of methods that can be employed in any study. The outstanding contributors thoroughly covereach topic, enriching the qualitative experience. The Handbook of Qualitative Research has been heralded as the state of the art in evaluating the field of qualitative inquiry and features contributions from some of the leading scholars in the area. Now published in paperback in response to the needs of classroom teachers, Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry will also be an excellent choice around which to build a course on research methods, across a wide number of academic disciplines.