Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Methodological Precision In Qualitative Research: Slavish Adherence Or “Following The Yellow Brick Road?”, John R. Cutcliffe, Henry G. Harder

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research has withstood many challenges on its way to becoming a credible research paradigm, though it remains the case that the paradigm contains ongoing methodological debates. One such debate is, for want of a better expression, the necessity for methodological precision (fundamentalism or purity). While it is accurate that research methodologies are somewhat fluid in that they are refined over time, it is equally correct that some researchers fall into a trap in claiming such fluidity is the reason for their imprecise use of a research methodology. Given that scientific knowledge is inextricably linked to the practice of method …