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Sociology

Nova Southeastern University

2004

Philosophy

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Phd Students Perceptions Of The Relationship Between Philosophy And Research: A Qualitative Investigation, Joan Efinger, Nancy Maldonado, Geri Mcardle Dec 2004

Phd Students Perceptions Of The Relationship Between Philosophy And Research: A Qualitative Investigation, Joan Efinger, Nancy Maldonado, Geri Mcardle

The Qualitative Report

This study explored, described, and discovered meaning in the lived experiences of PhD students regarding two courses: Philosophy of Science and Qualitative Methods. The philosophical underpinning was constructivism. The phenomenological methodology employed a structured questionnaire to collect data. It involved mailed computer disks with questions. Twenty of 43 students returned the disks. Content analysis and QSR N6 software were employed in data analysis. Findings included three broad areas: Thinking about Thinking, The Ah-Ha of Me and Thee, and The Never-Ending Journey of Darkness to Light. Philosophy of Science appears to have value for students in every aspect of their lives. …


Beyond Abstraction: Philosophy As A Practical Qualitative Research Method, Eric Sheffield Dec 2004

Beyond Abstraction: Philosophy As A Practical Qualitative Research Method, Eric Sheffield

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I take up a discussion of what philosophic method is, and why it should be viewed as an important qualitative research method. After clarifying the nature of philosophic method within the larger framework of social practices, I argue that philosophy is important to both practice and research, and I suggest that philosophers work in concert with other qualitative researchers. I argue that recently (relatively speaking) philosophy has been viewed with some understandable disdain among both practitioners and researchers as an enjoyable but abstract (and therefore useless) social practice. That perception can be fixed but only if philosophical …