Mindful Inquiry in Social Research

by Valerie Malhotra Bentz; Jeremy J. Shapiro

• ISBN13: 9780761904083
• ISBN10: 0761904085
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-06-24
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

'This volume is an exemplar that will serve as a measure for all texts that train researchers. Its scope and depth provide an emerging researcher with an appropriate orientation and skills to be successful in these times of incredible change' - Human Studies'Bentz and Shapiro provide a welcome addition to the multitude of introductory texts on qualitative research. In an interesting departure from traditional treatises, which concentrate on a particular mode of research activity thereby making action the object of interest, they shift the focus onto the researcher' - Critical Public HealthThis innovative introduction to research in the social sciences guides students and new researchers through the maze of research traditions, cultures of inquiry and epistemological frameworks. It introduces the underlying logic of ten cultures of inquiry: ethnography; quantitative behavioural science; phenomenology; action research; hermeneutics; evaluation research; feminist research; critical social science; historical-comparative research; and theoretical research. It clarifies conceptual and intellectual traditions in research, and puts the researcher firmly in the investigative saddle - able to choose, justify, and explain the intellectual framework and personal rationale of his or her research.

Table of Contents

Research

The New Context and a New Approach

From Positivism to Postmodernity

The Mindful Inquirer as a Philosopher

Mindful Inquiry as the Basis for Scholarly Practice

Fundamentals of Mindful Inquiry

The Scholarly Practitioner

Facing the Loss of Identity through the Onslaught of the Information Age

The Cultures of Inquiry and Research Traditions

Phenomenological Inquiry

Hermeneutic Inquiry and Ethnography

Quantitative and Behavioral Science, Action Research and Evaluation Research

Comparative-Historical Inquiry and Theoretical Inquiry

Critical Social Science and Critical Social Theory

Conclusion and Magic Formulae