04:192:200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Metatheory, Postpositivism, Nominalism

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Communication
• Course: 04:192:200
• Professor: C R A I G Scott

Document Summary

Interest in understanding of the everyday life world. Text is understood via consideration of author, context, situation, and researcher"s knowledge. Nominalist or social constructionist positions, emphasizes ongoing construction of social reality. Subjective position that emphasizes situated and local knowledge from self pov. Rejection of scientific methods that seek generalized knowledge and causal relationships. Beliefs that personal/professional values are a lens through which phenomena are observed. Values are an asset more than a liability. Strive to understand intersubjective process of reality construction. Seek an understanding and description, not an explanation. Driven by empirical observation (grounded from data in multiple sources) Depends on comparative analysis of multiple data sources (constant comparative method) Conceptual density (multiple links between well developed categories) Clear evidence from data exists to support theory. May provide insight to others studying similar things. Based on days in field (being close to data) People in the research setting benefit from findings.