PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
Lesson 2 Paper
Linda Dunn
Michigan State University
EAD 840
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
As I develop my philosophical perspective on educational inquiry, I am becoming more
aware of the many lenses with which I view the world. I am a graduate student, a
communications and marketing professional in higher education, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a
stepmother, to name a few of my current roles. All of my experiences have shaped who I am
today and how I view the world. What defines me as a person also affects how I view research
and the research tools that I choose to use. I seem to align most closely with the ConstructivistHermeneutic-Interpretivist-Qualitative Paradigm or Social Constructivist Worldview.
I believe that, at some level, people create their own realities. Two people can experience
the same event, but each will interpret the meaning of it differently, based on their own previous
experiences and their own point of view. I question the reality of one Truth for human nature,
though the physical world (ex., laws of nature, such as gravity) may be a place where Truth can
be known and agreed upon. I believe research should seek to define the reality of the moment by
observing and relating what is taking place, and by questioning participants to learn more.
According to Reeves, Constructivist-Hermeneutic-Interpretivist-Qualitativists (CHIQ)
believe that “truth is a matter of consensus among informed and sophisticated constructors, not
correspondence with an objective reality.” They are concerned with understanding the nature of
this constructed reality from multiple perspectives, emphasizing the roles of culture, sex, context,
and other factors in the construction reality (Reeves, 1996). In true constructivist fashion they
prefer to be immersed in the research as opposed to detaching themselves.
These thoughts align well with what we read in the Krauss (2005) article. In general,
qualitative research is based on a relativistic, constructivist ontology that posits that there is no
objective reality. Rather, there are multiple realities constructed by human beings who
experience a phenomenon of interest.
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
Likewise, Johnson and Onwuegbuzie state that constructivists contend that multipleconstructed realities abound, that time- and context-free generalizations are neither desirable nor
possible, that research is value-bound, that it is impossible to differentiate fully causes and
effects, that logic flows from specific to general (e.g., explanations are generated inductively
from the data), and that knower and known cannot be separated because the subjective knower is
the only source of reality (Guba, 1990). There is room in ontology for mental and social reality
as well as the more micro and more clearly material reality.
I believe we come to know by observing and participating. Many people can share an
experience, but individuals interpret it to construct their own meaning. I believe that continuing
to question our assumptions is key to knowing. Many aspects of the Bateson text are
demonstrated through the CHIQ paradigm. She becomes immersed in her research and much of
what she learns is through roles of culture and context. Additionally, she discusses the concept
that Krauss refers to as “social knowledge,” the “broad variety of human activities, concepts and
ways of being social,” through her lens, first as a high school student in another country, and
then when she returns later as a adult, exploring the different cultural settings, and meanings.
I believe that each person makes meaning based on their past and present experiences, so
research must be able to identify and process these similarities and differences that occur in
social contexts. As we read in Krauss, the constructivist view is that knowledge is established
through the meanings attached to the phenomena studied; researchers interact with the subjects
of study to obtain data; inquiry changes both researcher and subject; and knowledge is context
and time dependent (Coll & Chapman, 2000; Cousins, 2002).
Human beings have a natural inclination to understand and make meaning out of their
lives and experiences. Krauss states that according to qualitative epistemology, this “meaning”
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
relates to the subject, not to what positivists consider as an objectively correct or metaphysically
explored true meaning (Weber, 1949). In order to discover this subjectively intended meaning,
researchers have to empathize with social actors and appreciate the purposes, motives and causes
that underlie those actions. Accordingly, this can only be accomplished within a framework and
approach that encourages immersion of the researcher into the research setting of the respondents.
A hands-off approach where the researcher attempts to distance him or herself from the research
setting will never be able to achieve this goal.
Krauss also posits that the naturalistic posture contends that epistemologically, the
inquirer and the inquired into, are interlocked in such a way that the findings of the investigation
are the literal creation of the inquiry process (Al Zeera, 2001). The constructivist, therefore, takes
the position that the knower and the known are co-created during the inquiry.
I believe we can learn much more from an interview, where people can define their terms
and we can observe their assumptions, than we can from a simple survey where people must
choose between several items or levels on a list (ex., agree, somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat
disagree, disagree) in order to indicate what best fits their experience or how they feel. They
may answer questions based on different definitions, and results may be skewed. I believe there
is more to be gained by using qualitative methods than quantitative methods for educational
research. I believe field work can provide insight that would be difficult, if not impossible, to
learn via empirical methods.
I question whether starting with a hypothesis as the Postpositivists do, opens the door to
trying to force the outcome to fit the question. While Constructivists may form a hypothesis, I
think that observation allows for a more holistic way of looking at issues and that it allows for
more ability to move in many directions based on what is observed.
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
As Creswell (p. 9) states, social constructivists believe that the basic generation of
meaning is always social, arising in and out of interaction with a human community. The
process of qualitative research is largely inductive, with the inquirer generating meaning from
the data collected in the field.
In the Rist reading, Filstead (1970:6) noted that qualitative methodology refers to those
research strategies, such as participant observation, in-depth interviewing, total participation in
the activity being investigated, field work, etc., which allow the researcher to obtain first-hand
knowledge about the empirical social world in question. Qualitative methodology allows the
researcher to “get close to the data,” thereby developing the analytical, conceptual, and
categorical components of explanation from the data itself. The Johnson and Onwuegbuzie
article notes “characteristics of traditional qualitative research are induction, discovery,
exploration, theory/hypothesis generation, the researcher as the primary ‘instrument’ of data
collection, and qualitative analysis” (p. 18).
I would rather read qualitative research reports, and write them, too. As Johnson and
Onwuegbuzie state, qualitative purists are characterized by a dislike of a detached and passive
style of writing, preferring, instead, detailed, rich, and thick (empathic) description, written
directly and somewhat informally. I believe this style is much closer to my natural voice and
lends itself to more interactive meaning making for me. I would hope to emulate Bateson’s
writing style, where the text enables meaning making for me in such a thoughtful, thought
provoking way.
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PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY
References
Bateson, M.C. (1994). Peripheral visions. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Johnson, R. B. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm
whose time has come. Educational Researcher, Vol. 22, No. 7, 14-26.
Krauss, S. E. (2005). Research paradigms and meaning making: A primer. The Qualitative
Report, Vol. 10, Number 4, 758-770.
Reeves, T. (1996). Educational paradigms. www.http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/Reeves.html.
Rist, R. C. On the relations among educational research paradigms from disdain to détente.
National Institute of Education, 42-49.
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