New article
A new article has just been published in Qualitative Health Research by two authors from University of Toronto that people within the Critical Physiotherapy Network might know well. James Shaw and Ryan DeForge contributed to an edited collection on Philosophy and Physiotherapy that Barbara Gibson and I co-edited in August 2012 (full version available at the bottom of this post). Jay and Ryan’s new paper is titled ‘Qualitative Inquiry and the Debate Between Hermeneutics and Critical Theory’ and the abstract follows and you can link to the full details of the paper here:
Abstract
Two issues have been central to ongoing disputes about judgments of quality in qualitative inquiry: (a) the ways in which paradigmatic orientations are understood to guide procedural decisions and (b) the meaning and intelligibility of paradigmatic incommensurability. In this article, we address these two key issues through an exploration of the debates between hermeneutics and critical social theory, including the exchanges between Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jurgen Habermas, and between Richard Rorty and Thomas McCarthy. We suggest that the key epistemological issue addressed in these debates is the nature of interpretation, separating the two philosophical camps based on beliefs about whether foundational knowledge is possible to achieve. We conclude the article by discussing the implications of these different positions for beliefs about quality in qualitative inquiry, and comment on the role of judgment in assessments of the value and quality of different approaches to qualitative research.
Keywords: critical methods, hermeneutics, interpretive methods, language / linguistics, research design, research evaluation
research, qualitative
Philosophy and physiotherapy – full edited collection – printed version cover
Philosophy and physiotherapy – full edited collection – printed version
I am a Sociologist doing qualitative research in a Physiotherapy clinical trials unit, i consider my colleagues to be somewhat open to my ‘new’ thoughts on the work that they do. I excitedly told them about the Bricolage paper. One research Physio’s response “the tool-box” yeah we know about that. I now feel deflated and sad and feel like i don ‘t have colleagues to talk about this stuff with.
Hi Sam. Don’t believe all you hear. There is a huge amount you can offer the profession. Physios – loke everyone – often don’t know what they don’t know. What sort of work are you doing?
Thanks for your response. I am working on two trials one that is testing whether a programme of exercise improves cognition for people with mild to moderate dementia and another which is testing an intervention for older people with spinal stenosis. I have been pretty much left to my own devices ( this is both good and bad) for the Dementia trial, i am doing observations of delivery of the programme and interviewing participants and their care givers. The stenosis one hasn’t been finalised but i have conducted the preparatory interview study to gather patient experiences of the condition, this will inform the development of the intervention. What i am required to do is generate descriptive qualitative research which i can do. What i keep butting up against is my sociological imagination.