Centre for Policy on Ageing



Believability and doubtfulness — a paradigmatic view of qualitative methods
Author(s)	Ron Levy
Journal title	Canadian Journal on Aging, vol 12, no 2, Summer 1993
Pages	pp 233-243
Keywords	Interpretation ; Methodology ; Research ; Canada.
Annotation	In the past, the focus of the literature concerning the comparison between qualitative and quantitative research has been on the relative merits of the methodology of each approach. This essay aims to reformulate this argument in terms of paradigmatic perspectives. Descriptions of the realist paradigm which determines quantitative methods and the constructivist paradigm which determines qualitative methods are laid out. It is shown that these paradigms are essentially incommensurate, and direct comparisons are counterproductive. It is also suggested that the choice of one paradigm over another is more a distinction between the relative values of research exactitude and research sufficiency and, as such, a question of believability. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-970821210 A
Classmark	4CC: 3D: 3A: 7S
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