Qualitative Research c.f Quantitative Research

http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2550154/pdf/bmj00600-0043.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm1NnAK4tHyoKlr7iODuuEeGv9qLxg&oi=scholarr

Discourse Analysis & Worldviews

1. We become who we are through relationship - through the meaning we make of other's perceptions and of us and interactions with us.

2. We organize our lives through stories.
    We can make many different stories or meanings of any particular event.
    There are many experiences in each of our lives that have not been “storied.” Each of those events could, if storied, lead to a different, often preferable, life narrative.

3. The dominant discourses in our society powerfully influence what gets storied and how it gets storied.
    A discourse is a system of words, actions, rules, beliefs, and institutions that share common values. Particular discourses sustain particular worldviews. We might even think of a discourse as a worldview in action.
    Discourses tend to be invisible--taken for granted as part of the fabric of reality.

4. Locating problems in particular discourses helps us see people as separate from their problems.
    We seek to identify the discourses that support problematic stories. Once a problem is linked to a problematic discourse, we can more easily help people oppose the discourse or chose to construct their relationship in line with a different, preferred, discourse.


One classical marxist arguement against discourse anlysis may be that the stable/dominat discourse is actually inherent in the  metric and structure of  a capitalist society itself - Capital and the systems that maintain it.

Bipolarity … or not? Some Conceptual Problems Relating to Bipolar Rating Scales

Conceptual Problems Relating to Bipolar Rating Scales  Author: Mantz Yorke Abstract Bipolar rating scales find considerable use in educational research, whether in formal instruments or as ad hoc scales produced by respondents (for example, in elicited repertory grids), and the data generated are often subjected to statistical analysis. This article examines the concept of bipolarity from primarily a linguistic perspective, taking particular inspiration from Lyons's contributions to the field and from the much earlier work of Ogden. It is argued that the conceptual quality of bipolar scales may be open to serious question, thus rendering statistical and qualitative analyses more problematic than many would prefer. vi DOI: 10.1080/01411920120037126 Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions Published in:  British Educational Research Journal, Volume 27, Issue 2 April 2001 , pages 171 - 186

Soft Systems Theory : Research Methods

Problems can be categorized as either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’, each with unique characteristics requiring distinctly different approaches to resolve. Hard problems are well defined where the “What” and the “How” can be determined early in the research or system design methodology. A definite solution exists and specific objectives may be defined. Hard problems constitute the essence of the systems engineering approach. In contrast, soft problems contain social and political elements that confound problem definition and resolution .

To address soft problems, Peter Checkland developed an iterative approach known as the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) that consists of seven distinct stages:

Define and understand the problem situation (i.e. nature of the process, key stakeholders, etc.).
Express the problem situation through Rich Pictures.
Select how to view the situation from various perspectives and produce root definitions.
Build conceptual models of the system requirements to adequately address each of the root definitions.
Compare the conceptual models (step 4) to the real world expression (step 2).
Identify feasible and desirable changes to improve the situation.
Develop recommendations for taking action to improve the problem situation (implementing step 6).
The intention of SSM is to provide a framework for addressing ill-structured and poorly defined problem situations that contain significant social effects. The researcher/ developer must investigate solutions that possess aspects other than merely technical functionality.

Diagram/schematic of theory

Diagram/schematic of theory

Originating author(s)

Peter Checkland

Seminal articles

Checkland, P. Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, John Wiley & Sons, London, 1981.

Originating area

Computer Science

Level of analysis

Individual, group, network

IS articles that use the theory

Atkinson, C. J. "The Soft Information Systems and Technologies Methodology (SISTeM): an actor network contingency approach to integrated development", European Journal of Information Systems (9:2), June 2000, pp. 104-123.


from http://www.fsc.yorku.ca/york/istheory/wiki/index.php/Soft_systems_theory