The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process

by Michael J. Crotty

Choosing a research method can be bewildering. How can you be sure which methodology is appropriate, or whether your chosen combination of methods is consistent with the theoretical perspective you want to take? This book links methodology and theory with great clarity and precision, showing students and researchers how to navigate the maze of conflicting terminology. The major epistemological stances and theoretical perspectives that colour and shape current social research are detailed and the author reveals the philosophical origins of these schools of inquiry and shows how various disciplines contribute to the practice of social research as it is known today.

Genres: Research, Nonfiction, Reference, Sociology, Education, Philosophy, School

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't tell if Crotty's audience is supposed to be beginning researchers or technical experts on the topic at hand. Great information, but it's going to be at least somewhat incomprehensible for both groups because of his flow of information and organizational structure.

[Dedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very useful book for researchers. It provides strong philosophical background in doing both quantitative and qualitative research and shows the way you will step easily and beautifully while studying something.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really this is a humanistic look at the purpose and background of social science approaches to methods, the philosophy of methods, might be a good way to put it. If one is looking for deeper understanding for methods or a connection between theory and methods, this is a good book to turn to.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a decent introduction to the ideology of the social sciences. It provides, as the author puts it, a scaffolding that permits a new researcher to understand their own frame of reference and the frame of reference of others in the social sciences. It is not complete by any means and needs to be supplemented with other texts, but it does deal in outline with the various claims made by different philosophical traditions. The book starts with positivism and uses it as a foil for the rest of the book. It covers in outline all the major movements you will find in contemporary social science.

Perhaps the most important elements you will learn from the book is that research in all traditions since philosophical pragmatism (Pierce, James, Dewey) and Marxism, which birthed the main paradigms, are implicitly or explicitly about affecting social change using research products. The book is strongest discussing paradigms from pragmatism and the Marxist legacy as interpreted in the Frankfurt School. It is weakest in discussing post-modernism.

Note: positivism, whether post-positivism, or not, gets a pretty bad rap in the book, which is probably true in some social science fields but not others. Positivism is utterly dead in anthropology, and there a huge division between behavioral and evolutionary/genetic psychologists and social psychologists. Positivism is still a dominant paradigm in political science in the United States, based on the number of quantitative papers published.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heady and difficult read but helpful overview of epistemology and theoretical perspectives and the history of each. Made me question my stance of what is knowledge and how is meaning made and figure out where I am situated among the various traditions
"Re-search" - to apprehend, create, understand, analyze, excavate, trace, and critque

“Different ways of viewing the world shape different ways of researching the world.”

"Critical inquiry cannot be viewed as a discrete piece of action that achieves its objectives and comes to a close. With every action taken, the context changes and we must critique our assumptions again. Viewed in this way, critical inquiry emerges as an ongoing project. It is a cyclical process (better seen, perhaps, as a spiralling process for there is movement forward and upward) of reflection and action."

[Gabriel Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to what the modern practice of research actually is. I can say that it definitely helped me to frame my understanding of both how to research and how to look at the research of others, identifying their backgrounds and such.

[Colin Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a useful text to read as I am doing a PhD and currently looking at theory, ontology and epistemology. In some areas it was hard to read, but generally it was very informative and helped me in pulling together my narrative around my own theoretical perspective for my my research.

[Mary Culpepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohmuhgoodness! While this started out a little on the side of foreign language-y, once I got in the groove, there was a whole lot I found to appreciate. This text helped me build a theoretical base and understand the contexts of and differences between a variety of theoretical perspectives.

[John Chancey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for class. It covers the philosophical approaches and assumptions to conducting scholarly research. Very hard to read at times because of the philosophy, but overall, it provides a basic framework of the lenses one would use to conduct research.

[NAOMI POINDEXTER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read- But don't stop here-
This book gives a good foundation- and there is so much more to epistemology.

[Ryan Schmidt]

Reference material.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is single handedly the most painful and dry book I’ve ever been forced to read

[Jogar01 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good discussion on the four dominant research paradigms. A good read to understand the type of research that is produced and the researcher's position. I stand in the critical paradigm (if I have to choose one this is it) that seeks to transform the world in communion with others. The reading is helping me to understand the foundation of the other paradigms (positivism/postpositivism, interpretivism, and deconstructionism). Croty's discussion of Marx falls short; he only focuses on economics as if Marx's entire concern was on economics. Also, his sources for this discussion are few: a book with selected writings, the Communist Manifesto, The Poverty of Philosophy, and the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Unless you are already versed in Marx's work, you will leave thinking that Marx's only concern is economical, as was the case with most of the students in class.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive (and sometimes dense) articulation of the historical origins and contemporary perspectives of the major paradigms which govern how we discover and understand the world. Crotty's inclusion of the contemporary debates surrounding the paradigmatic assumptions of positivist, post-positivist, constructivist, interpretivist, critical, transformative, feminist, Marxist, modernist, and post-modernist paradigms (among others) effectively situate the underlying philosophies of social research as an ongoing conversation. A great resource; I also found it helpful to read this non-linearly.

[Kimberly Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not a fan of this book. It contains a great deal of information, but it is hard to access because the author's presentations are disorganized and circuitous. It certainly provided an interesting perspective on various philosophies unpinning research frameworks. However, it is for the initiated and not the novice.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid text that spells out the major qualitative research paradigms. I didn't read the entire thing - or even all the assigned readings - but I'm pleased that I bought this one.

[Caron · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, a good start...

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ SEP 2008

Good foundational resource for any beginning researcher.

[Karla Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

had to read it for school...bleh

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only I had been assigned this book as a first semester PhD student...

[Ruchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I surely recommend it for first year PhD researchers. It is a great book that helps to get a clear idea of the basics of methodology in social research.

[Deepthi Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started off in qualitative research this was the most simple, useful and easy-to-understand textbook explaining the various paradigms. This is still my first go-to textbook for Qual research.

[Biên Trần · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book!

[Shannon Trefts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but also VERY dry.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of research and their basic paradigms.

[Maria Carolina]

Excellent book for those who want an overview of research traditions of social research. I think Crotty made a conscious effort to present every tradition as impartially as he could. Very instigating and motivating.