Naturalistic Inquiry

by Yvonna S. Lincoln, Egon Guba

Naturalistic Inquiry provides social scientists with a basic but comprehensive rationale for non-positivistic approaches to research. It confronts the basic premise underlying the scientific tradition that all questions can be answered by employing empirical, testable, replicable research techniques. The authors maintain that there are scientific facts that existing paradigms cannot explain, and argue against traditional positivistic inquiry. They suggest an alternative approach supporting the use of the naturalistic paradigm.

Genres: Research, Research Methods, Education

416 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1985

Reviews

[Arif · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the organization and writing style of this book, but had trouble giving it more stars because I also thoroughly disagreed with a lot of the claims made! For anyone interested in qualitative research and inquiry, this is a must read to get a sense of the 'debate' in the field. Otherwise, give it a miss :)

[Rania · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough guide to naturalistic inquiry and a thorough critique of the positivist. It may be hard to agree with everything said in the book but it will be very difficult not to admire how the author formulated their ideas. It is a phenomenal contribution to the field of qualitative inquiry.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the ontological...ok no I won't go there, it is rather thick but it is perhaps the best book to quote for qualitative studies

[John Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, if dense, introduction into the world of qualitative research.