Changing research methodology: Two case studies of Critical Realism informing social work doctoral research

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Critical Realism (CR) has much to offer to social work research because of its recognition of the existence of objective and subjective realities. Bhaskar (1978) classifies these levels of reality as the empirical, the actual and the real. Empirical realities emerge from our experience of the world and include our subjective constructions. The underlying real reality is seen as a productive force, causing the empirical to appear. Researchers using CR methodology can employ an analytic process called retroduction. This approach involves moving back and forth from the empirical to the real to identify causal mechanisms that drive the empirical to manifest.APPROACH: This research brief is the outcome of a research methodology literature review undertaken by two doctoral students who employ CR perspectives. Their research proposals have been used as case studies to demonstrate the usefulness of CR in informing social work research. These findings were presented at the ANZSWWER international symposium held at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.FINDINGS: CR uncovers the epistemic fallacy of reducing ontology to the realm of epistemology. The totalising truth claims of both objectivism and subjectivism are replaced with an alternative conception of stratified forms of reality – the real, actual and empirical. Reality exists both objectively and subjectively. This enables researchers to bridge social constructionism and structural causation. It allows for study that explores the subjective considerations of respondents while examining the objective existence of causal mechanisms such as social structures, systems or processes. CONCLUSION: CR offers an alternative that social work researchers have long been searching for: to engage meaningfully in studies that examine perceived realities at the empirical level and the causal mechanisms that lie behind them.

Retroductive Theorizing: A Contribution of Critical Realism to Mixed Methods Research

“…Fletcher (2017) and Hoddy (2019) also advocate for the use of axial coding techniques (linking open codes to each other) for identifying and postulating causal mechanisms and demi-regularities. Elements related to structures, context, mechanisms, and observation, which are useful for establishing mechanism-based causality should be identified (Peter & Park, 2018).…”

Creating equilibrium: Four relational mechanisms that facilitate positive change

“…These steps are similar to how social workers make sense and create meaning in their practice (Craig & Bigby, 2015). Abduction involves two researcherdriven steps (Peter & Park, 2018) (Table 1). (Peter & Park, 2018).…”

“…Abduction involves two researcherdriven steps (Peter & Park, 2018) (Table 1). (Peter & Park, 2018). Table 2 illustrates analysis processes used to arrive at the four mechanisms discussed here.…”

“…3 | CR Kazi (2003, p. 803) CR provides legitimacy to metaphysical discussions of unobservable mechanisms, the transient nature of knowledge as informed by experiences within intransitive aspects of contexts in which experiences occur (Bhaskar, 1975(Bhaskar, , 2002. It allows us to focus on subjective experiences of service users and service providers, the intersection of these experiences, embedding these interactions in larger explanations of causal mechanisms (processes, systems and structures) (Peter & Park, 2018). CR allows us to interrogate personal experiences within the larger systemic factors shaping those experiences.…”

“Yes, the type of student supervision matters, but what about the placement structure?” - A critical realist review of block and integrated practice learning models within pre-registration nursing programmes

“…[67] Moreover, Critical Realists believe the way individuals perceive the world is affected by their social and cultural experiences of which they may not be fully aware or able to set aside in their investigations; hence researchers can never be wholly objective. [68] Given that objectivity is seen as a goal to which one may aspire but can never achieve and causative factors cannot always be measured, Critical Realist research arrives at conclusions based on the principle of 'retroduction'; a process in which a diverse range of evidence is used to formulate the most convincing explanation [69,70] and in so doing enable unobservable events within the causal domain to be knowable. [71] Indeed, this philosophical approach emphasises the importance incumbent upon researchers to provide answers to 'how' and 'why' events.…”