On the Nature of a Critical Methodology

Abstract

This article describes an expanded view of methodologytermed a critical methodology-in the wake of criticisms of the received view of scientific method. A critical methodology would involve a deemphasis on method per se, the need for methodological innovation and the continual critical examination of the assumptions that undergird methods and other research resources. It is argued that under a critical methodology, the processes of theory construction and research would be essentially processes of argument construction, where arguments can be supported with many types of evidence. Although there is no final certainty through method under this framework, progress can result from the tension between various perspectives in context.The received view of scientific method in psychology, borrowing heavily from the natural sciences and emphasizing empirical, quantitative procedures, has long been a topic of debate and criticism (e.g.

Risky and at-risk subjects: The discursive positioning of the ADHD child in the Italian context

“…The use of different methods in relation to specific research contexts and questions permits the researcher to take advantage of their peculiarities (Maclachlan, 2000). Therefore, the selection of a research methodology is structurally both a theoretical and a practice-oriented process (Yanchar, 2005), as the choices are based on the researcher's theoretical orientation, the specific research questions, the different contexts in which data are collected and the researcher's assumptions about the fact that specific ways of collecting data are more likely to be appropriate for certain groups (Chamberlain et al, 2011;Frost and Nolas, 2011;Harper, 2011).…”

“…In line with this logic, we adopted practice informed and contextually sensitive methods (Yanchar, 2005), diversifying the methods used for collecting data on the basis of specific aims, contexts and conditions. Interviews with mental health professionals were adopted to analyse how they constructed accounts of ADHD in relation to their professional experience and how they discursively supported their specialist practice.…”

The economy of centre within the aneconomy of neurological architecture

“…A dismissal of what Yanchar et al (2005) call methodolatry, deconstruction is described as a method sous rature, where general methodological injunctions are undermined through attention to a text's specific convolutions. As Wilson (1998) argues, deconstruction is not a 'general' project to which can be attributed an acontextual method.…”

The Use of Randomisation in Educational Research and Evaluation: A Critical Analysis of Underlying Assumptions

“…While proponents of experimental methods believe that random assignment reduces the chance that systematic differences will exist between groups, there are those who question the feasibility and usefulness of random assignment to accomplish this task (Leaf, 1993). It is possible that incorrect assumptions about random assignment's ability to control for all potential threats have resulted in an unwarranted reliance on experiments using random assignment to revolutionise educational practice (Schon, 1983;Teddlie, & Tashakkori, 2003;Yanchar et al, 2005).…”