Research in Social Gerontology in Quebec: An Obscure Originality or a Deserved Obscurity?

Abstract

The assessments of research in social gerontology in Quebec are already numerous. The need to continue to reflect on one's work is a sign of the uncertainty amongst Quebec researchers in social gerontology. Although research activities have been multiple in the past years and research in social gerontology has a few of the characteristics of an institutionalized scientific activity, the experience of research centres in gerontology has not always been a happy one; researchers have no definite place of work and scientific publications hardly get out of Quebec. Nevertheless, numerous works should be entitled to a Canadian and international circulation, and this exposure to the international trends of research in social gerontology would in turn profit Quebec researchers. Moreover, research in social gerontology is too exclusively concentrated in the field of social psychology, while the almost ideological rejection of quantitative methods appears largely unjustified. It is imperative that social research in gerontology in Quebec be diversified, but it is also important that researchers group together around research themes and that these groups be given adequate financial assistance by the funding agencies.

Qualitative Research in theCJA/RCV:An 18-Year Analysis (1995–2012)

“…It may be that more French research is qualitative because fewer studies are carried out with French-speaking participants in Canada than with English speaking participants, and thus more French studies are exploratory in nature. However, in a 1988 review of Quebec social gerontology, Béland (1988) noted that qualitative methods were overwhelmingly preferred by francophone researchers in Quebec in the area of gerontology, with an emphasis on understanding rather than explanation. Thus, these findings may be an extension of an already established preference.…”