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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Judy,<BR>
<BR>
Both for your student and for your colleagues, it might be useful to have a look at Peri Schwartz-Shea's chapter in our edited book "Interpretation and Method: Empirical Research Methods and the Interpretive Turn" (M E Sharpe, 2006), where she talks about the kinds of assumptions a variables-oriented reader would look for as an entree to discussing the variety of alternative evaluative criteria for interpretive work that have been developed by qualitative methodologists over the last 20 years.<BR>
<BR>
I can also heartily suggest Martyn Hammersley's "Reading Ethnographic Research: A Critical Guide" (Longman, 1990; there is a 2nd ed., which I've not seen), which situates these concerns within their methodological context. Although himself taking a more realist position, he gives interpretive ones a fair shake.<BR>
<BR>
Patrick articulated a response to Bill Kelleher's post that got to what for me is the heart of things. I don't want to repeat the points he made, but I do want to underscore one of them. For me, the heart of an interpretive approach entails problematizing not only what are considered the "facts" of a situation, but challenging that very term. It seems to me, Bill, that by taking 'facts' as your starting point, you put your analysis in the presuppositional context of a real world that can be known, objectively -- the kind of position that Rorty sought to grapple with in his 1979 discussion of theories mirroring nature.<BR>
<BR>
One approach to social science is to try to piece together "what really happened" (whatever methods one uses to do that). Another is to problematize whether we can ever do that in light of a phenomenological-hermeneutic understanding that that can never be known -- which then shifts us to inquiring into the multiplicities of the experience or perception of that event, speech, act, etc. Both (can) entail "interpretation" -- as does the interpretation of statistical data. But what "interpretive" signifies in methodology/methods is rather different.<BR>
<BR>
I suppose, Patrick, that this is why you prefer to refer to these as "relational" methods/methodologies?<BR>
<BR>
Dvora<BR>
<BR>
-----Original Message-----<BR>
From: interpretationandmethods-bounces@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu on behalf of Judy Brown<BR>
Sent: Tue 08-Jul-08 00:11<BR>
To: interpretationandmethods@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu<BR>
Subject: Re: [Interpretationandmethods] Interpretationandmethods Digest,Vol 43, Issue 1<BR>
<BR>
Many thanks Patrick - this is really helpful. It is indeed the ethnographic/relational aspects that are of interest - and I agree on reflection that "impact" is a (and my) bad choice of word implying a neopositivist approach. I will print all this exchange out - as the basis for some discussion when I meet the student concerned later this week. Your response strikes bang on part of the issue faced when positivist colleagues assume interpretivist work is really looking for "causal variables" (e.g. contingency theory). "Relational/interpretive horizon" rather than "impact" talk is a far more helpful way of conceptualising what is involved. <BR>
<BR>
But, of course, it may also be me presupposing too much that it is really the enthnographic/relational aspects that are primary in this study because that it is the approach that I would want to take... so this reinforces for me the need to "sense-check" my understanding with the student. It is, after all, her thesis not mine!! So many thanks again...<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
________________________________<BR>
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From: interpretationandmethods-bounces@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu on behalf of interpretationandmethods-request@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu<BR>
Sent: Tue 8/07/2008 9:27 a.m.<BR>
To: interpretationandmethods@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu<BR>
Subject: Interpretationandmethods Digest, Vol 43, Issue 2<BR>
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Today's Topics:<BR>
<BR>
1. Re: Interpretationandmethods Digest, Vol 43, Issue 1 (Judy Brown)<BR>
2. Re: Interpretationandmethods Digest, Vol 43, Issue 1<BR>
(Patrick Thaddeus Jackson)<BR>
3. What is The Right Way to do Interpretive Social Science?<BR>
(wjkellpro@aol.com)<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Message: 1<BR>
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 10:11:08 +1200<BR>
From: "Judy Brown" <Judy.Brown@vuw.ac.nz><BR>
Subject: Re: [Interpretationandmethods] Interpretationandmethods<BR>
Digest, Vol 43, Issue 1<BR>
To: <interpretationandmethods@malagigi.cddc.vt.edu><BR>
Message-ID:<BR>
<7A8436AD0EB8F4428BEC320CC109A242022E5AB3@STAWINCOMAILCL1.staff.vuw.ac.nz><BR>
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Hi Patrick, Dvora and Jack<BR>
<BR>
Many thanks to the three of you for your prompt and generous responses. I realise now that I should have provided a bit more background information, so here goes to clarify:<BR>
<BR>
1. I currently teach a course in Accounting Research Methodology: Interpretive and Critical Theory aimed at just the sorts of issues Patrick raises. Our Honours students take this course and another course focussing on positivist research, for the purposes of exploring different research possibilities and (for students going onto Masters/PhDs) to help them identify research that feels "right" to them. We now have a (growing) group of students pursuing interpretivist/critical theory work.<BR>
<BR>
2. Patrick and Dvora - yes, I totally agree that the overall structure of a PhD proposal is similar for all types of research. It is in the latter area that Dvora identifies that I would really welcome examples - talking about research not based on hypothesis testing - specifically at the proposal stage. We are very short of examples here - particularly in the area of interpretive research. This would be helpful not only to students, but also to those of us supervising to help ensure quality work (not least of all to counter colleagues who still "test" proposals by positivist standards and expect to see hypotheses, statistical tests etc. etc.). While students can look at examples of published research, it is still not quite the same as having proposals to look at.<BR>
<BR>
3. The student about to start will be examining the involvement of accountants in the decision-making processes surrounding information technology governance. In particular, she wishes to explore the ways in which the ideas and attitudes of accountants and IT practitioners might enable or constrain the involvement of accountants in IT governance. An interpretivist methodology will be adopted in order to explore the impact of various "ideational" aspects on IT governance design choice e.g. the ways in which IT governance is conceptualised by accountants and IT practitioners, interpretive schema and institutional 'habits', professional identity, organisational culture and politics. I am meeting her later this week, and will encourage her to join the list so she can tell you more about her interests.<BR>
<BR>
4. Jack - many thanks for the lead to Hansen's work. I have already Googled it and it looks fascinating - it will be on my next book order!!<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Cheers, Judy.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
Message: 2<BR>
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 21:39:23 -0400<BR>
From: Patrick Thaddeus Jackson <patrickthaddeusjackson@gmail.com><BR>
Subject: Re: [Interpretationandmethods] Interpretationandmethods<BR>
Digest, Vol 43, Issue 1<BR>
To: interpretation and methods group<BR>
<interpretationandmethods@listserv.cddc.vt.edu><BR>
Message-ID: <26FB774E-E865-41FE-B099-FE9FA628C88E@gmail.com><BR>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes<BR>
<BR>
On Jul 6, 2008, at 6:11 PM, Judy Brown wrote:<BR>
<BR>
> 3. The student about to start will be examining the involvement of<BR>
> accountants in the decision-making processes surrounding information<BR>
> technology governance. In particular, she wishes to explore the ways<BR>
> in which the ideas and attitudes of accountants and IT practitioners<BR>
> might enable or constrain the involvement of accountants in IT<BR>
> governance. An interpretivist methodology will be adopted in order<BR>
> to explore the impact of various "ideational" aspects on IT<BR>
> governance design choice e.g. the ways in which IT governance is<BR>
> conceptualised by accountants and IT practitioners, interpretive<BR>
> schema and institutional 'habits', professional identity,<BR>
> organisational culture and politics. I am meeting her later this<BR>
> week, and will encourage her to join the list so she can tell you<BR>
> more about her interests.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Judy:<BR>
<BR>
One question I would ask the student is what, if anything, is<BR>
"interpretive" about this research question. "The impact of various<BR>
'ideational' aspects" sounds like pretty standard neopositivism to me:<BR>
code a variable like "professional identity" or "organizational<BR>
culture" and then test to see whether the variable is significantly<BR>
correlated with an outcome of interest across cases. I see<BR>
interpretive methods here, but no interpretive methodology. "Attitudes<BR>
cause an outcome" is not the kind of proposition one needs anything<BR>
complicated to evaluate; Mill's Methods ought to do the job just nicely.<BR>
<BR>
Of course, one could also ask a research question here that *would*<BR>
require a non-neopositivist research design. But "the impact of X on<BR>
Y" wouldn't be it. For example, one could propose an ethnographic<BR>
account of accountants working in IT governance, seeking to bring to<BR>
light the interpretive horizon within which they work; that isn't<BR>
hypothesis-testing, but it also isn't causal (so such a study couldn't<BR>
be about "impact"). Or one might make a relational turn, and discuss<BR>
IT governance as emerging someplace between a variety of conflicting<BR>
parties and strategies, and hence examine the detailed transactions<BR>
that take place between (e.g.) IT practitioners and accountants in the<BR>
process of constituting "IT governance." That's causal, but it's not<BR>
"X causes Y" (or statistical-comparative) causal.<BR>
<BR>
I think it's great that you have a multiple-methodology sequence for<BR>
your students; I agree, that's the best way to allow students to<BR>
experiment, and to find the right methodological approach for the<BR>
question at hand. But the flip-side of that, I think, is that if one<BR>
has a neopositivist question then one should use a neopositivist<BR>
methodology in an attempt to answer it.<BR>
<BR>
PTJ<BR>
===<BR>
Patrick Thaddeus Jackson<BR>
Director, General Education Program, American University<BR>
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of International Relations and Development<BR>
<A HREF="http://profptj.blogspot.com">http://profptj.blogspot.com</A> <<A HREF="http://profptj.blogspot.com/">http://profptj.blogspot.com/</A>> | <A HREF="http://www.kittenboo.com">http://www.kittenboo.com</A> <<A HREF="http://www.kittenboo.com/">http://www.kittenboo.com/</A>><BR>
calendar: <A HREF="http://ical.mac.com/onyxdr/Patrick">http://ical.mac.com/onyxdr/Patrick</A><BR>
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