Educating Critical Qualitative Health Researchers in the Land of the Randomized Controlled Trial

Bibliographic Data

ID2386074
AuthorsJoan M Eakin (University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Joan Eakin (0000-0002-1104-3626, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume22
Issue2
Pages107-118
Publication date2016-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Inquiry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1077-8004 • E-ISSN: 1552-7565
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1077800415617207
OpenAlexW2336843782
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited25

Drawing on long experience as a sociologist in the health academy, I explore the challenges of practicing and teaching critical qualitative research in an environment dominated by very different scientific reasoning. I account for the transgressive positioning of qualitative research in the health sciences in terms of the role of social theory in interpretive research, rising interest in qualitative approaches among health professionals, research and educational doctrines that impede "value-added" analysis, and the ascendance of applied, post-positivist forms of qualitative research. Strategies for producing critical qualitative researchers who can both survive and thrive in the health arena include creation of institutional authority, prioritization of methodological depth over breadth, teaching pragmatic but non-compromising survival skills, and forging supportive communities of practice. I describe how one particular academic organization is engaging with these strategies and reflect on future prospects for educating critical qualitative researchers in the field of health

Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Political science · Positivism · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Health Policy Implementation Science · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics