Although all of us must teach against the text at times, I find myself doing this most often when teaching about qualitative methods in the context of a general introductory methods course. Myths about the nature and practice of qualitative research are both embedded in the folklore of mainstream sociology and supported by the textbooks that we use in our classrooms. However, many students resist instructors' attempts to question textbooks, which they regard as “gospel truth”. How can we get our students to go beyond both textbook myths and mainstream folklore to grapple with misleading and inaccurate statements? In this article I suggest several strategies to raise awareness of myths about qualitative research, explain why several common statements about qualitative methods are myths, and suggest classroom strategies for engaging students in challenging these myths. I end with an evaluation of my own efforts to teach against the text in an undergraduate methods class.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BabbieEarl.2001.
The Practice of Social Research.
Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
2.
Buford MayReuben A.Patillo-McCoy.Mary2000.
“Do You See What I See? Examining a Collaborative Ethnography.”
Qualitative Inquiry6:
65–87.
3.
CharmazKathy.2000.
“Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist Methods.”
Pp. 509–36 in
Handbook of Qualitative Research,
2d ed.,
edited by DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna S.Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
4.
CharmazKathy.2003.
“Grounded Theory.”
Pp. 81–110 in
Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods,
edited by SmithJonathan A.Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
5.
CharmazKathy.2006.
Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis.
London, England:
Sage.
6.
CheinIsidor.1976.
“An Introduction to Sampling.”
Pp. 511–40 in
Research Methods in Social Relations,
edited by SelitzC.WrightsmanL. S.CookS. W.New York:
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
7.
CookThomas D.Campbell.Donald T.1979.
Quasi-Experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings.
Boston, MA:
Houghton-Mifflin.
8.
CreswellJohn.1998.
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
9.
DenzinNorman K.1997.
Interpretive Ethnography: Ethnographic Practices for the 21st Century.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna S., eds.
2000b.
“Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research.”
Pp. 1–29 in
Handbook of Qualitative Research,
2d ed.,
edited by DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna S.Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
12.
DiamondTimothy.1992.
Making Gray Gold: Narratives of Nursing Home Care.
Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
13.
DuchownyLaurie.1996.
“Fame and Art: An Ethnography of a Graffiti Subculture.”
Undergraduate honors' thesis, Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
14.
ElderLinda.2000.
“Critical Thinking: Nine Strategies for Everyday Life, Part II.”
Journal of Developmental Education24:
38–9.
15.
FerrellJeffStewart-Huidobro.Eugene1993.
Crimes of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality.
New York:
Garland.
16.
GlaserBarney G.Strauss.Anselm L.1965.
Awareness of Dying.
Chicago, IL:
Aldine.
17.
GlaserBarney G.Strauss.Anselm L.1967.
The Discovery of Grounded Theory.
Chicago, IL:
Aldine.
18.
HoodJane C.1983.
Becoming a Two-Job Family.
New York:
Praeger.
19.
HoodJane C.2003.
“Inconvenient Terms and Haphazard Thinking: Reconceptualizing Nonprobability Sampling.”
Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Unpublished manuscript.
KimuraDoreen.1992.
“Sex Differences in the Brain.”
Scientific American267:
118–25.
22.
LiebowElliot.1967.
Tally's Corner: A Study of Negro Streetcorner Men.
Boston, MA:
Little Brown.
23.
MaiselRichardPersell.Caroline Hodges1996.
How Sampling Works.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge Press.
24.
MarkowitzLindaHedley.Mark2001.
“Avoiding Moral Dichotomies: Teaching Controversial Topics to Resistant Students.”
Teaching Sociology29:
195–208.
25.
MaxwellJoseph A.1996.
Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
26.
MilesMatthew B.Huberman.A. Michael1994.
Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
27.
MillerEleanor M.1986.
Street Woman.
Philadelphia, PA:
Temple.
28.
NaplesNancy A.2003.
Feminism and Method: Ethnography, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research.
New York:
Routledge.
29.
NeumanLawrence W.1997.
Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches.
Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
30.
NeumanLawrence W.2000.
Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches.
4th ed.Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
31.
PattonMichael Quinn.1990.
Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods.
Newbury Park, CA:
Sage.
32.
PaulRichardElder.Linda2001.
“Critical Thinking: Inert Information, Activated Ignorance, and Activated Knowledge.”
Journal of Developmental Education25
(2):
36–7.
33.
PaulRichardElder.Linda2002a.
“Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part I).”
Journal of Developmental Education26
(1):
36–7.
34.
PaulRichardElder.Linda2002b.
“Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part II).”
Journal of Developmental Education26
(2):
34–5.
35.
PaulRichardElder.Linda2003.
“Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part III).”
Journal of Developmental Education26
(3):
36–7.
36.
PerryWilliam G.1999.
Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years.
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
37.
RyanGerry A.Bernard.Russell H.2000.
“Data Management and Analysis Methods.”
Pp. 769–802 in
Handbook of Qualitative Research,
2d ed.,
edited by DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna S.Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
38.
SchumanHowardPresser.Stanley1996.
Questions and Answers in Attitude Surveys: Experiments on Question Form, Wording, and Context.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
39.
SchuttRussell K.2001.
Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge.
40.
SchuttRussell K.2006.
Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge.
41.
SchwandtThomas A.2000.
“Three Epistemological Stances for Qualitative Inquiry: Interpretivism, Hermeneutics, and Social Constructionism.”
Pp. 189–213 in
Handbook of Qualitative Research,
2d ed.,
edited by DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna S.Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
42.
SmithDorothy.1990.
Texts, Facts, and Femininity.
London, England:
Routledge.
43.
SouthScottSpitze.Glenna1994.
“Housework in Marital and Nonmarital Households.”
American Sociological Review59:
327–47.
44.
StackCarol B.1975.
All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community.
New York:
Harper & Row.
45.
StraussAnselmCorbin.Juliet1990.
The Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
46.
TeschRenata.1990.
Qualitative Research: Analysis Types and Software Tools.
New York:
Falmer Press.
