A review of qualitative research
characteristics in “A Documentor’s Perspective” by M.Q. Patton
March 2005
Discussion: “A Documentor’s
Perspective”
In Patton’s
(1990) “A Documentor’s Perspective,” multiple qualitative elements interweave
the text in a descriptive manner that hints at indecision regarding which
traditions to use and which strategies to execute in formulating the conceptual
design. In reading the text, I was aware of a mixture of closely related
combinations of qualitative elements per each paragraph as if the author were
trying out one method, moving to a different but similar method, then back
again in a manner that ultimately evolved into a honing in on the main research
question. This can either be seen as a
waffling, indecisive testing of traditions and ideas as the author leads us to
believe in his/her meandering exploration of finding the “right” combination of
descriptive elements. Or, one can view
this perspective analysis as a clever progression from vague to precise
selection of design methodology and research query, much like a ‘best fit’
evaluation of methodological criteria.
Because most paragraphs contain differing elements from the others, the
following analysis will move generally from one paragraph to the next,
extracting what I feel are the primary elements, the traditions being
contemplated, and the complimentary strategies for method implementation. It is my opinion that descriptive analysis
cannot be restricted to a singular tradition by its very nature. It seems reasonable to surmise that
descriptive analysis, depending on the initial context and general question(s)
being asked, follows along a continuum of clusters of traditions, such as
phenomenology-ethnomethodology-heuristics or, perhaps, chaos theory-symbolic
interaction-ecological psychology. The first cluster is more concerned with the
personal/phenomenological experience of the analyst and/or study participants
and meanings therein, while the other leans towards extrapolation of common
themes motivating meaningful behaviours/experiences. I organise these clusters loosely since
ultimately all identified traditions fall along a wider continuum anyway,
making precise distinctions somewhat impossible.
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