Discussion:
Managing Different Perspectives in the Literature
Consider this scenario: A researcher is looking for the best way to conduct a process. Published Author A offers one point of view, whereas Author B offers a conflicting point of view. Which author should the researcher believe? Both authors are top names in their discipline and are widely published and referenced. Is this an "either/or" situation where the researcher must choose one point of view over the other, or can the researcher come to terms with how to manage different points of view in the published literature?
One of the main challenges a researcher faces is coming to terms with authors of textbooks and journal articles who have different points of view on a topic and may even use different terminology. In this Discussion, you will examine divergent views on qualitative research.
To prepare for this Discussion:
• Review the readings for this week.
• Consider the differences or conflicts among and between the textbook authors for this course. For example, Maxwell uses the concept of research hypotheses for qualitative research when generally hypotheses are associated with quantitative research. And at times, Creswell seems to be offering a different qualitative research process than the other authors.
• How does a researcher reconcile differences in points of view between and among authors? What strategies would you recommend to a researcher for working with various points of view?