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Running Head: JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT 1

Journal Assignment

Sarah Winkler

ETEC 500/65A

University of British Columbia

Instructor: Dr. Kadriye Ercikan

30 March 2016
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Journal Assignment

Denzin (2009) and Ercikan & Roth (2006) articles both agree that something needs to be

done in the field of educational research, unfortunately that is where the similarities end as both

articles present two differing viewpoints on the solution to our current education research

dilemma. Denzin is firmly rooted in the qualitative research camp and Ercikan & Roth believe

that developing a continuum that allows research to flow between both styles is important and

essential to stop the “polarization of research activities into qualitative and quantitative and the

associated polarization of the “subjective” versus the “objective” and the attribution of

generalizability to only one end of the polarity.” (Ercikan & Roth, 2006) I believe that the idea

of a continuum presented by Ercikan & Roth (2006) allows research of all kinds to focus on

presenting the issues and producing research that allows us to gain a better understanding of the

world around us in whatever research style is best suited to the research question being studied.

Issues

I believe there are two central issues in this debate. One, as Denzin argues that in our

“global audit culture” (2009) evidence-based model is creating an “external threat to our

‘collective research endeavor’ (Denzin, 2009). He argues that because qualitative research

doesn’t use numerical data it doesn’t mean that it is less effective and our focus is too much on

research that can be used by policymakers. Secondly, the focus on the importance of having

generalizability of the research findings. As Ercikan & Roth (2006) state that the “potential for

generalization do not, in fact, serve a worthwhile purpose.”

Rationales
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Denzin believes that qualitative research is essential in the social sciences and that we are

trying to base educational research too much on medical research, which while highly effective

due to its numerical nature, in educational research it misses that there is a place and a need for

qualitative research. By imposing a strict set of evaluative criteria on qualitative studies it does

not acknowledge that for example “few critical ethnographers (Madison, 2005) think in a

language of evidence, they think instead about experience, emotions, events, processes,

performances, narratives, poetics, the politics of possibility.” (Denzen, 2009) Ercikan and Roth

(2006) show that qualitative and quantitative studies are different but argue that the “polarization

of research into qualitative and quantitative is neither meaningful nor reflective of the realities of

research.” They make three suggestions that culminate in the concept to “locate different forms

of research on a continuous scale” that makes “meaningfulness and completeness of answers to

research questions become the primary focus when we consider the purposes of education

research that is intended to serve society.” (Ercikan & Roth, 2006)

Implications

Ercikan and Roth (2006) argue that by using one method over the other results in missed

opportunities in research to fully get to the truth. To get a fuller picture of the research inquiry it

is necessary to incorporate both research designs. The current research debate stand to further

polarize each camp firmly into their positions and make the concept of cooperation challenging

at best and near impossible if one style of research is presented as more desirable. Ercikan &

Roth (2006) summarize the implications best as they say “the polarization is confusing to many

and tends to limit research inquiry, often resulting in incomplete answers to research questions

and potentially inappropriate inferences based on findings.” In summary if as Mertler (2016)

suggests “research is – and should always be – central to how we function as a successful and
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productive society” then ensuring we develop a continuum “is key to answering our questions,

solving our problems, and fostering creativity, innovations, and advancements.” (Mertler 2016)

Without all styles of research and a harmonious relationship between them we are limiting the

answers we may find.


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References

Denzin, N. K. (2009). The elephant in the living room: or extending the conversation about the
politics of evidence. Qualitative Research, 9(2) 139–160.

Ercikan, K., & Roth, W-M. (2006). What good is polarizing research into qualitative and
quantitative?Educational Researcher, 35, 14-23.

Mertler, C. A. (2015). Introduction to Educational Research. Sage Publications.

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