Beyond Methodology

"A stellar cast of authors discuss and describe feminist research, reflecting the state of feminist discourse in sociology. . . . its high quality makes it a must in sociology and women's studies collections." —Choice " . . . empowering . . . thought-provoking . . . " —Gender & Society " . . . a valuable addition to the literature on feminism and method that reveals important discrepancies and shared themes in its chapters." —Contemporary Sociology In this interdisciplinary collection of articles by internationally recognized feminist scholars, the authors examine efforts to apply feminist principles to the research act. Each stage of the research process is examined, from sampling techniques to mass media packaging and marketing of feminist research. The essays address both abstract philosophical questions and the more practical ways theories are translated into feminist inquiry.

There is much variability with regard to the type, depth and effectiveness of training teachers receive in understanding and meeting the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in public schools across the country, yet the rise in the number of learners has been substantial. Although it is important that teachers have knowledge and skills related to instructional methods and approaches for teaching ESL, they may also be confronted with policies that disadvantage ELLs, such as compulsory standardized testing, and unrealistic curriculum demands. They may also lack appropriate resources, and be faced with learners who have learning disabilities and behavioral issues associated with culture shock. The book is designed to present classroom-oriented topics that are fundamental to the professional development of pre-service, novice, and veteran teachers working with ELLs. Such topics include issues surrounding initial orientation and student placement; the acculturation process for ELLs and particular concerns of refugee students; challenges involved in making accommodations and curricular modifications as well as determining if ELLs have special needs; social and emotional difficulties affecting ELL performance and communicating with parents; and bullying behaviors, learner advocacy and transitioning. The book may be used as a supplement to a course textbook on second language acquisition and teaching, or as the main focus of a course, to which other material is added. The short case studies provide an opportunity for teachers to engage in dialogue and wrestle with issues and dilemmas that pertain to ELLs in reallife school settings. They provide a stimulus that help teachers explore their underlying assumptions about the languages, cultures, and experiences that their ELLs bring to the school community. Acknowledging learners’ strengths and aspirations prepares all students for success in our global society.

This volume strives to establish a new agenda for methodologies in the social sciences, summarizing the most important research strategies developed in the social sciences since the early globalization and transnationalization studies of the 1980s and 1990s - namely, the cosmopolitican approach, the transnational lens, the scalar approach, and global and multi-sited ethnography. The contributions go beyond the early criticisms of methodological nationalism, providing insights into new strategies and illustrating how scholars apply these research strategies in different fields such as migration research and social anthropology. Analyzing the advantages and lacunae of new research strategies helps both to outline general methodological directions and to provide helpful guides for empirical analysis.

Research is often seen as a neutral, technical process through which researchers simply reveal or discover knowledge. A broader and more self-reflective stance is advocated in Beyond Method, one in which a knowledge of technique needs to be complemented by an appreciation of the nature of research as a distinctively human process, through which researchers make knowledge. Such an appreciation requires a reframing of understanding and debate about research, in a way that goes beyond considerations of method alone.

Since its publication in 1982, Beyond Positivism has become established as one of the definitive statements on economic methodology. The book‘s rejection of positivism and its advocacy of pluralism were to have a profound influence in the flowering of work methodology that has taken place in economics in the decade since its publication. This editi

Photovoice is a form of participatory action research, which has been gaining use and momentum since its inception in the mid-1990s. Within the enactment of this methodology, research participants are invited to document aspects of their lives through photography and then provide written or oral accounts of the images they create. Designed to situate participants as experts on their lives and their experiences, photovoice is a powerful and visceral approach to policy change efforts. In this book, the photovoice methodology is conceptualized as being comprised of eight steps: identification, invitation, education, documentation, narration, ideation, presentation, and confirmation. Each of the steps is explained and expanded upon, and insights are drawn from the extant photovoice literature and the author’s personal experience. In addition, attention is given to the history of photography and inquiry, theoretical underpinnings and aims of the methodology, ethical considerations, methods and procedures, approaches to data analysis, and photovoice exhibitions. Finally, the author has attended to some aspects of photovoice that have historically been left unattended, such as: building a conceptual framework for a photovoice study, viewing the photovoice exhibition as a site of inquiry, and thinking through the ways in which ever-evolving photography technologies can and should impact decision-making throughout the photovoice process. While many texts exist that touch on and/or address photovoice, this is the first book solely dedicated to the entirety of the photovoice methodology — from theory to exhibition. Built as a practical guide, readers will find a wealth of information, resources, and advice within this book. Educators, students, and academic researchers will find this an accessible and compassionate text, one that will be a trusted companion while on the photovoice project journey.

"Beyond Method provides a forum for scholars across health and human sciences disciplines to explore issues surrounding philosophy, methodology, and epistemology in the context of interpretive scholarship. The essays comprising this volume move beyond the practical descriptions or the "how to" of interpretive methods commonly found in textbooks to explore the contributions, underlying assumptions, limitations, and possibilities embedded within and across particular philosophical, methodological, and epistemological perspectives. They reveal the complexity and richness of understanding that emerges when philosophical issues are explicated within contemporary contexts, illuminating new possibilities for healthcare and human science scholarship"--Publisher description.

Explores the methodologies and influence of acting teacher Stella Adler on her male students.